How to Become a Professional Bowler (Little Known Secrets to Success)

Since ancient times, bowling has been a favorite pastime and sport. Evidence of this great game dates back as far as 3000 B.C., with crude bowling equipment found buried in ancient Egyptian tombs.

As the years have progressed, this beloved sport has evolved alongside humanity, transforming into the strategic sport we know and love today. In modern times, bowling has evolved into a sport that can be used for family fun and professional competition.

As you enter the exciting world of bowling and work your way up through the leagues, there may be a question you have to ask yourself- how to become a professional bowler?

Should you take the next step? Should you try to become a professional bowler? You will have to figure out the answer yourself, but before you do, it would be wise to really consider how you take this step and what you can expect as you branch out into the new and exciting world.

How Do You Qualify for PBA?

The Professional Bowlers Association is perhaps the most esteemed bowling association in America. With large-scale tours and tournaments and padded prize money pools, bowlers of all ages, abilities, and genders aspire to become members.

However, getting into this association is not necessarily a walk in the park. Due to the PBA’s reputation, not just anyone can enter a tournament if they feel like it. In order to qualify for entry into a PBA tournament, you must first meet one of three requirements.

1. Average 200 Points or More

You must have a minimum qualifying 200 bowling average score or more in 36 games from the last calendar year (Jan-Dec of last year), from certified league or tournament play. This method requires the league to be USBC certified and the use of PBA oil patterns for the qualification to be valid.

2. Cash in (Buy in) a PBA Regional Tournament

The Cash In method is can be used in lieu of meeting the 200 bowling average. In the PBA, the regular tournaments are where professionals from around the country meet and compete. Regional tournaments are similar to the regular tournaments but on a different scale. Bowlers, both professional and aspiring professionals, can enter these regional tournaments. If they’ve placed (cashed in) in the last two years, they may qualify for competitive membership to the PBA!

Note: Cashing in or placing in a regional tournament does not automatically mean you’ll be bowling professionally.

3. PBA Membership

To qualify for the PBA, the bowler must hold a PBA annual membership for at least 4 consecutive months.

What’s the Average Score for Professional Bowlers?

To qualify for the Professional Bowler Association membership, you must boast an average of 200 or over in 36 games in a certified league in the last calendar year (Jan-Dec of last year).

Each tournament has a unique set of rules, though the general requirements often align with each other. Therefore, it is best to research the requirements needed to participate. This average score also generally needs to occur over a certain number of games for consistency.

How Much Does It Cost to Enter a PBA Tournament?

When looking to enter a PBA tournament, the cost of entry is certainly something you need to consider.

Entering bowling tournaments is not cheap, especially those of big names like the Professional Bowlers Association. When looking at PBA tournaments, you must select which type of tour you wish to participate in. Your choices are the Regional Tour, the Senior Tour, and the PBA Tour.

The fee for each tournament and the list of tournaments you can enter also depends on whether you are a member or non-member of the PBA.

Members get to enjoy lower tournament prices and more selection in which tournaments they can enter, though the amount of entries also varies by the membership.

Here is a list of current member and non-member prices for tournament entry. These prices are subject to change so it never hurts to check out the price listing at PBA’s official website, www.pba.com.

How Do Professional Bowlers Make Money?

While professional bowlers may not make salaries similar to those of other professional sports, they are still able to carve out quite a comfortable lifestyle for themselves.

Professional bowlers earn money to support themselves and their families in several ways. They usually do this by participating in tournaments, finding sponsors, and working other odd jobs.

Tournaments

Tournaments are big moneymakers for professional bowlers! By participating in different bowling tournaments, professional bowlers increase their chances of earning part of the prize money pool that can be found at these big events. The bigger the tournament name, the larger the pool is for the winner!

As nice as this sounds, getting into high paying tournaments is not easy. The most esteemed bowling tournament is the one hosted by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), but in order to get into this tournament, you have to jump through several hoops and qualifications.

As a new professional bowler, it is probably a good idea to start small and work your way up through the tournaments since most of these tournaments have a reasonable entry fee.

Sponsorships

If you have watched a televised professional bowling tournament (which is probably a very good idea if you are looking to enter the professional bowling world) then you may have noticed that many of the pros are sporting company names, logos, or patches on their shirts. While these dashing emblems do serve as eye-catching decorations they are put on the shirts for more reasons than simply design.

These symbols and sayings represent the sponsors of that particular professional bowler. Bowling sponsorships work just like sponsorships found in other sports. Companies pay their chosen bowler to broadcast their brand, either through shirt patch representation or commercial appearances, and the bowler is able to earn extra money, network, and gain publicity.

Odd Jobs

As odd as this category may sound the opportunity for professional bowlers to pick up odd jobs is there. Some professionals make a little extra money by performing in trick shot tournaments, others take up teaching the sport of bowling to help make ends meet.

Some will even appear in movies as stand-ins, performing bowling shots for actors to make the shots look more authentic. Regardless of what comes your way these little odd jobs are still a great chance to get your name out there and earn some additional income.

How Much Money Does a Pro Bowler Make a Year?

The salary of a pro bowler is very dependent on wins and placement in tournaments. Tournaments really are the key income point for professionals since winning these tournaments increases your popularity and chances of landing sponsorships and other jobs.

The amount of money you can earn in a tournament also depends on how big an event the tournament is overall. Generally speaking, bigger names equal bigger prize pools.

