Expert: - 3/9/2008

Question
QUESTION: What should I have in my bowling bag to be really competitive  in tournaments.  I have seen a lot of bowlers with there pins in the same place to the right of the ring finger.  Then is the high avg players that I see with the pin right on top and in the middle of both fingers.  If you can give me some different pin placements and what kind of lanes to use it on would be great.  Thank you for your help on this.

ANSWER: Robert,
Before you get into an arsenal of pin placements, what do you average? What is your ball speed, rev rate, axis tilt and rotation? What kind of lane conditions do you bowl on? What do you own? What works the best? Do you like to swing the ball or play straighter down the lane? Are you comfortable at first arrow? How about fifth arrow?

There are bunches of things that effect a bowler and what works for each of us. There are some generalities I can share like: higher pin placements typically get a ball longer down the lane, so lower positions (below the fingers) get most balls to roll earlier.

Where you like to play, and what you want the ball to do will usually dictate where the pin will go. But for different players, with different games very aggressive balls with mild drills work great, for some, mild balls with strong drills work better or variations on the theme.

So, without knowing ANYTHING about your game, detailing literally millions of minute variations of layouts and how they effect different kinds of balls would be an endless task.

The latest (March) issue of Bowling This Month has an article about layouts that you may find enlightening. I am attempting to get permission to quote the details but I suspect they won't grant me permission to use the info until at least the magazine has been out awhile. Get a copy if you can. There is also a good article on bowling arsenals in the same issue.

I am curious, have you asked these questions of your ball driller? If so, what did they offer? If not, why not? Some bowlers don't want to seem uneducated, but your pro shop is invested in making you a better bowler (or they should be). Some operators only like dealing with heavy interest bowlers (most likely to buy more stuff). I would venture that some of my peers aren't the warm and fuzzy type personalities and if you don't "talk" bowling they don't want to be bothered. (I've experienced this, 30-40 years ago, and know from some of my customers, these kind of operators still exist).

The information for an experienced player who shots 10 PBA Regionals a year versus a bowler that owns one ball and has been bowling a year, and is beginning to notice the plethora of equipment choices in the sport, will be more or less technical, more or less complicated.

Please understand I'm not blowing off your question, it is just so general, the answer, literally is endless. Thanks for the interest and question. If you will stick with it and provide more about your game and your needs we can make some progress with some arsenal suggestions.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for responding to my question.  Let me answer some of your questions so you can maybe give me more on the question I asked.  I am about a 205 bowler.  My avg speed is around 15 to 16 mph.  I can speed it up but I have seen that speed kills on todays oil patterns.  I am a stroker pretty much in the mold of Walter Ray.  Been watchin him ever since I have been throwing a ball.  I might have a little more rev rate than him but not too much.  I love playing inside but I can play outside off the gutter too.  I have to International Bowling balls in my arsenal right now but I am looking to upgrade totally.  Want to really get into bowling more.  I love International balls due to the fact that no one has theme when I bowl.  I dont like carrying stuff other people have.  Well, everyone has.  LOL  But I can see now that to take my game to the level I want to be at I have to become open to buying the right ball and have it drilled the right way.  You say very aggresive balls with weak drillings works and the oppisite for weak balls.  Please explain futher and what types of drillings would work for me.  What drillings should I have in my bag at all times so I am ready for these conditions out there?  Thank you for your help.  If you need more info just let me know

ANSWER: Thanks Robert for hanging in there.

What International balls are you throwing and how are they drilled?

WRWJr. is very up the back with alot of forward roll. How does your equipment track? Near the gripping holes? further away? Are the conditions you bowl on the THS (Typical House Shot) with fairly dry outside boards?

Do you know rev rate, axis tilt and rotation? Would your ball driller be able to fill me in? How did you measure your speed? Does the house you bowl at display ball speed with scoring?

When I mentioned "But for different players, with different games very aggressive balls with mild drills work great..." sometimes the layout of a ball must match.

You don't throw hard, an aggressive ball with an aggressive layout might be to much for all but the oiliest lane conditions, for you.

