This is our winter league. It is a traditional 10-pin league. The number of weeks varies by location. We are not sanctioned by the USBC so bowlers establish a handicap after week 1. For league scoring we use the sum of all four bowlers actual score plus their handicaps. You may sign up as a team (4-6 people) or as an individual and we will pair you up with other people to form a team. It's a great way to meet new friends!

Teams will bowl four people each week to complete their score. If you have more than four bowlers, all are encouraged to come, however, two must sit out and just be cheerleaders that week. Teams of 5 or 6 are handy though if you know you are traveling a week, or have a busy schedule. If you don't have four bowlers, you will be asked to pay the lane fees when you return, so just register an extra person on your team so you can always have someone on call.

Please note, the league does not provide substitutes and if you miss a week, you are responsible for finding your substitute. If one is not found, the team takes that bowler's avg. in team score, and the missing bowler must pay the normal weekly rate to the bowling alley when they return.

In 2024 we had this league in Flint, Grand Rapids, and Lansing. If you think there is enough interest to have a league in your city AND you are willing to be the point person in organizing and running it each week, contact nicholas@gaaysports.org to discuss in more detail!

Teams of four to six bowlers people are handicapped to even the playing field after week 1; however, in this format, if you knock down 9 pins with your first ball, it counts as a STRIKE! Watch your average reach new heights in this alternate scoring format! Get some friends and register a team or sign up solo and let us pair you with others and make some new friends.

WHAT IS A HANDICAP AND HOW IS MINE ESTABLISHED?

Great question! A handicap is free pins assigned to you based on how good of a bowler you are. It is designed to try to equal the playing field so that every bowler ended with a score of 200. It is calculated by taking your average and subtracting it from 200. Then take 90% of that number and that is your handicap. So let's say you bowl a 125, 140, and a 135. Your average for those three games would have been 133 pins. Subtract that from 200 and you get 67.666. Multiple that by .9 and your handicap is 60 pins. Now, if in my next game, I bowl a 180, my final score with handicap is 240!

WHY IS MY HANDICAP DIFFERENT EVERY WEEK?

Your handicap is calculated from your average score. So, each time you bowl a game, your seasonal average changes. It may change a lot at the very beginning if you have a game way better or worse than normal as you have fewer games to divide the total pins by. As you get later in the season you will find that it changes very little.

IF ONLY FOUR PEOPLE BOWL EACH WEEK, WHY WOULD WE WANT A 5TH PERSON?

Split Happens in life, no matter who you are. It's best to be prepared for said Split and just ask the extra person(s) who were sitting out this week to see if they will cover your spot that night. Failure to not have a fourth bowler means you take the bowler who is missing avg. for the evening. Being short a bowler also makes it difficult as one team is inevitably waiting for the other team to catch up and you end up bowling your frame back to back. If you make a commitment, show up for it, or find someone to cover for you, otherwise, you may owe money to the bowling alley for an activity you didn't even participate in.