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View Full Version : Do most pro shop drillers watch EVERYone bowl?



Ball99999
08-01-2012, 04:56 AM
Or do they usually only watch those who who specifically mention finding PAP?

striker12
08-01-2012, 06:56 AM
if you need help on something like your release the pro shop will watch you or if you want to say get a new ball drilled different he can watch you and see what kind of change in the drilling will do to give you the best advantage

bowl1820
08-01-2012, 08:19 AM
Or do they usually only watch those who who specifically mention finding PAP?

It all depends on the type of customer service they want to provide. There's good ones, bad ones and the in between.

And sometimes you have to ask.

panbanger
08-01-2012, 10:01 AM
The guy from my pro shop watched me bowl first. Now, I was going from a conventional grip on a plastic ball to a fingertip grip on a reactive resin ball, so I imagine there was a certain amount of guesswork for him. He told me he was drilling it so that I would have a smoother backend movement. I looked at the drilling layouts for the Misfit and sure enough that's what he gave me. The pin is directly above the 2 finger holes.

The Mayor
08-01-2012, 10:09 AM
I think if someone is going to drill a ball for someone, they should watch them bowl first. Doesn't matter what skill level you're at, it helps to know what you're dealing with. The bowler may actually be better or worse than they think they are.

billf
08-01-2012, 10:37 PM
The ball can't be drilled to perform as needed for your style if they don't know your style. Everybody has their own personal style within the bowling styles.

eugene02
08-02-2012, 08:45 PM
the pro shop i go don't watch ANYONE bowls because his not situated in a bowling center. rather somewhere in the middle of town area where you tell him how you want your ball to go and he'll drill for you. of course he has a small platform for you to test your ball to see if it's coming out properly.. other than that.. nope.. he doesn't watch anyone bowls..

RoccoRock
08-02-2012, 09:57 PM
It's sad to say, but too many of these pro shop owners just want to put in the minimum effort needed to get the job done. If you don't ask them to watch you, and find your PAP, and make a suggestion, then they aren't doing it. Even if you ask, they still may half-*** it, and most of the time the bowler doesn't know enough to call them on what they did. I've bought balls from 3 places since 2009, and only one of them asked me to throw a few balls so they can see what I need. One guy, I won't mention what shop, or what part of Long Island his shop is, when you go in there and ask for anything, it seems like you are bothering him. I bought something from there once, and I asked the most simple question "how much is it?" How can you answer that wrong. His answer "I don't know." Yup, that would be the wrong answer. I've had 5, or 6 friends buy a ball from him, he did not ask any of them what they wanted it for, how they wanted it drilled, nevermind watching them throw a few shots. One of the reasons I joined this site is to further my knowledge of equipment. I know very little right now, so even if a driller watches me throw a few, and "drills it for me" I have no idea what he did, or if he did it right. I need to learn RG, and pin location, axis, tilt, everything, so I know what's good for me, and not rely on someone who may or may not have my best interests in mind.

unclemantis
01-11-2013, 12:32 AM
Rocko

I own 2 balls which are now retired. One ball that was my first ever and the axis is zero

unclemantis
01-11-2013, 12:44 AM
It's sad to say, but too many of these pro shop owners just want to put in the minimum effort needed to get the job done. If you don't ask them to watch you, and find your PAP, and make a suggestion, then they aren't doing it. Even if you ask, they still may half-*** it, and most of the time the bowler doesn't know enough to call them on what they did. I've bought balls from 3 places since 2009, and only one of them asked me to throw a few balls so they can see what I need. One guy, I won't mention what shop, or what part of Long Island his shop is, when you go in there and ask for anything, it seems like you are bothering him. I bought something from there once, and I asked the most simple question "how much is it?" How can you answer that wrong. His answer "I don't know." Yup, that would be the wrong answer. I've had 5, or 6 friends buy a ball from him, he did not ask any of them what they wanted it for, how they wanted it drilled, nevermind watching them throw a few shots. One of the reasons I joined this site is to further my knowledge of equipment. I know very little right now, so even if a driller watches me throw a few, and "drills it for me" I have no idea what he did, or if he did it right. I need to learn RG, and pin location, axis, tilt, everything, so I know what's good for me, and not rely on someone who may or may not have my best interests in mind.

I have 2 balls that are now retired. The first ball which is an AMF Bobcat was drilled pretty plain. Then again that was my first ball I ever owned back when I was 15 years old. The second ball I have was drilled with the axis tilted noticibly. I do recall slightly that the owner of the house and the pro shop asked me to throw a few shots with my Bobcat.

Now mind you he did't measure my revs or anything else but he did get my pap.

My current PAP is not the same as when i was bowling over 12 years ago I am pretty sure.

