Case Study: U.S. Bowling Congress retains fair bowling ball standards with Minitab

On the Ball the U.S. Bowling Congress

The U.S. Bowling Congress (USBC) needed to determine whether static weight regulations were still necessary for modern bowling balls, as bowlers and manufacturers argued the limits should be raised or removed. To investigate, the organization turned to Minitab Statistical Software to design and analyze experiments that could measure how static weight affects ball motion.

Using Minitab’s Design of Experiments capabilities, USBC researchers ran a six-factor half-fractional experiment and then a response surface design to model ball behavior under different static-weight conditions. Minitab helped reveal a previously unidentified fourth phase of ball motion, and the findings showed that eliminating or increasing the limits would significantly alter ball motion and create unpredictable effects. As a result, USBC retained its current static weight specifications for approved balls.

U.S. Bowling Congress

Neil Stremmel

Managing Director