Bowling a 300 – A Perfect Game

Bowling a 300 game is difficult, but a lot of people do it each year.

Every bowler dreams of bowling a perfect game someday. They hope for that special day that every throw down the lane is right on target. A perfect game in bowling only takes a total of 12 throws, all needing to be strikes. This will give them a score of 300, the highest that can be achieved in one game of bowling. You do not have to be an expert bowler to bowl a 300, but you definitely will need a little bit of luck. Of course, being an expert bowler or having some decent bowling skills will not hurt your cause! Bowling a perfect game is a magical moment in anyone’s life. Even a casual bowler who hits a 300 will always remember the day they accomplished this feat. 300 bowling is something every bowler wants, but few actually accomplish.

Luckily, it is easier than it’s ever been to bowl a 300 today. With the increases in bowling technology, bowlers have more hope than ever to bowl a perfect game. The biggest of these advances is in the bowling ball itself. Modern reactive balls allow for greater hooking action, which leads to better strike carry on those shots that are slightly off. Other advances such as synthetic lane surfaces, more active synthetic bowling pins, generally more forgiving lane conditions, and improvements to individual bowlers technique all have made bowling a little easier to reach higher scores for us all. These advances in bowling technology give bowlers a fighting chance to throw that 300 game.

With advances in bowling technolgy, 300 bowling is now as easy as its ever been.

It is generally considered that in order to be an official 300 game in bowling, the game needs to be officially recognized by a major bowling organization such as the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA), the United States Bowling Congress, the Amateur Bowling Tour (ABT) or the British Tenpin Bowling Association. These major bowling associations typically commemorate this achievement with a ring that can have precious stones or chips added to it for each addition perfect game. These organizations verify a perfect game by approving the lane conditions after the perfect game is thrown. Bowling a 300 at your local alley might earn you a plaque or trophy from the alley, but it will never be officially recognized nationally.

Compared to Major League Baseball, where only 18 people have thrown a perfect game, and the NFL, where only 59 quarterbacks have achieved a perfect QB rating of 158.3 in a game, bowling a 300 is considerably more achievable. So how many people throw a perfect game each year? The short answer is a lot. During the 1968-1969 season, the U.S. Bowling Congress recorded a total of 905 perfect games. By the 1998-1999 season, this number had jumped to 34,470 thanks to advances in bowling technology. Today, the number of people bowling a perfect game is close to 40,000 each year. And this number is only for officially sanctioned games, where attendance in these bowling organizations is down from what it was in the 60’s and 70’s. When you figure in the number of unsanctioned 300 games, we can only guess the number is around 60,000 people a year bowling a perfect game.

With about 70 million people in the U.S. alone bowling at least one game a year, you can imagine the total number of games bowled each year has to be close to a billion. When looked at in that perspective, even with 60,000 people bowling a 300 game each year, achieving a perfect game is still something to be proud of, and remains a feat to brag about.

It is only if you are a member of one of the major bowling associations will you get a ring for bowling a 300 game.

People of all ages have accomplished a 300 game. The youngest on record being Chaz Dennis from Ohio, who bowled a perfect game at age 10. Joe Dean, also from Ohio, managed a 300 game at age 87, being the oldest on record to accomplish this. With more people than ever before bowling a 300, how can you join the club? While a lot of luck will be needed, there are some things you can do to improve your chances.

Tips For Bowling a 300 Perfect Game:

• The first tip we can give you is to get a good bowling ball, and having it drilled by a professional who takes there time to customize it specifically for you. They should be drilling the holes taking into account your bowling PAP. If your pro shop does not drill using your PAP, you should find someone else to drill your ball.
• You really need to master your bowling technique. This is accomplished using a great bowling guide, such as Bowling For Dummies that we recommend, and lots of practice.
• You need to focus on making pressure bowling shots. If you start a game with 6 strikes, your heart will start pounding each time you step up to the line. Nothing is worse than getting 10 or 11 strikes in a row, only to fail at the very end. This happens all too much.
• You need to become a master of reading lanes. Oil patterns of a lane change after each ball is thrown, and you need to be able to react to these lane conditions. Controlling your bowling ball speed can help here.
• You need to hit your mark every time. This sounds like common sense, but by hitting your mark you have a good chance at hitting the pocket. That is what is needed to bowl a 300.
• You need to master mental bowling. Staying focused and relaxed will be the only way you have a chance at a 300.

We have the tips that will give you your best chance of bowling a 300.
• Don’t think about the score. Just concentrate on bowling, and try to have fun.
• If you are really serious about bowling a 300, you should become a member of one of the major bowling associations, and attempt to bowl in as many sanctioned games as possible. This will cost you some money, but may even lead to a career in bowling. And if you do happen to bowl your 300 in a sanctioned game, you can get a ring and will always be officially recognized as a 300 bowler.
• And lastly, we are not against bringing any good luck charms with you. Luck will be the most important factor, and every little bit will help.

So there you have it. Most people will never bowl a 300 game in their life. But with a lot of practice and dedication, it is possible. And let me tell you from someone who has bowled 3 perfect games, you will remember every single one of them. They may be a bit more common thanks to technology, but they are all very special. Good luck becoming a member of the 300 club!