How to bowl on heavy oil/slicker lanes

[Aslan]

Okay, so I have had a real struggle bowling at a certain AMF center which has very hard, slick, heavier oil (I think) synthetics. I average 164 on wood lanes...and Wednesday bowling on low-med. oil...less "slick" synthetics I bowled about a 190 average over 6 games...but if I were to guess I'd say I probably would average about 156 there. Yet at that particular AMF alley with the slicker lanes...I average a 134.

Now...my game is catered to lower oil:
1) stroker
2) low revs
3) higher speed (19-20mph)
4) higher loft (12-15ft)

But...I've tried very, very hard to adjust. I've moved up in my approach, I've reduced my loft to more like 4-8ft, I've reduced my speed to closer to 17mph...I even bought a ball with a higher hook rating (211 vs 189 perfectscale bowlingball.com). But it's not working. So I went online and found this from bowlingball.com.

I don't like the idea of changing balls, for multiple reasons:
1) A good bowler should be able to adjust his/her game to lane conditions.
2) I think 2-3 balls in a non-tournament situation are enough...I shouldn't need to have 6-7 balls in my car every night.
3) Muscle memory...I think you end up wasting at least 2-4 frames every time you switch balls...just trying to get in the groove throwing that ball.

I've also had less success with the "sanding" idea. I scuffed up/sanded my last ball and I ended up with the reverse results...the ball seemed to start into it's roll too early...and didn't build up enough energy to grab the drier area in front of the pins.

So...as to how to improve...I've tried lesser left...I've tried less speed. I can't get much more revs and I can't switch styles to cranker/thumbless. So according to that video link (above)...one possibility is to move far right; what he calls "bringing your C game". I "believe" that assumes your THS pattern has less oil on the outside. I called the alley and asked them about oil pattern and units of oil and they could only tell me, "we have a typical house top hat pattern and we don't know the units of oil because we just use a 'wick system'."

So has anyone else dealt with heavy oil, slicker surfaces than they were used to and had to maybe make some severe changes to their game or play the far outside??

[e-tank]

for heavy i always slow ball speed ie i walk slower and i completely let gravity take the ball in the down swing, and i have later timing where i play the inside of the ball to increase revs. 2 weeks ago there was heavy oil + severe carry down where not even our guy that throws like 12mph with 500 revs could get his ball to move. I ended up just played straight up 3rd arrow with my spare ball.

Im not a coach, but for you i would recommend slowing down your ball speed in general to somewhat balance your speed and revs and that somewhat balance produces the best carry

[JDHamm85]

Last Sunday during some open bowling, the night maintenance had forgotten to put any condition/stripper in the kegal machine, so when the morning guy was oiling the lanes for the day, little did he know, he was putting two coats of oil on every other lane. There are always a group of older gentlemen who bowl in that house on Sundays, and they were ALL struggling. The one poor left hander didn't couldnt even come close to the pocket on the left lane.

It took me quite a few games, but the only thing I could really do on the heavily oiled lane was stand as far right as I felt comfortable going, and throw slow. I would throw up as close to the first arrow as I could, and slowed my approach way down to make sure I threw the ball slower. It was a very "down and in" kind of shot (I.e. straight), but I ended the morning bowling a 203 and 223.

You also have to remember that sometimes too, if you dont have an answer for the strikes, you atleast have to leave yourself makeable spares. I only had one open in those 2 games, and it was a split.

[J Anderson]

I've reduced my loft to more like 4-8ft,

I don't like the idea of changing balls, for multiple reasons:
1) A good bowler should be able to adjust his/her game to lane conditions.
2) I think 2-3 balls in a non-tournament situation are enough...I shouldn't need to have 6-7 balls in my car every night.
3) Muscle memory...I think you end up wasting at least 2-4 frames every time you switch balls...just trying to get in the groove throwing that ball.

I've also had less success with the "sanding" idea. I scuffed up/sanded my last ball and I ended up with the reverse results...the ball seemed to start into it's roll too early...and didn't build up enough energy to grab the drier area in front of the pins.

