Still, players have come from as far away as Alaska to participate. The affair grew with a nationwide boom in bowling and offered its first million-dollar purse in 1978. To level the field and make the tournament more wide open, Hoinke organizers will use a modified scoring system. A handicap of the difference between a bowlers' average score and a scratch score of 215 will be added to his final four-game total. Scoring will be updated monthly on the Hoinke Classic Web site .
Teams can try to build on their scores no more than five times through the end of the tournament.
Competitors must have an ABC-sanctioned average to avoid being relegated to scratch play. Prizes are also available for a variety of feats. The other prizes help make it interesting and fun. The Cincinnati Enquirer , a Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper.