This DRILLINGT Method can be DETRIMENTAL to your SCORES!

[MICHAEL]

Almost everyone I know when they get a ball, tell the driller: “I want the biggest kick at the end, (HOOK,snap) that you can give me!
My question is this: Could it be that type of drilling could lower scores. Is there a certain type of layout that would ACTUALLY improve scores If bowlers could just get over the idea that a Huge Snap at the end of the lane does not always translate into higher scores….
Say a Stroker like myself! I prefer a more gradual hook into the pocket. Of the 3 types of bowling styles, could it be that a MORE SMART approach to drilling should be taken, rather than LOAD the BALL up for the most Amount of HOOK!

[75lockwood]

It all depends on what you can control, for an amateur bowler, having a ball that takes a left turn into the pocket it will be harder to control. where as a PBA pro that can do magic with the ball, this could prove vary useful on certain conditons.

After seeing you bowl, no you do not need that much hook, the marauder seems perfect how it is :D

another example is a person who is very speed dominant, for this person, drilling the ball stronger is kind of required if they want a decent hook.

[MICHAEL]

Thanks for your reply, and that’s my point!! One size does not fit all! I think that’s were soooooo many bowlers go wrong! WRONG Ball, for their style, and drilled not conducive to their STYLE of bowling!!

[scottymoney]

My opinion as an amateur is to not decide for yourself. Have your driller/pro shop guy watch you bowl and see what you are doing. They can then fit the layout for your style. This is what happened for me and it fits me perfect. He watched me bowl saw that I didn't need the huge snap at the end and gave me a longer ball with a gradual hook at the end, not a hockey stick but enough to get me in the pocket consistently. I am no pro shop guy but if I was, I would almost make it mandatory to watch you bowl before drilling for you. Take the decisions out of the amateurs hands and give them what they need not what they want. In the end they will find out what they get is more right then what they wanted in the first place. That's why we pay them right? Even after having this happen to me, unless I went to the same exact guy within the next couple of months I would almost ask them to watch me bowl and suggest the layout for me.

[MICHAEL]

Good point scottymoney!! But you would be Surprised to know how many drillers do not take the time, or can’t! I would also ask around for one that others found skilled at his trade! If they don’t LOOK at you bowl, or see a movie of you bowling, ,,,, well,,, flip a coin as to if you will be happy with the choice of ball, and drilling!!

[75lockwood]

Very true, I'm getting more and more excited for friday, the ball i'm using was just drilled, no watching me bowl, no pap no 0, so i can't wait to see the difference when i get the marauder drilled right!

:D

[Ball99999]

I score muuuuch better with a snap at the end

[scottymoney]

The best part was when he told me that my starting spot would be more left and my aiming will be a tad more right. He wanted me to succeed and gave me tips before I started banging my head against the ball return trying to figure out the new ball. Once I listened to him and hit my mark it was amazing. For the first time I had a nice hook that I could count on!

[UBowling]

It all depends on the lane conditions. For a bowler who is only bowling on a typical house shot, you don't need a huge backend snapping reaction, that will leave a lot of washouts, 4-9 splits and such. For the house shot, more even rolling stuff tends to be better, less over-under.

Personally I love to have a ball that does a dead left turn in my bag for when I get on longer lane patterns when it finally hits the friction it will turn and turn hard. For other conditions I prefer a ball that is very smooth and evens out the reaction. I like to have a bit of everything in my arsenal when I bowl.

[Zothen]

I used to always want monster hook,but,since coming back to bowling in late 2011 and relearning to bowl in 2012,I have come to the realization that all balls are'nt suppose to have monster hooks. I tested this theory in a sport league and sometimes a suttle hooking ball is more effective then an aggressive hooking ball. I believe that a ball should be drilled for the type of lane condition your bowling on as oppose to how you want the ball to hook.

We have all read posts from bowlers who say they just had a ball drilled and now have hard time controlling the hook. So the question is-Did they have the ball drilled for the lane condition they are/will be bowling on or did they ask for the ball to be drilled with a monster hook?

I think pro shops should ask new bowlers what their using ball for(Heavy,Medium or light oil)and put them in a ball and drill it for that lane condition based on how they want ball to react and make suggestions base on skill level.

