Bowling Ball Balance Hole New Rules: What are Changed?

Have you heard of this term “balance hole” before? Are you aware of what it is? It’s alright if you’re not familiar with this. Many experienced bowlers have no idea regarding this topic.

So don’t feel like you’re the only one here. Balance hole is not a mandatory feature of a bowling ball and so, not everyone needs to know about this. But when the circumstances are different, you might need to take a look at this matter.

So what kind of holes are considered balance holes? Why are they drilled in bowling balls? What is the USBC approved rules behind these holes? Give me some time to tell you all about bowling ball balance hole new rules. So, stay tuned!

What is a Balance Hole in a Bowling Ball?

A balance hole is not like the three grip holes that you use for inserting your finger and gripping your ball. Those aren’t its purposes. So what is it for? A balance hole is an extra hole drilled into a bowling ball primarily to make the ball weight stable. According to the USBC Equipment Specifications and Certifications Manual (ESCM), drilling a bowling ball for a balance hole was legal. I will get to the newly-changed rules in a bit.

Bowling balls that are drilled for balance holes are needed to adjust the ball weight. Some bowling balls might even have some extra weights that need removing. This is when the bowling ball hole drilling technique was used to get rid of the illegal extra weight. This is an amazing technique to fine-tune your bowling ball’s motion and reactions.

What are the new rules of bowling ball balance hole?

As of August 1, 2020, USBC has officially banned drilling balance holes in bowling balls. This newly-declared rule specifies that all the existing holes in a bowling ball have to be used during ball delivery. Since the balance hole is not used for gripping purposes or any finger is inserted, they are now considered illegal.

Don’t worry, this rule will not affect you if you are a two-handed bowler. Because two-handed bowlers don’t insert any fingers in the drilled holes, the cancellation of the balance hole is not a matter of concern for them. 

After careful research, people have finally found the problem behind balance holes. When you take out a few mere ounces of weight, it affects a bowling ball greatly. A balance hole often manipulates your ball’s motion and doesn’t do you any good.

Several studies showed that a balance hole actually increases the Differential Radius of Gyration (aka RG Diff) of a bowling ball which enhances the ball’s strength for reaction and changes the original design and moves significantly. So clearly, this issue alone is enough for eliminating the balance holes. Otherwise, it is unfair for bowlers who don’t have a balance hole drilled in their bowling balls.

From when balance hole is illegal?

Any tournament that took place before July 31, 2020, allowed bowling balls with balance holes. This is because these weight holes were legal till that day. USBC declared it illegal on April 24, 2018. Then it was officially labeled illegal on August 1, 2020, and is applicable to all the USBC bowlers. 

So bowlers with balance-holed bowling balls had enough time (almost 2 years) to learn and do something to follow the new rule. Do you still have a bowling ball with a balance hole? Then it’s time for you to do something about it. Because you can no longer use bowling balls with balance holes, you will have to get them plugged. Otherwise, you won’t be able to participate in any USBC tournaments or competitions. 

Can you use old bowling ball with weight hole or balance hole?

No, bowling balls with weight hole or balance hole is completely illegal whether it is new or old. Doesn’t matter if your bowling ball is old or new, if it has a balance hole drilled in it, you cannot use that for USBC competitions. But that doesn’t mean you have to throw away your old bowling ball with a balance hole. You can just get it plugged in to keep on using it. 

To get your bowling ball approved for USBC tournaments you have to plug any existing balance hole to fill up the hole. Make sure you get it done long before the day of the competition. You are gonna need some practice to get used to the new bowling ball.

Once you get your ball plugged in and it meets up to the new specification limits of USBC, then you’re fine to use your old bowling ball. It will be legal to use for tournaments and competitions. So don’t worry, you don’t have to buy a new bowling ball to get it past the security. However, you might need to buy a new ball if your ball doesn’t have the capacity to go through the plugging process.

Conclusion

One final piece of advice to those who still have a bowling ball with a balance hole- Get it plugged as soon as possible. Don’t get too used to its ball motion because you cannot experience the same performance with a bowling ball that has no balance hole. Spread the word, and let everyone know about these new rules because so many bowlers still don’t know anything about the new changes done by USBC and the elimination of balance holes. Good Luck!