League Guides

How Many Custom Bowling Hats Should a League Order?

The single most common question we get from league captains is also the simplest: how many caps do I actually order? Order too few and you’re paying rush fees for a second run; order blindly and you blow the budget. Here’s the math we walk every league through.

Start with your active roster, then add for the people and purposes that always show up after the fact — spares, sponsors, and a few extras for next season.

Start with the roster, then pad it

Count every bowler on the team, including regular substitutes. Then add a small buffer: caps get lost, new bowlers join mid-season, and sponsors often want one for themselves. A 10–15% pad is usually right.

Notice the smallest team still lands at 24 — that’s our minimum, and it conveniently covers a 4–6 person team plus spares, a couple of sponsor caps, and gifts.

Don’t forget the sponsors

If a local business is footing part of the bill, they’ll want caps for their own staff and a few to display. Ask early; adding 6–12 sponsor caps to the original run is far cheaper than a separate reorder.

How quantity changes your price

Custom caps get cheaper per unit as the count climbs, because the one-time setup (digitizing your logo for embroidery) is spread across more pieces. Jumping from 24 to 48 often drops the per-cap price noticeably; the curve flattens in the hundreds.