The average salary of a professional bowler is usually in the six-figure range, with salaries ranging from $100,000 to $200,000 for men and $60,000 to $80,000 for women, depending on sponsors, tournament wins and placements.

These salaries are hard to win and certainly not guaranteed, many bowlers work second jobs to help support themselves as they pursue professional bowling careers.

However, with practice, hard work and a little bit of luck there is no reason why anyone couldn’t be a professional bowler.

Do I Have to Join the PBA to Participate in a PBA Tournament?

No, you do not have to join the PBA in order to participate in a PBA tournament. The amount of times that you can participate in PBA tournaments is slim though compared to PBA members.

The type of tour you want to participate in also affects the amount of times you can participate in a tour through out the year as well.

Regional Tour

If you want to participate in the PBA Regional Tour as a non-member you are allowed to cash in to a tournament twice in one calendar year.

If you really want to participate in more than one Regional tournament you will then be required to join the PBA or must give up your rights to any prize money you would have earned.

PBA Tour

For the PBA Regular Tours you only get one pass to cash in to a tournament, all other tournaments in the tour require PBA membership. However, the USBC Masters and U.S. Open are not available for cash in entries.

What Kinds of Memberships Does the PBA Have?

The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) offers several different types of memberships to suite different needs found in all bowlers.

These different types of memberships allow for different access to tournaments, the amount of times a bowler can enter a tournament and the fees needed to get in to a tournament.

Standard

The standard membership is perhaps the most commonly used membership of the PBA. While this membership does not give you the full perks of being a PBA member it offers a good balance between usage and price.

As a professional bowler, having access to a standard membership works well when you are just starting out or if your name has not yet entered the public eye.

The membership gives you a chance to place yourself into tournaments that are good for publicity while helping take the edge off your wallet.

To become a standard member of the PBA, you must pay either $15 a month for a year or $144 in one payment.

Even with the membership payment, you will still be expected to pay the fees needed to enter PBA tournaments, but those entry fees are not discounted to member prices.

You can also save money since this membership knocks down the prices of your bowling games to $0-$2, depending on if the center is an official PBA site.

With this membership you gain the opportunity to bowl at three PBA Regional Tour Tournaments compared to a non-members one tournament and you also get the opportunity to bowl in one PBA Tour event.

This perk gives you more chances to win larger money prizes as well as offers more chances to gain publicity as your work your way through the professional ranks.

Full

Now as you move up in the professional bowling world changing your PBA membership to a full membership would probably be a good idea. This membership offers you more chances to participate in tours as well as works towards helping you make a name for yourself.

The yearly price of this membership is $28 a month, or an annual payment of $300. As a professional bowler, paying the high price for the full membership can really pay off since there are no restrictions on how many tournaments you can enter.

You want to bowl in fifteen tournaments in a year? You go right ahead, nothing (except qualifications if they are not met) is stopping you!

With this membership, you would also only pay the member entry fee to get into a tournament, though the price of the membership fee does not change with each level of membership.

PBA24

This membership is offered to the young bowlers out there, aspiring to turn bowling into a professional career. If a bowler is from the ages 18 to 24, they qualify for this PBA membership for the yearly price of $49!

This membership also comes with a $50 coupon towards their first official tournament with the PBA and these bowlers only need to pay membership entry fees as well.

This level of membership is restricted in the amount of tournaments a bowler can enter though. Like the standard membership, the PBA24 only allows members to participate in three Regional Tours and one PBA Tour during the course of a year.

It is a system that works well to help young bowlers branch out into the exciting world of professional bowling while helping them learn to balance timing and training.

PBA International

This membership is for international bowlers who want to participate in PBA Tours. For the price of $99, bowlers under this level of membership are eligible to win PBA Tours (at designated events) and can participate in three Regional Tours and one PBA Tour.

This membership helps professional bowlers from around the world branch out and test their skills against PBA’s best.

The world of professional bowling is not easy, many bowlers try for years to become professionals and they never make it.

That being said, becoming a professional bowler is entirely possible and there are those that make quite a decent living participating in the sport they love.

As you decide wether or not to enter this competitive world, know that this is path that will require dedication, hard work, and perhaps a little bit of luck. If you enjoy bowling and you are passionate about the sport than go for it, you’ll never know unless you try!

Criteria	Requirement	Purpose
Qualifying for PBA	– Average 200 points over 36 games in last year – Cash in at a PBA Regional Tournament – Hold PBA membership for 4 consecutive months	Entry into professional tournaments
Earnings	– Tournament prize pools – Sponsorships – Odd jobs	Financial support for professional bowlers
Average Salary Range	– Men: $100,000 to $200,000 – Women: $60,000 to $80,000	Indication of potential earnings based on performance and sponsorships
Types of PBA Memberships	– Standard – Full – PBA24 (for bowlers aged 18-24) – International (bowlers abroad)	Access to tournaments, reduced entry fees

My Final Words

Deciding to become a professional and starting a career is a journey marked by strategic participation in tournaments, securing sponsorships, and engaging in various roles within the sport’s ecosystem. To navigate this path, aspirants must aim for a bowling average of 200 or more, leverage opportunities in PBA Regional Tournaments, and consider the benefits of PBA membership for access and reduced entry costs. Success in the bowling arena hinges on performance, networking, and strategic brand partnerships, culminating in potential earnings that reflect the dedication and skill of the bowler.

With a clear understanding of the qualifications, financial implications, and avenues for income, individuals can approach their professional bowling aspirations with informed strategies and a comprehensive grasp of the sport’s professional landscape.