bowlingball circumference

[tracy]

recently my bowling ball got hung up somewhere in the return and gouged out a good size chunk of the ball (maybe about an 1/16 in in depth) in a circular motion. the pro shop took it out but had to sand it down to that depth and did a good job (as far as i can tell). i am wondering if that would change the size (circumference) of the ball and if there is a specific size that a bowling ball should be (which i'm sure there is)? a 1/16 of an inch to me, sure would make a difference in so many ways at the pin deck. what are your thoughts?

[tracy]

i just found out that a bowlingball should be 27" in circumference. the question is...what if it's not and what if it's smaller than that?

[bowl1820]

i just found out that a bowlingball should be 27" in circumference. the question is...what if it's not and what if it's smaller than that?

Here's the USBC rule regarding the ball circumference at time of manufacture.

A bowling ball shall not have a circumference of more
than 27.002 inches (diameter of 8.595 inches) nor less
than 26.704 inches (diameter of 8.500 inches).

At a tournament like the Nationals where they would check the ball size. (They have a big metal ring with a hole in it they try on the ball) if it was too small, then it would be deemed illegal and you couldn't use it.

But it takes a lot of sanding to get it that small.

Now Removing a true 1/16" deep scratch would mean reducing the diameter by 1/8" (.125") ---8.595-.125=8.47"dia. which would be under the min. size. If they really took that much off.

Now why can't the ball be smaller? Years ago I was told it was because a smaller ball would get more strikes, Now I took that with a grain of salt. But here just a while back I read a article that said the same thing, so it might be true I don't know. ( If can find it again I'll post the link or copy of it.)

Why that would be so I don't know, most thing's I've read say that the heavier the ball the better the strike percentage is. So making it smaller would make it lighter.

Here's something from Mo Pinel:
"Smaller balls rev up faster and larger balls rev up slower. It is not very significant because the USBC spec. for diameter is 8.500" to 8.595" in diameter. Almost all manufacturers target 8.575" to 8.590" in diameter. This allows them to "regrind" balls to remove surface imperfections, if they find some, and still have a "first" to pack and sell. Some manufacturers put a minimum diameter of 8.520" in diameter for all packed balls. This avoids any questions of legality.

In answer to your question, size matters, but not very much.
One aspect you have not discuss is RG. I did an experiment once and ground a ball down from 8.585" to 8.525" and the low RG of the ball dropped from 2.520" to 2.490". A measurable drop. Smaller balls have lower RGs."