old bowler needs new ball.

[AC500]

Im new here and did some searching but decided I may get a little more help by posting, Please bear with me.

I just started up again last week after many years off, I've bowled a few times with my daughter and with a house ball had 3 strings over 170(before league). So before I joined the league I decided to buy a used ball, found one that I thought fit and heres the outcome.

14lb, Brunswick Alpha Max, I bowled 122/137/128, I know I have the potential to bowl better with the right ball. My problem seems I cant keep the ball in the pocket and when it gets down back it just scoots left, I've tried to keep it in the oil longer, throw it out more and get waaaay left, but nothing seems to work. My speeds are very slow, 10 to 12mph and 13 at best, Im not an expert so I don't know much bout grip, pin up/pin down but Im hoping someone can point me into a new ball or perhaps in the right direction with my current ball.
Thanks
AC500

[J Anderson]

Im new here and did some searching but decided I may get a little more help by posting, Please bear with me.

I just started up again last week after many years off, I've bowled a few times with my daughter and with a house ball had 3 strings over 170(before league). So before I joined the league I decided to buy a used ball, found one that I thought fit and heres the outcome.

14lb, Brunswick Alpha Max, I bowled 122/137/128, I know I have the potential to bowl better with the right ball. My problem seems I cant keep the ball in the pocket and when it gets down back it just scoots left, I've tried to keep it in the oil longer, throw it out more and get waaaay left, but nothing seems to work. My speeds are very slow, 10 to 12mph and 13 at best, Im not an expert so I don't know much bout grip, pin up/pin down but Im hoping someone can point me into a new ball or perhaps in the right direction with my current ball.
Thanks
AC500

I know some older bowlers who are down to 8 or 9 mph. If you dig around you'll find some threads here on how to adjust ball speed. Perhaps someone who's less lazy than I will post some link to advice on how to throw faster.
I'm not sure what conditions the Alpha Max is meant for. I would think that maybe a Brunswick Slingshot might be better for your style and the lane conditions.
You might want to have the someone from the pro shop check your grip. It may be that the ball is drilled to be as aggressive as possible, and by plugging and redrilling you might tame the hook monster.

[billf]

Welcome to the forum. Given your lower ball speed you won't have a problem getting most balls to hook. The Versa-Max is a strong ball. If it was drilled to hook hard for a high speed roller then you can imagine how hard it will break for you. So John's suggestion of having the pro shop check it out for you is spot on. They may even trade you for a used ball with a hook that will suit you better.

[Zothen]

You can always try your ball at 4000 with polish and see if that helps calm the hook. You might try standing on the 25 board and throw it over 13 board and see if that helps.

Zothen

[billf]

You can always try your ball at 4000 with polish and see if that helps calm the hook. You might try standing on the 25 board and throw it over 13 board and see if that helps.

Zothen

I play that line with that ball and I throw it well over 18mph with revs over 400 and an axis rotation of 60 degrees.

[AC500]

I play that line with that ball and I throw it well over 18mph with revs over 400 and an axis rotation of 60 degrees.

?

Thanks for the help All, I stopped by this AM, he sanded(?) the ball down lightly with one of those Abralon pads at 500, it smoothed out the hook alot and kept it from going sharp left, worked on my speed and stance and things seems to be a little better, Im not yet fully convinced this ball is right for me but willing to try out the new set up.

[AC500]

Headed out tonight to give it another go, I seem to fighting the ball all night long with no control or accuracy, every shot seems to be a struggle. I think its time for a new ball, I just need to look into something tamer then this beast.

[billf]

With the next ball choose one with a symmetrical core. They are more controllable than asymmetrical core balls. Given what you have stated above I think the Marauder or Reckless (both by DV8) would work nicely for you.

[Ball99999]

I had speed problems as well. Recently three separate things could have been the cause for being able to get the speed higher.

1) Proper timing. I believe I got better timing when I consciously waited for the ball to fall into the first step.

2) Starting the ball much higher. Pushing it out from a higher starting point and just letting it drop freely. That helped.

3) Throwing it/accelerating t when it's the downswing about to take off.

Anyway I suggest a nice pearl ball. Brunswick Damage was good for me so maybe something like that.

[SeimsicBaer]

I would highly recommend the Seismic Solaris Blackout. This ball was engineered for control and has a very smooth arcing roll from hand to pocket. Like said above working on timing will greatly help with your ball speed. I would recommend a ball with low flare (Seismic Blackout) drilled with a shorter pin-pap placement. Let me know if you have any questions.

http://www.seismicbowling.com/solarisBlackout.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqSd-dAgG4s&feature=plcp

[AC500]

With the next ball choose one with a symmetrical core. They are more controllable than asymmetrical core balls. Given what you have stated above I think the Marauder or Reckless (both by DV8) would work nicely for you.

billf, I looked at DV8's on their site and bowlingball.com trying to compare the "perfect scale rating" What I've found is my Alpha-Max is almost at the top of their ratings (221.4) and categorized as Pro Performance, no wonder Im having so many control issues. LoL. The DV8's you mentioned are in the 195/196 range, is this enough of a drop or should I consider something like the Misfit at 182?
I did send you a PM, not sure if you got it.
Thanks Again.

[Davec13]

The marauder is one of those do it all type balls. I have let a few people throw my marauder (from two handers, to crankers, to strokers) and it has worked well for all of them. I think dropping down the perfect scale roughly 30 points will be enough of a change that you will notice the improvement and overcome the control issue you are now experiencing.

[billf]

The Perfect Scale is nice but does have flaws. The core and coverstock affect control a lot. The asymmetrical cores are designed to have a sharper break point and are more touchy. Symmetrical cores have a rounder shape to their hook and are usually found in most solids, pearls and hybrids. They are also cheaper.
I did get your PM. I don't usually get home from the bowling alley until at least 9pm EST. I was there 13 hours today and only bowled 15 games.

[AC500]

Looking into something like the Versa-Max, I think it should be much tamer then the Alpha-Max Im struggling to throw now.

[Stormed1]

There are many great choices available to choose from. Balls like the 900Global Wisdom are designed for senior bowlers with lower ball speeds.Another good choce would be the Motiv Thrash or the new Venom Strike which comes out Wednesday.The DV8 Marauder and Reckless are also very good choices. Another smoother reacting ball is the AMF Cobra se. Thhe Hammer Rhythm or Arson would also be good choices

[Hammer]

I am going to be 66 in February and I had to face the fact with my ball speed of 13 to 14.5 that a reactive resin is too hard to fight the hook it gets with a slow speed. If you want to get down the lane easier with a more controlled hook try and get yourself set up with a urethane Columbia U2 Classic or a Hammer Blue Hammer ball with a 14lb weight. You won't be fighting a sharp hook every time you throw the ball. See a pro shop and tell them your situation and see what they think you should have for your age and ball speed. With an easier controlled urethane ball they can figure out a layout that will work for your ball speed to make it less hooking to more hooking at the back end. Hope you get something that works better for you and make it more fun and less like work on every throw.