Expert: - 11/23/2009

Question
Is there a normal length of oil for a house shot in a recreational league? Also, what pattern would be considered normal in this situation? I presume that USBC guidelines provide some latitude in this area. What is acceptable?  Thank you.

Answer
Ron,
USBC stays out of the what you can put down controversy, with a minimum rule of 3 units of oil should be applied to every board across the lane (with some centers applying ratios of 10, 20, 30 to 1, heaviest board oiled to lightest). No length is prescribed. Unfortunately, 3 units does NOT keep a ball from hooking (unless it's a very basic plastic ball). So, while the gutter area has very little, the middle, as you transition, has more and more AND MORE.

So with 3 units (usually on the outermost boards of the lane) 10 - 12 board, (or about second arrow) and out to the gutter, a Typical House Shot (THS) is a puddle of up to 100units in the middle of the lane with less to nothing near the gutter. Most lanes steer the ball nicely to the pocket. Miss in and the puddle stops the ball from hooking and miss out and the high friction near the gutter helps the ball slow down and start hooking back toward the middle of the lane (head pin). The THS makes it fun to spin a house ball with two fingers, roll the ball 20 miles an hour creating devastating pin action, but if your a woman, kid or senior with less ball speed THS lanes can be almost impossible to overcome (too much oil, too much skid, too little oil too much hook).

The owners of bowling centers regularly cheat (cause it's so easy to) even though the rule allows for a fairly easy lane condition. You'd think that the biggest companies in the sport would protect the integrity, they are usually the worst offenders. No proprietor wants to lose a league or league bowlers over a perceived disparity in lane conditions. So when a center has an easy shot, everyone in the area wants to make their condition even easier to garner consideration from more bowlers.

Lowering the bar over the last 20 years has lead to 10 year olds, and 80 year olds rolling 300 games and 3-300's in a set (900, an all but impossible task not that long ago) has been done so often I don't remember how many times now. The integrity of the game is all but gone, except USBC is trying to revive the sport with more challenging lane conditions (like the Red White and Blue options they recommend or challenging Sport conditions to really test accuracy and skill).
Thanks for the questions, sorry for the rant.