How to Become a Pro Bowler (25 Awesome Ways & Tips)

If you want to know how to become a Pro Bowler, you are definitely reading the right article.

It reveals 25 awesome tips and ways for really becoming a successful Pro Bowler.

 

Importance

When the topic of a national bird was discussed one of the birds mentioned was a turkey.

Ben Franklin didn’t advocate for the turkey as becoming the symbol of the United States but he did say to his daughter that he thought the turkey was a more respectable bird because, unlike the bald eagle, the turkey didn’t steal from other birds.

He called the turkey a “bird of courage” and “a true original native of America.”

Today, if you are called a turkey it is an unflattering and insulting term meant to denote that you are a loser, a slow individual, stupid, naive, etc

It can be argued that turkeys are popular especially when served as food at special events or holidays such as Thanksgiving.

Also, turkeys are popular in the game of bowling.

When an individual gets three strikes in a row this is called a turkey.

It is thought that three strikes in a row were called a turkey because in the early days of bowling, getting three strikes in a row was a difficult task and when it happened a special award was given.

That award was the giving of a turkey.

With bowling ball in hand let us stare down at the 10 pins waiting to be struck down and look at being a pro bowler.

 

25 Awesome Ways & Tips to Becoming a Pro Bowler

 

1. Know the History of Bowling

The history of bowling can be traced back to the year 5200 BC as dated artifacts found in the tomb of a child buried in this time frame were found nine “pin” like stones along with a stone ball.

Other previous historical time frames in which there is evidence of this game being played include the pre-Roman Empire, Germany, and England.

Also, there is evidence that the game was played in 17th-century America.

Interesting facts about bowling include:

• Bowling balls were made of wood in the early 1900s
• Originally the game consisted of nine pins
• There is a bowling alley in the White House
• The first athlete to receive a million-dollar endorsement was a bowler

 

2. Know What the PBA is

Established in 1958 with 33 original members, the Professional Bowlers Association or the PBA is the sanctioning entity that is committed to the sport of bowling and facilitating professional competition.

Ownership has included former Executives with Microsoft and the year 2000 and in 2019 Bowlero Corporation purchased the association.

Bowlero Corp is comprised of the owners and operators of the world’s biggest bowling centers.

 

3. Join PBA

Joining the PBA can be accomplished in three separate ways.

Those ways include:

• Have a 200 bowling average over 36 games
• Have a 190 average or better over 36 games in a USBC league
• Pay cash to compete in a regional tournament

There is a monthly fee associated with being a member.

 

4. Initial Support 

Due to the dedication and involvement of time to begin the pro circuit, it is important that an individual have monetary support.

This monetary support can be accomplished by family members who support the individual wishing to turn pro to help them not worry about money but focus on their pro bowling career.

Another option for an individual when turning pro to game financial support is to obtain sponsorships.

 

5. Practice – Investment of Time

An obvious activity and discipline that needs to be followed are practice.

To become a pro bowler, like in any other activity of life where earning money is involved, the individual needs to perfect their game and this can be accomplished by practicing and practicing.

 

6. Equipment

A critical component of your game, improving your bowling, and increasing your edge in this sport is to utilize top equipment.

The most important piece of equipment for a bowler is their bowling ball.

It is best to have a ball that is known as a reactive resin ball.

A reactive resin ball determines the friction created when the ball is thrown down the lane and therefore figures heavily into the hook of the ball that is created.

Plastic balls are generally used by beginners and the urethane balls can provide a quality of hook potential.

The reactive resin ball has a urethane cover stock but within the manufacturing of the ball, modifications are added including the addition of resin particles.

 

7. Cost to go Pro

To become a pro bowler is not only an investment in time but also money.

Costs to be a pro bowler include:

• Equipment (clothing, accessories, ball, shoes)
• Tournament entry fees
• Travel
• Support expenses

Conceivably, participation in a tournament could cost a bowler thousands of dollars and significant dollars if turning pro and devoting your time to your pro career.

It is estimated that to participate fully in a seasonal league the cost for the participation alone could be $300 a month or $2200 to $2400 a month per league season.

 

8. 7 Regions

When considering turning pro as a bowler it is important to realize that the tour consists of seven regions.