I called the alley and asked them about oil pattern and units of oil and they could only tell me, "we have a typical house top hat pattern and we don't know the units of oil because we just use a 'wick system'."

So has anyone else dealt with heavy oil, slicker surfaces than they were used to and had to maybe make some severe changes to their game or play the far outside??

1. Depends on what your definition of good is. I have a friend who wears a shirt that reads "230 is the new 180". On the other hand, according to the USBC, the average bowling average is somewhere between 160 and 175. There are quite a few bowlers who average 175+ without seeming to know how to make a ten pin. Still, I agree that to really be good you should have at least some versatility.
2. You're being quite generous. If you're bowling in only one center and except for practice, getting the same pattern all the time, I think you could do quite well with just one strike ball and maybe a plastic spare ball if needed. Three different centers, two different surface materials, and three different oiling patterns; that calls for at least two or three strike balls to be competitive.
3. Muscle memory...The whole point of having different balls is to be able to get a different ball reaction without having to change the delivery that you've worked so hard to put into muscle memory. If your balls are all the same weight and fit, it shouldn't take anytime at all to "get in the groove", unless you weren't "in the groove" to begin with. It might take one or two frames to figure out the line for the new ball, But if the first one wasn't working how can the first few frames with a different ball be wasted?

What grit did you try sanding to? Could you try the next higher grit when you head to that alley again?

Some times I think the centers like to withhold any information about the pattern. You need to know the secret handshake or say the secret password to be given the inside scoop.

I haven't really had a problem on heavy oil, I'm having a harder time dealing with the really dry lanes.

[Aslan]

1. Depends on what your definition of good is. I have a friend who wears a shirt that reads "230 is the new 180". On the other hand, according to the USBC, the average bowling average is somewhere between 160 and 175. There are quite a few bowlers who average 175+ without seeming to know how to make a ten pin. Still, I agree that to really be good you should have at least some versatility.

I just don't understand how 40 years ago a pro bowler had 1-3 balls and nearly every house bowler had ONE ball...yet flash forward 40 years and now you have people with 7-ball roller bags and 4 more balls out in their car. I get tournaments...I get the pro tour...I can even understand those that may bowl at 4 different houses. But if bowling has become a sport where every time you're having trouble hitting a pocket you get a new ball...then how many balls should the average bowler have drilled up and ready to go on a given night? Where is that "limit" where you see a guy with 12-13 balls at the alley and ya think, "okay...well thats a little rediculous." Especially for an "average" bowler. I think it's HILLARIOUS when I roll a 480 series using ONE ball yet the person on the lane next to me is using 5 different balls and shoots 385. I mean, when did bowling become a version of that old "Match/Memery Game" you played as a kid where you had to keep flipping over cards to try and match the card you were holding?

2. You're being quite generous. If you're bowling in only one center and except for practice, getting the same pattern all the time, I think you could do quite well with just one strike ball and maybe a plastic spare ball if needed. Three different centers, two different surface materials, and three different oiling patterns; that calls for at least two or three strike balls to be competitive.

I think you could take any pro or semi pro bowler and give him 3 balls...and he could average 170+ bowling at 4 different centers. It's either slick, medium, or dry. Wood lanes are almost extinct. You're telling me you can't make adjustments with 3 strike balls and a spare ball?? Again...where's the "line"? Is that what we're going to start teaching youth bowlers? "Oh...having trouble hitting the pocket? Go to the pro shop and get a new ball. This time, get one with a bubble gum fragarence instead."

3. Muscle memory...It might take one or two frames to figure out the line for the new ball, But if the first one wasn't working how can the first few frames with a different ball be wasted?

Well, I admit that makes sense. I'm probably in the tiny minority of bowlers that use different weight equipment.

What grit did you try sanding to? Could you try the next higher grit when you head to that alley again?

I hand sanded/scuffed it to 1000. I thought it would cause the ball to grab the lane better...but then as I did more research I realized you don't necessarily want the ball to "roll out". When I get it resurfaced I'll get it polished up a little more.

I haven't really had a problem on heavy oil, I'm having a harder time dealing with the really dry lanes.