I am currently loaning my mother's u-dot 12#. I plan on buying 2 balls within the next month or two since I just got back into bowling and due to a car wreck from 12 years ago, EVERYTHING about my throw and approach has changed. Also my retired balls are 15# and my mother's ball is 12#. i can not go any heavier than 12#. maybe 13# at the most but I can't throw a #14. I have tried many house balls too.

When i do get around to buying a strike ball and a straight ball I want to make sure that A. it is the right ball for me and B. it is drilled just for ME and not just some generic drilling pattern.

I throw thumb-less so now there is the case of the BALANCE hole where the thumb would be. I really have no clue.

I heard that Tom Daugherty owns his own pro-shop. That must be a neat job! Be able to drill a new ball every week or so!

Anyways...

Is there a CHECKLIST to quiz a ball driller on prior to purchasing and drilling?

Rdmonster
01-11-2013, 05:49 PM
I asked for my new guy to watch me and find my PAP and he was more than happy to do it. Had the control desk turn on a lane in front of the pro shop. Found my PAP within a few minutes....drilled my ball for more mid lane read and a smoother hook...Now I just need to get a little more consitant to make the most of it.

One thing is for sure. There is a pro shop about 20 minutes away. I drive twice as far to see this guy on service and attitude alone.

unclemantis
01-11-2013, 11:57 PM
How does one find the best pro shop service without expensive trial and error?

noeymc
01-12-2013, 01:05 AM
ask around on league night everyone will tell u someone some where word of mouth mostly

CeKnauss
01-13-2013, 03:22 AM
There are several questions I always ask before I will let a pro shop operator even touch my equipment.

1. Do you know the Dual Angle layout technique?
- If the pro shop is not willing to stay current with the current most popular techniques, why would they want to take the time to drill in the first place? Oh wait, for the money?

2. What would you recommend for a bowler wanting to bowl on a typical house pattern (or the local house's pattern)?
- If they just suggest buying the most expensive items with no real explanation why, I generally go elsewhere. If they don't ask me anything else about my personal style, I go elsewhere.

3. I prefer to buy from a typical manufacturer. What are your opinions about <specify ball>?
- OK, I got it. You don't like Brunswick! I do. Get over it! Stop trying to tell me their equipment sucks. In the 3 years since I started bowling, using nothing but Brunswick, I now average 190 at one house and around 180 in two others. I'm no pro, but I get the feeling it's not the equipment that sucks. Zing!

It helps to do some research before you make a purchase. Look up ball reviews online. Ask local league bowlers who they had drill their equipment and what they thought.

I hear people complain quite often about pro shop operators who messed up their ball. This is not just the operator's fault. You must know what you want and what you should and should not do. Pro shops also need to step up and take care of the customer's personal needs as a bowler.

straight1
01-21-2013, 10:11 PM
The main reason I watch someone throw the ball is if they are buying a resin ball with a large core inside that makes the ball gyrate on it's axis as it's rolling down the lane. If they are a full roller, you need to place the pin in a certain area so the player doesn't flare over the thumb hole. You also need to see where they track in order to place the pin far enough away from the track and pap. The only people I do not watch are beginners buying a plastic ball with a conventional drill. No weight block inside a plastic ball, just a puck to offset the weight removed by drilling the thumb and finger holes. However, it is imperative to watch someone throw the ball if they gonna spend close to two hundred dollars on a bowling ball. You need to know what their ball speed, rev rate, axis point and axis tilt are to give them the best bang for their buck.

xthe_charismatic_enigmax
01-24-2013, 09:44 AM
I was pretty PO'ed at my house who drilled both of my bowling balls. Here's why. A couple of months ago, I pulled my fingertips out to replace them with power lift tips and the bridge underneath both my Nexus and Taboo were pretty much gone..they drilled too close to the pin on my Nexus, so we had to "replace" that. So, since I know a guy who drills balls now, I go to him, because he's done it for years, and I know he's not going to mess up..the next ball I buy in the next couple weeks, which hopefully will be a Sigma Tour..we're probably going to sit down and talk about how it needs to be drilled..since he watches me bowl twice a week..he has an idea on how I bowl. =P

e-tank
01-24-2013, 01:02 PM
Mine didnt watch me bowl but that because i dont get mine drilled at a pro shop. He has his own store unaffiliated with an alley. I went to him because online and irl he gets nothing but praise from customers. He put a middle of the road drilling on my crossroad as i was looking for a ball for a range of situations which is why the crossroad was recommended in the first place. He never pushed a high end ball and would only talk about them if i asked. The proshop guy at my alley on the other hand, well i wouldnt trust him to drill a ball i got from the thrift store.

unclemantis
01-24-2013, 01:15 PM
Mine didnt watch me bowl but that because i dont get mine drilled at a pro shop. He has his own store unaffiliated with an alley. I went to him because online and irl he gets nothing but praise from customers. He put a middle of the road drilling on my crossroad as i was looking for a ball for a range of situations which is why the crossroad was recommended in the first place. He never pushed a high end ball and would only talk about them if i asked. The proshop guy at my alley on the other hand, well i wouldnt trust him to drill a ball i got from the thrift store.

