Can You Enter a Pro Bowling Tournament as an Amateur?

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If you’re a serious bowler who has experienced some success in league play and local tournaments, it’s natural to start to dream even bigger.

Although going professional in bowling is a lot more difficult than some make it out to be, it is still a dream worth fighting for.

But it’s not always necessary to commit to a professional bowling lifestyle to get a taste of the pros. I’m talking about entering a pro tournament as an amateur, which is possible in many cases.

Different Ways to Bowl PBA Events as an Amateur

Depending on the tournament, there can be more than one potential way to secure a spot without being a full professional.

At a basic level, these options include paying an entry fee or competing through a qualifying event.

Additionally, in some cases, the field will open up to amateurs if there are still spots open after all the professionals who wish to play have entered.

Within these options, the exact process varies depending on the tournament. Let’s take a look at how things work within the parameters of the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association).

The PBA confirms that amateurs may be elegible to compete in multiple competitions, including “selected PBA Regional Tour, Senior Regional Tour and PBA50 Tour tournaments.”

In some tournaments, a set number of spots (for example, 6) may be set aside for high finishers in a Pro Tour Qualifier (PTQ) round.

Outside of the PBA, other bowling organizing bodies will have other requirements. In some cases there may be a mix of professionals and amateurs, and in some cases it may be the pros who are the group that is limited in number.

How Good Do Amateurs Need to Be to Bowl in a Pro Tournament?

After the previous section about amateur eligibility, we need to issue a caveat to those who may be thinking they can shell out a bit of money and claim a spot alongside Jason Belmonte at a major tournament.

To dig deeper, we need to break down what we mean when we say “amateur.” If we return to the PBA examples, then you’ll see that amateurs must meet the minimum average requirement in order to qualify to compete through whatever available channels.

So what is the scoring requirement?

Amateur bowlers wishing to qualify for a PBA event must have a 200 average (or a 190 average in a USBC certified Sport League) for 21 games within the last calendar year.

Those bowlers will need to be prepared to show proof of that…