Expert: stevie lange - 3/21/2005

Question
hi,, im tom, i have been bowling for 7 years, i have raised my avg. every year untill now,, the lanes i bowl in are old wood lanes,, and most of the time they are very dry,, and now the owner has put some new kind of oil on them and everyone is getting splits,, and cant get anyware close to there avg. a good pocket hit is giveing me splits,, while the old ladies are getting striks with a slow ball hitting the head pin,, please help me,, i have a 172 avg. and have not hit 160 in 3 weeks.  thank you,, tom

Answer
Hi Tom,
I bowl on old wood lanes as well , but just the opposite. very dry. Sounds like the owner put out  either more oil to overcome the dryness of the wood lanes or he switched to a thicker , slicker oil. The old ladies are a key for you. (slower ball speeds are working) .Good bowlers must adapt to the conditions they bowl on. I do not know how versital your game is , but you will need to find some dry on the back end of the lane to get it into a roll a little sooner, or slow your speed down a little. If the ball is still hooking when it enters the pocket , it will deflect and leave splits. this is what it sounds like to me. another option is new equipment.
stevie