Expert: Warren Friedl, Pro Shop Owner/Operator, - 5/6/2009

Question
Hi Warren,
I bought a used 15lb Black widow that I can see the pin above and centered between the finger holes and the cg mark off to the right about an inch or so from the center line between the thumb and fingers.My question is what does the mass bias mark look like on this ball(not the Bite, Venom or Pearl, but plain Black widow)? I'm not sure if the thumb hole was drilled right on it or is it some other mark that I just can't see? I'm trying to determine if the drilling is more or less correct for me to maximize my hook on med-heavy oil.I have a track in between a medium and high track and stroke it with not much revs. I am trying to read the layout guide from hammer.com to see if this layout is working for me or not.It doesn't seem to hook much, but I have used 2000 grit sandpaper to put an X pattern as you had mentioned in other articles.I don't know my speed in mph, but it takes about 2 seconds to hit the pins.Sorry for the vagueness.I'm just trying to see if this ball was drilled in a way that is helping or hindering me.I've been out of bowling for over 20 years and tried to use my 16lb black angle, but that seemed too heavy for me to start back with, hence the 15lb Black Widow. It seems the Angle hooks more than the Black Widow, so that's why I started investigating (and learning) about layout.thanks for you time...

Answer
James,
All the Mass Bias (MB) markings on the Widow series are the same. The Mass Bias should be 6 3/4 inches from the pin. If that distance puts the MB in or around the thumb hole, it may have been drilled out.

Your speed (and your ball speed is fast) isn't utilizing the best that the core can do for you. Moving the MB out to, on or past your vertical axis line should allow the ball to start rolling sooner.

The surface adjustment is a good first step, but I'd suggest you make the surface rougher. I've taken original Widows down to 500 grit or rougher with an Abralon pad to get the appropriate friction for a player. Start here first. And if the cross hatch pattern isn't enough, you can sand straight across the track, for max effect.

Thanks for the question. Good luck and welcome back to bowling, we missed you.