Most modern bowlers would agree with you. Most bowlers are high rev, lower speed...they let the ball do most of the work. So you get it "spinning" and it hits that dry area and BLAMO...into the headpin.

But when you're more of an "old school" player with minimal revs and a mid performance ball...you want as much traction as you can get as early as you can get it. Big, sweeping turn...where the ball starts breaking just past midlane. You don't want "slick" because your ball can't make that turn in <15ft.

I watched some of the other players on the lanes around us. Many of them are hard to judge...but I did notice that some of the more successful guys in that league are thumbless, or crankers, or "palm bowlers". In other words...high, high rev guys. For the strokers that are successful...they either throw straight up the middle (around 16 boards in from the right for a righty) or they are virtually just "setting" that ball down on the alley...slow, slow, slow. And I struggle with that approach because if I can't throw it "out" (versus setting it down), I lose most of my accuracy.

[Mike White]

Okay, so I have had a real struggle bowling at a certain AMF center which has very hard, slick, heavier oil (I think) synthetics. I average 164 on wood lanes...and Wednesday bowling on low-med. oil...less "slick" synthetics I bowled about a 190 average over 6 games...but if I were to guess I'd say I probably would average about 156 there. Yet at that particular AMF alley with the slicker lanes...I average a 134.

Now...my game is catered to lower oil:
1) stroker

Should be 1) Chucker

2) low revs
3) higher speed (19-20mph)
4) higher loft (12-15ft)

But...I've tried very, very hard to adjust. I've moved up in my approach, I've reduced my loft to more like 4-8ft, I've reduced my speed to closer to 17mph...I even bought a ball with a higher hook rating (211 vs 189 perfectscale bowlingball.com). But it's not working. So I went online and found this from bowlingball.com.

I don't like the idea of changing balls, for multiple reasons:
1) A good bowler should be able to adjust his/her game to lane conditions.

When you learn more about what your ball is supposed to do, you'll discover that some balls are simply wrong for the condition.

2) I think 2-3 balls in a non-tournament situation are enough...I shouldn't need to have 6-7 balls in my car every night.

Thats a lot of opinion, backed up with very little experience.

3) Muscle memory...I think you end up wasting at least 2-4 frames every time you switch balls...just trying to get in the groove throwing that ball.

That's what practice sessions are for. To discover how each ball rolls in comparison to the others.

I've also had less success with the "sanding" idea. I scuffed up/sanded my last ball and I ended up with the reverse results...the ball seemed to start into it's roll too early...and didn't build up enough energy to grab the drier area in front of the pins.

The ball skids, hooks, and then rolls. Sanding the ball reduces the skid phase. It's in the hook phase that the ball builds up energy. It sounds like in your case it built up the energy too soon, and it was all used up before getting to the pins.

So...as to how to improve...I've tried lesser left...I've tried less speed. I can't get much more revs and I can't switch styles to cranker/thumbless. So according to that video link (above)...one possibility is to move far right; what he calls "bringing your C game". I "believe" that assumes your THS pattern has less oil on the outside. I called the alley and asked them about oil pattern and units of oil and they could only tell me, "we have a typical house top hat pattern and we don't know the units of oil because we just use a 'wick system'."

So has anyone else dealt with heavy oil, slicker surfaces than they were used to and had to maybe make some severe changes to their game or play the far outside??

Since I entered my response in the middle of the quote, it says my message is too small to post. So I'm making this comment outside of the quotes to get around that problem.

[bowl1820]

I just don't understand how 40 years ago a pro bowler had 1-3 balls and nearly every house bowler had ONE ball...yet flash forward 40 years and now you have people with 7-ball roller bags and 4 more balls out in their car.

Well thing's were different 40 years ago.

There were only 2-3 ball types, rubber, polyester(Plastic) and a few first generation urethane balls at most, The lanes, lane conditions were different.

And most of today's house bowler's with 4 or more balls out in the car, just don't realize they don't need all of them and maybe worst yet don't know how to use them effectively if they did need them.

It's not that everyone is telling them they have to have a different ball for every adjustment. They are all searching for that magic ball, that magic layout that's going to make them bowl like a pro too.

