The Philippine Bowling Federation has announced the selective adoption of the 78D minimum hardness requirement for urethane bowling balls.
The decision was released through an official technical bulletin.
The federation stated that the measure is part of international alignment and preparation for high performance competition. At the same time, it confirmed that the application of the urethane standard will be limited to specific elite divisions.
The 78D urethane requirement will apply to the Philippine International Open, the Philippine Open, and PBF Circuit Stops. Within these events, the rule covers Class O and Mixed Open Masters divisions.
The new rules of urethane use will also apply to selected youth elite divisions. These include the Collegiate Division and the Majors Division when conducted under Youth Quarterly Tournaments, Youth Annual Tournaments, and the National Youth Championships.
All other divisions are excluded from this regulation at this time.
Under the equipment standard, only urethane bowling balls manufactured with a minimum hardness of 78D will be permitted in the covered divisions. The federation referenced the current USBC National Tournament Ineligible Ball List for technical guidance. However, the official hardness measurement taken during event inspection will determine compliance.
Random hardness checks may be conducted at the discretion of the Tournament Director or Technical Delegate. Any ball measuring below 72D during inspection will be declared non compliant and removed from competition.
The policy will take effect beginning with the next PBF Circuit Stop qualified tournament following the GMTBC Open. All covered events conducted after that date must comply with the new urethane requirement.
