Expert: - 9/18/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have been bowling for 15 years now and still to this day my ball hits the edge of my right finger.I hold my ball different then most people,by turning my wrist to the left.No matter what i have tried and all kinds of balls its still the same.I ave anywhere from 210 to 230,but i know that i could do better if my bowl wasnt rolling over the finger whole.It only does it when the ball flares.Also im right hand and my balls are drilled for a left hander.Do u have any thoughts on how to drill or what i can do to get my track away from the flare hitting the finger hole.Im up to trying anything.It may not help but its just that i think that it would be better and get better if the ball was rolling true and not flaring on the finger whole.Thanks for your time bryce

ANSWER: Bryce,
Several things you mentioned lead me to the following conclusions.

Do you roll a back up (right hander rolling the ball left to right)? You're right handed and the ball hits the ring finger hole (the ball must be rolling on that side of the grip if it hits the outside edge of the hole or if you hit the inside edge, by the bridge, it's a different problem).

How does the ball roll (is it tracking close to the thumb hole too)? Where does the track cross the face (grip side) of the ball (across the ring finger but farther away from the thumb to the right of the thumb, or close to it, or left of it?)?  

The lefthanded layout sounds right for a back up ball but you may need a lefthanded full roller layout. Or, depending on where your track is, a righhanded full roller layout.

You can alter the pitches to make it more difficult to roll it the way you do. Depending on your rev rate and ball speed, layouts that cause the ball to go longer for the typical player will have the ball roll early for you. Have your driller get in touch with me and I can suggest some options with your layouts. I have some questions about where the pin and mass bias are located on your equipment.

Most modern balls will flare (a lot). Putting a flare reducing weight hole in the upper finger quadrant of the ball will cut down on the balls flare potential. The problem with reducing flare is we don't know if the track is catching your finger hole on the first rotation (if so the pitch change idea can help, but the track reflects how you roll the ball) or if the ball is flaring back up across the finger holes, later down the lane, if so, there's a different cause.

Thanks for the questions. Yours is a dilemma I seldom see. I'd like to know more so we can get you squared away. I look forward to hearing back from you.

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

QUESTION: Thanks for your reply.We have tried the full roller right handed and it still does the same thing.I throw right handed and not a back up ball.I have a high rev rate on my ball.The main track in the ball when you get one worn in ur ball goes right over the right finger or half of it.Then the flare comes up to it also.I have had a ebonite ball rep even tell me that he couldnt tell me anyone that could help.We will try the left handed full roller and the Flare reducing hole and see what happens.If you can think of anything else please let me know.I know that my pins are 4 icnhes out from CG point and around 1/2 inch give or take to the left of my middle finger.We have tried also low flaring balls and it still does the same.It funny because the ball rolls good and if it wasnt for the track or flare you would never know it hits the finger hole.Im just wanting to get it off the finger if can,because i think that my ball will preform better.Thanks again for your time and we will try the flare reducing hole.  Thanks bryce

Answer
Bryce,
I've had a couple players that roll the ball like you do. The way the ball comes off your hand is why it rolls where it does. Influencing the roll with layout won't get it off the fingers without significantly changing the roll, starting the ball to soon and weakening the backend. You won't see any benefit in the ball reaction.

Why do you feel getting the roll off the fingers will benefit you? Let me know how the changes work. Always interested in verifying things worked out. Thanks for the questions. Bowl well.