[Aslan]

When you learn more about what your ball is supposed to do, you'll discover that some balls are simply wrong for the condition.

So…just out of curiosity…how many balls is the right amount (on average) nowadays?? 4? 6? 7? 9? I get that a ball made for low-med oil…you're gonna have to throw it straight because it's just not made for that purpose. But thats an "adjustment" one can make. No hook…can't seem to slow it down without messing up the approach…move it inside and throw straighter at the headpin…problem solved. OR….OR….I could go buy another ball instead. Then when I bowl on medium oil…and one is hooking too much and the other not enough….I can go buy ANOTHER ball.

Hopefully there aren't too many bowling alleys in your area…or you'll need to build an addition on your house.

Not to mention…how the hell(o) do people even remember what ball works where!??? I have trouble remembering where I stand/target when I'm bowling on 2 lanes during league play….I can't imagine trying to remember if ball #14 worked better on medium oil at Bob's Bowl-a-rama…or if it was ball #13 that worked better???

[Stormed1]

I don't like the idea of changing balls, for multiple reasons:
1) A good bowler should be able to adjust his/her game to lane conditions.

Part of the adjustment process in todays game is matching the right ball/layout/surface to the conditions you are bowling on and your game.

2) I think 2-3 balls in a non-tournament situation are enough...I shouldn't need to have 6-7 balls in my car every night.

This is a realisticassumption if you bowl in just one center. I have 3 different 4 ball arsenals for the 3 centers i bowl in. All 3 are different surfaces (wood, synthetic and Pro-Anvilane synthetic). The each have their own ftiction characteristics If I try to throw my Friday morning equipment in the other 2 centers I'm walking around the ball return

3) Muscle memory...I think you end up wasting at least 2-4 frames every time you switch balls...just trying to get in the groove throwing that ball.

Part of the reason you have this difficulty is you throw 3 different weight balls. All balls should be the same weight and fit for consistancy. Also as mentioned in another post is this is one of the other results from practice. I can pic up any ball from what I brought with me and have a good idea of where to play it in relation to what i was throwing before throwing the first ball with it



I've also had less success with the "sanding" idea. I scuffed up/sanded my last ball and I ended up with the reverse results...the ball seemed to start into it's roll too early...and didn't build up enough energy to grab the drier area in front of the pins.

What ball did you sand? You can'y turn a med-light ball into a heavy oiler just by sanding.I saw where you took it to 1000, that may be too low of a grit and theball "burned up". You might want to try 2000 or 3000'

Work on reducing your loft as loft creates skid

[Bunny]

So…just out of curiosity…how many balls is the right amount (on average) nowadays?? 4? 6? 7? 9?

From Rob Mautner Bowling Coach website...

Now, on to arsenals: the thing that I see that many bowlers who communicate with me struggle with is the concept that your arsenal will be different depending on how many bowling centers in which you bowl regularly, and how many different lane conditions for which you need to be prepared. For starters, let’s take a look at the needs of a bowler who bowls in several different centers on house and tournament conditions. This fictional bowler wants an arsenal that will enable him or her to play on any given lane condition, but for whatever reason, does not want more than four balls in the arsenal. For this bowler, the arsenal should consist of three symmetrically-cored balls drilled with medium/strong pin to PAP distances: 1.) low rg (2.46-2.50) with surface and layout to hook early and roll late, 2.) medium rg (2.51-2.54) with less surface and layout for medium/late hook and medium/early roll, and 3.) high rg (2.55-2.58), polished, and layout for late hook and early roll. In addition, a plastic spare ball and a willingness to change surfaces on the fly, will ensure having something that comes close to matching up on virtually any lane condition. Please note that “comes close” means that you will probably never be totally matched up with this arsenal, but you won’t be totally shut out either. Remember that there is only so much that you can do with surface changes. Putting a lot of surface on a high rg ball is a lot like putting snow tires on a race car. Conversely smoothing out or polishing the surface on a low rg ball is like putting racing tires on a dump truck. In either case, you are trying to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear!


Link to full article...

http://www.modern-bowling.com/Bowlin...-Vegas-NV.html

Learn it. Know it. Live it. -Brad Hamilton