[d--b]

They do the oil thing because that's one thing that doesn't require a change in rules. But strikes should happen less than 10% of the time for the sport to be enjoyable to watch. It's way more interesting to see a professional bowler strike 2 pins than 10.

[SudoAlex]

There have been rule changes to equipment at different levels to help counteract some of the issues with two handed bowlers, and modern bowling balls.

(Note: I bowl in leagues in the UK, so definitely not at a competitive level).

Back in August 2020 balance holes were banned by the USBC (and therefore applied internationally), which would have a greater impact on two handed bowlers - as they don't insert a thumb in the ball, it gave them the potential for two balance holes instead of one. Currently every hole drilled into the ball must be used during the release of the ball.

More recently certain competitions (PBA mostly) are restricting the use of urethane balls to ban any balls which don't meet a minimum level of hardness. This hasn't been applied at a wider level yet, although it may have an impact over time.

https://www.pba.com/2023/june/2023-pba-hardness-report

So things are changing, but it's mostly reactionary rule changes as new problems are being discovered.

[uxp100]

less than 10% of the time? Different pins and a very short pattern maybe could achieve that, but I strongly disagree.

I think that would decrease even further the popularity of bowling as a spectator sport. It would just be confusing to a casual player why the pros are getting similar scores to a player who bowls once a year.

However, if you think you’d like that, maybe look into candlepin bowling. I think their strike rate is above that, but not far above it. An interesting game, id like to try it. I’ve got a few duckpin lanes near me, but candlepin seems like it is specific to a few locations.