Those regions include:

• Central
• East
• Midwest
• Northwest
• South
• Southwest
• West

These regional events are part of the qualifying process for the national tour.

The national tournament is by invitation and those pro bowlers invited to participate are those bowlers who have achieved the most points from the various regional tournaments as well as other qualifying events.

Prize money, totaling $115,000, is awarded at the regional events and is presented according to how the bowler performs.

 

9. National Tour

The championship finals invitation is based on accumulated points earned in the qualifying tournaments.

The competition features 16 players and is a double-elimination process to determine the winner.

Players compete in a “race to two points” system and the final match is a “race to three points.”

The total tournament purse is $300,000 with the winner receiving $100,000.

 

10. Improving

Being able to bowl and obtain a consistent average score between 150 and 180 is pretty good.

However, your score needs to improve considerably in order to turn pro.

Therefore, it is important to have the best equipment and also continue to work on your techniques.

The bowling techniques would consist of:

• Through the bowling ball consistently and flawlessly
• Your approach to releasing the ball
• Your arm swing
• Point of release
• Aim

 

11. Variety of Bowling Alleys

Not all bowling alleys are made the same nor are the lanes finished in the same consistent manner.

The differences in the bowling alleys could be based on their actual conditions and the oil patterns.

The oil patterns can be defined as either dry or having a heavy lane aspect to them.

The three types of lanes as it relates to oil include:

• Heavy
• Medium
• Light

Therefore, it is important, as much as possible, to practice all types of liens based on their three oil types.

 

12. Alternative Associations

It is not necessary to join the Pro Bowlers Association to earn pro-type money.

You can professionally enter into a variety of tournaments that are not sanctioned by PBA but still provide the opportunity of winning cash prizes.

 

13. Coaching

Additionally, to earn money and be considered a professional you could also provide coaching services.

If you have a proven technique and exceptional bowling skills, you can earn money by teaching others how to improve their game.

You can market your skills by advertising in various bowling alleys, through your social media platforms, and by word of mouth.

 

14. Join Leagues

As part of your process of becoming a bowling pro, it is important to gain as much competitive experience as possible.

It is critical to be involved in as many tournaments as you can to not only gain experience and compete but to begin to establish yourself as a serious candidate for becoming a pro bowler.

Also See: How to Get Paid Money to Play Golf & How to Get Paid Money to Play Basketball.

 

15. 10 to 15 Years

It is important to manage expectations and realize that becoming a pro bowler doesn’t just happen.

There is a process and more to being a pro than just bowling some games in which you score over 200 points or more.

Many pro bowlers have a significant number of years that they have spent in the process of turning pro.

Some bowlers indicate that 10 to 15 years of bowling is a good basic foundation in turning pro.

 

16. Follow Pros

A good way to turn pro is by studying the techniques of successful pro bowlers and how they play their game.

The style of the pro bowlers can be viewed and reviewed through various video presentations, reading their stories, attending tournaments to watch their play, etc.

Learning from successful role model professionals is always a good way to learn not only about techniques but how to participate in their role as a professional.

 

17. Coach

A possible option to consider is the hiring of a bowling coach to help perfect your bowling technique.

The average cost for private lessons is $59 per hour.

 

18. Plan of Action

A good strategy as it relates to any goals or working toward any achievement in life is to have a plan of action.

This is no different from wanting to become a professional bowler.

Your plan of action should include key and important achievable goals and methods of obtaining those goals.

For example:

• Laying out your achievable and realistic goal
• Commitment to practicing hours on a regular basis
• Outlining your budget
• Participation dates of tournaments and competition
• Hours spent studying the techniques of others
• And so forth

The goals and outcomes should be measurable which include anticipated results and associated time frames.

 

19. Attitude

Another critical component of turning pro is your mental attitude.

There are many athletes who utilize a variety of techniques when playing their game and endeavoring to improve their play.

These techniques may or may not have merit but the bottom line is how you conduct your play and your attitude of approaching the sport will speak volumes and demonstrate your success if you have the proper “I can do this” attitude.

A possibility of improving your attitude can be through reading self-help books, listening to motivational tapes, etc.

It is always important to stay away from the naysayers when you indicate your desire to be a pro bowler as they may respond with negative remarks.

 

20. Family Support

When thinking about becoming a bowling pro it is important to remember that if you have a family, it is not entirely your decision alone and your actions and focus will also be demonstrated in your immediate sphere of influence.

Therefore, a good tip on approaching the career of being a pro bowler should be a joint decision between you and family members to make sure everyone is on board with this goal and focus because of the personal demands that will be made for you to succeed.

 

21. Pressure and Stress

Bowling can be an enjoyable, fun, great hobby and pastime.

However, when you cross the threshold of a pastime into a professional, there are a number of associated emotional issues that may be involved.

For instance, your success as a pro will be in direct proportion to your focus on earning prize money through bowling.

Also, when you bowl it is not just in front of friends and family it will be in front of fans, followers, and sometimes a television audience.

Both the issue of the need for earning money as well as your bowling skills being on public display can create stress and pressure.

It is important to keep these factors into consideration and how you will mitigate these added dimensions in your pro bowling life.

 

How Professional Bowlers Make Money

 

22. Tournaments

One of the major ways that professional bowler makes money is through their participation and tournaments.

Often, a tournament has a total purse of a certain amount of money.

The major portion of the purse goes to the winner but it is possible to earn a percentage of that total amount of award money if you outcompete your fellow bowlers.

 

23. Sponsorships

Another major way to gain financial support when turning pro is to obtain sponsorships.

A sponsor is a company or an individual that provides you money which generally requires that you be their spokesperson or where apparel that demonstrates their local or business name on your clothing.

 

24. Appearances

As a pro bowler, you may be easily recognizable due to your bowling ability and possible television broadcast of tournaments.

A way that a pro bowler can make money is through appearances.

When a pro bowler accepts an appearance invitation at an event the host usually pays the pro bowler a fee for their involvement.

 

25. Salary

Bowlers who are part of the PBA can earn anywhere from $45,000 to $50,000 per year.

Top bowlers who gain sponsorships could earn anywhere from $250,000 to $300,000 per year.

 

Personal Story

My son and I share the same birth date.

Three years ago my son visited over our birthday and we spent an enjoyable three days together.

I made arrangements for a caregiver to be with my wife and we set out for the day enjoying each other’s company and being involved with some indulgences.

The first indulgence was enjoying a cup of gourmet coffee as we took our time, shared what was happening in his life, and of course, we talked about the grandchildren.

We then went to a “greasy spoon” restaurant for breakfast and had the works which included a ham and cheese omelet, hashbrowns, more coffee, etc.

Next was a local bookstore and we spent a couple of hours there continuing our conversation and sharing about what we had recently read and our shared love for reading.

Rounding out the day was the plan to have a huge steak at a local steakhouse but before we did we thought we would try to work up an appetite and made the decision to go bowling.

Big mistake!

Like a kid eating too much ice cream and getting a stomachache, my overindulgence was trying to be young by tossing a 14-pound bowling ball down an alley and trying to coordinate my steps and timing to get as many pins down as I could.

Suffice it to say that evening and into the following day, the muscles of my back and legs were screaming at me and my hips joined in the conversation by asking “What was I thinking?”

If the truth be known, I concentrated more on staying upright than knocking the pins down.

 

Becoming a Pro Bowler FAQs

 

How Many Pro Bowlers Are There in the World?

The Professional Bowlers Association consists of close to 3,000 members.

These members represent over 30 global countries.

 

Where is the World’s Largest Bowling Alley?

According to Guinness World Records the largest bowling alley is Inazawa Grand Bowling Centre located in Japan.

The center consists of 116 lanes.

 

You Can Do It

You enjoy the game of bowling and what’s more, is that you are fairly good at the game.

by meeting the requirements for consideration to be a member of the professional Bowling Association you can be on your way to making a career of this popular game.

 

Conclusion

There are many styles of bowlers in delivering the bowling ball at a bowling alley.

Those styles can include the young child utilizing two hands to push the ball down the lane towards the 10 pins to the established bowler who has a magnificent spin on their bowling delivery and hits the pocket time after time.

In addition to being a fun past-time, there can be money earned if the bowler meets certain requirements.

The start to a “perfect game” in earning money begins with your membership in the Professional Bowling Association or earning prize money through a variety of events.