Just about the same exact situation with me and I am VERY HAPPY!

tccstudent
12-20-2013, 11:48 AM
My pro shop guy has bowled in leagues with me and he knows how I thow the ball. I think that you should have the pro shop watch you throw a few ball prior to drilling a reactive ball for you.
The first ball this guy ever drilled for me was a disaster. He didnt watch me throw and didnt realize how much ball speed i have after that I didnt use him for a while but when I went back to him after bowling in a league with him he did great.
This last ball I had drilled was an expirment trying a new layout I just had the Reign On drilled with a rico pattern seems to be working pretty good so far

e-tank
12-20-2013, 01:19 PM
My pro shop guy has bowled in leagues with me and he knows how I thow the ball. I think that you should have the pro shop watch you throw a few ball prior to drilling a reactive ball for you.
The first ball this guy ever drilled for me was a disaster. He didnt watch me throw and didnt realize how much ball speed i have after that I didnt use him for a while but when I went back to him after bowling in a league with him he did great.
This last ball I had drilled was an expirment trying a new layout I just had the Reign On drilled with a rico pattern seems to be working pretty good so far

Unless youre fairly consistent with shot placement and speed/revs, layouts arent a huge deal. I only have one ball drilled for me with a generic layout and the rest are used with who knows what layout and i do just fine with them

Stormed1
12-20-2013, 04:44 PM
Depending on the customer I will go to where they bowl and watch them before drilling their ball. Otherwise I will discuss things with them and find their PAP off their track before drilling a ball.

rv driver
05-15-2014, 06:26 PM
My guy flat refused to drill a ball before watching me. He also refused to drill a ball I'd picked out because he knew it was the wrong ball for me.

ALazySavage
05-16-2014, 07:59 PM
If you are purchasing anything other than a plastic ball the pro shop should at the minimum find your PAP. Essentially if they don't watch you bowl and find this they are saying that they just want to get you in and out of the shop. A really good pro shop will watch you bowl, find the necessary measurements (span, PAP, thumb, pitch, etc.), and will even evaluate your current equipment to tell you what you should buy.

classygranny
05-17-2014, 09:48 AM
If you are purchasing anything other than a plastic ball the pro shop should at the minimum find your PAP. Essentially if they don't watch you bowl and find this they are saying that they just want to get you in and out of the shop. A really good pro shop will watch you bowl, find the necessary measurements (span, PAP, thumb, pitch, etc.), and will even evaluate your current equipment to tell you what you should buy.

What shop are you using?

vdubtx
05-17-2014, 10:03 AM
If you are purchasing anything other than a plastic ball the pro shop should at the minimum find your PAP. Essentially if they don't watch you bowl and find this they are saying that they just want to get you in and out of the shop. A really good pro shop will watch you bowl, find the necessary measurements (span, PAP, thumb, pitch, etc.), and will even evaluate your current equipment to tell you what you should buy.

Absolutely agree. I just recently found a shop that took the time with me when I got my new HyperCell.

Sourtower
05-18-2014, 07:20 PM
The guy at my pro shop didn't watch me bowl for the first ball he drilled for me. I was going from a conventional grip to a finger tip for the first time, so he drilled me what he said he drilled people who were starting with finger tip for the first time. He did measure my span, found my PAP, and even mentioned that the layout of the ball was better than the one he currently owned. After I came back specifically for a heavy oil ball, he asked me to throw so he could find my track, and then drilled the heavy oil ball aggressively for me. Both bowling balls work great and do what they're supposed to do. I also go to my pro shop guy for any questions because I know he's not just trying to make a sale. He's actually working to help me improve. He's even given me free lessons and helped me work on everything from my approach to my release, and even where to stand and read boards.

Mudpuppy
05-19-2014, 11:00 AM
I think any good pro shop will watch you bowl before they drill your ball. My personally if they don't I will leave and go somewhere else.

rv driver
05-19-2014, 06:42 PM
From my experience with pros in the pro shops, their job is as much PR as it is drilling balls. They are there as the resident expert, and part of their job (being in the "inner circle") is to generate excitement and foster a love of the game in up-and-comers, as well as keep the "regulars" happy.

Blomer
09-06-2014, 11:13 PM
I just for a Hy-Road Solid and the guy at my center drilled it, I usually go to another shop, and he knows how I bowl and picked a great layout. Before he drilled it, he looked at the tracks on my Optimus. The ball works great for me. He did a great job.