There are a two main types of PBA bowlers. There are exempt bowlers that bowl on the PBA tour, and there are regular PBA members, that can bowl in Regional PBA events, as well as try to qualify for events on the PBA tour. Regional PBA tournaments are much smaller venues, typically paying around 2500 dollars for winning the event, with 425 the minimum cash if you qualify. To qualify in either event, you must bowl well in what is called the qualifying round. To sign up, visit the PBA's website and it will tell you how to sign up for tournaments as a member or non-member. The link is listed at the bottom of this article.
If you have no PBA experience, your first step should be to learn more about the conditions that you will face in PBA tournaments. The oil patterns they bowl on are much more difficult than the conditions you typically bowl on in a house shot. The lanes are much less forgiving, and spare shooting becomes a critical part of your game. In Regional events, to qualify, you must bowl better than roughly two-thirds of all competitors in the event. This will typically take at least a 200 average over the span of 8 games. If you qualify, you will get to bowl the next day in a second qualifying round in an attempt to make match play.
To qualify for a PBA tour event, you must bowl in a PBA qualifier. There are 64 spots available in the actual tournament, with roughly 55-58 exempt bowlers that automatically qualify for the tournament. This can vary if an exempt bowler chooses to defer his exemption or cannot bowl in the tournament. For example, if there are 7 open spots to qualify, you must bowl and finish in the top seven (with the exception that the highest amateur automatically qualifies). This gets you into the round of 64 and you again qualify to make the top 32 for match play. Some events have different formats, but this is the most common.
Now the big question, how do you bowl well enough to qualify? Well this is the difficult part. When bowling in a PBA event, you will be bowling with some of the best bowlers in the world. You need to do your homework. You can visit websites listed below to find information on sport bowling, and PBA conditions. They even have some videos that discuss how some of the touring pros tackle the tough lane conditions. Now you just need to choose the right bowling ball with the right layout and surface, and have yourself a game plan on how you are going to play the lanes. I have had most success with Hammer bowling balls, but this may not be your best option. Speak with your local pro shop operator on your game and what is right for you. Also, remember, spare shooting is a must if you want to score well. I can promise you that you will not strike as much as you do in your league. Good luck!
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