When I drill balls for, average ball speed or slower, players, like a Storm Special Agent that came in the other day. Thrown by an experienced bowler, but not a lot of ball speed, on synthetic lanes, THS condition with oil that goes away fairly quickly. The layout drilled (somewhere else) was too aggressive for his game/lane condition. After plugging it, I set it up to go much longer. His prior layout caused the ball to read to soon and lose major pop at the pins.

The ball was drilled strong because he asked for a strong ball reaction. But, obviously, strong with no idea of how strong (understanding the environment) wasn't a usable reaction, even though it was what the customer asked for. The customer didn't go back to the shop the ball was drilled at because although he got what he asked for, he didn't ask for what he needed.

I guarantee my work, so we work more with each player to make sure we understand their games and encourage every customer to return if the ball needs tweaking. I have replaced balls (5 in fifteen years, a sixth one is sitting on my work bench as we type) when, for whatever reason they don't do what was desired.  

Please bare with me. We're getting closer. Please supply more info and we can get to the details. Thanks for the questions.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for your time.  I hope I can answer your questions so you can help me out more.  I have two International balls.  One is made by Columbia and it is called the Rock On Encore.  It is drilled with the pin under and to the right of my fingers.  Also have an axis hole to make it hook more.  The other ball is made by Brunswick and it is called the Red Alert 300.  It is drilled with the pin up and to the right of the fingers.  It kinda my favorite ball due to the fact that it give a even roll.  Well, I had to shine it to make it really work the way I want it to.  

As for my track on my ball.  I am a stroker so I dont play the big hook.  So my track is no so close to my thumb hole but it is in the middle of the road.  I am a semi roller that really likes to play the inside of the lane but can play the outside also.  Pretty much what ever the lanes shows me I will play it.  My speed is about 15 to 16 mpg.  That is what I see displayed on the screen when I bowl.  

As for the shot I play on.  I really only bowl tournaments so I rarely play on a regular house shot.  So I mostly play on tournament shots.  Most of the shots no a days I see is pretty much like a Shark pattern in the pba.  There is out of bounce outside of ten but you can play like straight up five if your extremely accurate with a good rev rate.  Most people play the inside and pretty much straight up with no swing.  If you swing the ball your ball wont come back but if you tug it too much it will hit the head pin.  With the equipment I have I much play a very tight line to score.  

So I hope this gives you some insight and help me get my arsenal up to par.  If you can give me some insight on different drillings it would be a ton of help to me.  Thank you for your help.

Answer
Welcome back Robert,
Your two layouts sound like similar pin distances from your positive axis point (PAP)but the higher pin (shiny Brunswick ball) goes longer and gives you a little stronger look in the backend, I'd expect.

If the Encore is the ball I'm thinking of, it has a particle cover and a fairly strong core, a predecessor to the 900Global "Creature" in shape. Given the layout is it safe to say the Encore is the up the boards or a little swing ball for oily lanes? Particle balls and softer ball speed don't mix, for long, unless on puddles of oil.

Something (or a couple somethings) in between the Encore and the Red Alert 300, if you need a reaction in there (I'd expect you would), would be a solid reactive with similar Radius of Gyration (RG) numbers to the Encore (around 2.55), probably a symmetric core (like the ones you have). Possibly with a layout to read the midlane a later than the particle ball. The RG numbers of the 300 are a little lower, ideally giving you the move I mentioned above, retaining more energy because it's a pearl reactive.

Do you have a favorite ball company? Neither Brunswick nor Columbia have the core numbers and surface, we'd be looking for in current product lines (some a little lower, some higher). But the Attitude Shift (from Storm Bowling has a core at about the Encore's RG numbers) or the Sure Fire (with an aggressive hybrid cover) might do nicely. Run the idea by your ball driller and see if other ideas come up? The store people should know your game better, they can actually SEE you throw, measure your statistics and are invested in getting you something that will work.

Thanks for hangin' in. Let me know if you are looking for more ball or less than either that you throw?