https www pba schedule 2024 Complete Guide to Upcoming Tournaments and Events
As I sit down to plan my 2024 bowling calendar, I can't help but feel that familiar thrill bubbling up. There's something magical about mapping out a year of professional bowling tournaments—the anticipation of witnessing history, the strategy of choosing which events to follow closely, and that bittersweet feeling when a favorite player comes heartbreakingly close to victory. I remember reading that quote from Frigoni that really stuck with me: "I feel pity in a way that we lost because we were in a dream, and they woke up just one point before the dream was finished." That's exactly what makes following the PBA tour so compelling—these moments where dreams are either realized or shattered by the narrowest of margins.
When I first started following professional bowling seriously back in 2018, I made the mistake of just randomly tuning into tournaments without any real strategy. I'd miss qualifying rounds, forget when major championships were happening, and generally feel disconnected from the season's narrative flow. Over time, I've developed a system that helps me get the most out of every tournament, and I want to share that approach with you as we look ahead to the www pba schedule 2024. The first thing I do every December is sit down with the official schedule—which typically includes around 25-30 tournaments—and create what I call my "must-watch" list. This usually consists of 5-7 events that I absolutely won't miss, another 10-12 that I'll follow through highlights and recaps, and the remainder that I'll check in on occasionally. The majors always make my must-watch list—the Tournament of Champions, US Open, World Championship, and the PBA Playoffs have this electric atmosphere that's palpable even through the screen.
What I've learned through trial and error is that you need to understand the different types of tournaments and what makes each special. The animal pattern events, for instance, require a completely different mindset from both players and viewers. When they're competing on the Cheetah or Scorpion patterns, I'm watching for how players adjust their angles and ball speed—it's like watching chess with bowling balls. Then there are the match play tournaments where head-to-head competition creates incredible drama. I still get chills thinking about that 2022 World Championship final where Packy Hanrahan defeated Jason Belmonte by just 2 pins after Belmonte had led for most of the tournament. It was one of those moments that perfectly illustrated Frigoni's point about dreams ending just before they're completed—Belmonte was so close he could practically taste victory, only to have it snatched away at the last possible moment.
My personal preference leans toward the longer format tournaments where endurance and consistency really separate the great from the legendary. There's something about watching players navigate 56 games of qualifying and match play that feels more authentic to me than the quicker television finals. Don't get me wrong—I love the drama of TV finals too—but there's a special kind of respect I have for players who can maintain excellence over multiple days of competition. The US Open is probably my favorite event for this reason—the combination of tradition, difficulty, and marathon format creates the perfect storm for unforgettable bowling.
One method I've developed over the years is creating what I call a "player focus" list for each tournament. I pick 3-5 players to follow closely throughout each event based on their recent form, history at that particular tournament, and honestly, sometimes just personal preference. Right now, my list almost always includes EJ Tackett because his powerful style is just mesmerizing to watch, and Belmonte because his creativity on difficult patterns is unparalleled. But I also make sure to include at least one dark horse—someone outside the top 20 who might break through. Last season, that approach paid off when I started following Anthony Simonsen early in the season and got to witness his incredible Players Championship victory.
The technological aspect of following the www pba schedule 2024 has never been easier, but it still requires some strategy. I always download the PBA app about a week before the season starts and set notifications for my favorite players and tournaments. What I don't do is turn on every possible notification—that just leads to notification fatigue. Instead, I set alerts for final rounds, major championship Sundays, and when any of my "focus players" make the cut to match play. Streaming options have improved dramatically, but I've found that FloBowling provides the most comprehensive coverage, even if their subscription price of around $150 per year feels steep to some. For casual fans, the CBS Sports Network broadcasts on Sundays are perfectly sufficient.
There's an emotional component to following the PBA tour that I think gets overlooked. When Frigoni talked about being in a dream and waking up just before it finished, he captured something essential about why we watch sports. We invest emotionally in these athletes and their journeys, and their heartbreaks become ours in a small way. I still remember feeling genuinely devastated for Tom Daugherty when he lost that 2021 Tournament of Champions after leading for most of the week. That's the beautiful agony of professional bowling—the margins are so thin, the difference between immortality and obscurity sometimes coming down to a single pin.
As we look ahead to the full www pba schedule 2024, I'm already marking my calendar for what should be another incredible season. The tour typically kicks off in January with the Players Championship and builds toward the summer majors, with the season concluding around August or September. Based on previous years, we can expect about 28 tournaments total, including 4 majors and several international events. What makes each season unique isn't just the schedule itself but the stories that unfold within it—the veterans chasing history, the rookies making names for themselves, and those heartbreaking near-misses that stay with us long after the season ends. That's why I'll be there for every frame, every strike, every gut-wrenching split, because in professional bowling, as in life, sometimes the most compelling stories are the ones where dreams remain just out of reach.