Zothen

[UBowling]

Zothen that is exactly what a pro shop operator should be doing. They should take the time to go out on the lanes with the bowler to see how they bowl and measure the PAP (Positive Axis Point) and then inquire as to the lane conditions being used before they drill the ball. If they do anything else it will all be guess work.

[billf]

I score muuuuch better with a snap at the end

So what's that, like a 150? You said in July you averaged 140 and since haven't been able to get the ball to do what you want so maybe 100 is much better.
By the way, you have a spelling error. Should we call you names now like you do to others?

[Mike White]

So what's that, like a 150? You said in July you averaged 140 and since haven't been able to get the ball to do what you want so maybe 100 is much better.
By the way, you have a spelling error. Should we call you names now like you do to others?

I just wish Ball99999 would just quit this sight so the rest of us can go back to enjoying being here!!!

Bill, stop throwing stones.

sight is what working eyes give you.
site is a location.

[MICHAEL]

Ignore those that look for trouble, and try to make turbulence!! The River flows with volume, strength, and turbulence, go with the current, never try to swim upstream! Those that cause whirlpools will soon dissipate, and dissolve from the strength power and flow of the current! Keep your head up above water and just steer clear of whirlpools,,,, that attempt to suck you under,,,, (Words from Santa),, ho,,ho,,hoooooo!! Be the BIG FISH in the River, not the small one that bits the hook!!

[Zothen]

I agree with you UBowling,but, the fact is most posts on here seem to be,I bought a ball,had it drilled and it's not working the way I want it to. Very rarely have I seen a post where a pro shop went out and watched the person bowl before drillng a ball. I think it should be a requirement for all pro shops to watch someone bowl before drilling a ball,unless they are a regular customer.

Zothen

[Ball99999]

I think I disagree. What is watching a newer bowler going to really do? A newer bowler isn't going to have consistency. What if he drastically changes how he bowls, his speed, his revs, his release, his axis rotation etc? I know I did.

Unless a person is really good and consistent, everything dialed in, I think a driller should bowl a ball with as generic a layout as possible. That way if anything goes wrong, it's the bowler's fault.

[noeymc]

ill tell them to drill mine to go straight with a strong backend and i tell them the type of oil i ma use to the ball for and bam life is good lol i have no problems with mine


edit:
my pro shop owner is a friend of mine who also owns the bowling lanes so i can bowl for free and he will make time to change the oil pattern on lanes for me he's a great guy he drilled my shatter after watching me throw and finding my axis point i think that is why my shatter just fits so nice you have to ask the pro shop to come look if you want there advice just to expect to see it happen they will be willing to help cuz they want to sell you that bowling ball so if they gotta spend 20-30 mins helping figure out little things i think most would do it

[billf]

I think I disagree. What is watching a newer bowler going to really do? A newer bowler isn't going to have consistency. What if he drastically changes how he bowls, his speed, his revs, his release, his axis rotation etc? I know I did.

Unless a person is really good and consistent, everything dialed in, I think a driller should bowl a ball with as generic a layout as possible. That way if anything goes wrong, it's the bowler's fault.

To a point I agree. I do thing they should at least get PAP and explain what the bowler can expect the ball to do as they change the things listed. If a bowler starts developing a style that a big drilling angle would be required yet the generic is too small, then that bowler would think he is doing something wrong when they are not. It's hard enough to fix the problems never mind trying to fix what isn't really broken.

[Hammer]

When you get a ball you have to know how talented you are at the time of purchase. If you have been bowling for a while and know that you can handle aggressive drilling layouts and are talented at coast to coast bowling and every other style of bowling then have at it with snap hook balls. If you don't have what you need for that kind of bowling then you get what will make the game easier for the style you have. So it boils down to talent, how often you bowl and if you enter tournaments with harder oil layouts. If I am not mistaken you can have a pro bowler like Earl Anthony that was kind of a straight down the boards bowler and didn't seem to use an aggressive ball to get the bowling record he racked up and is in the bowling hall of fame. It seems like it would be harder to adjust for oil break down on an alley with an aggressive ball then a ball that is made for more of a straight down the boards type bowling. So it comes down to a decision of what you are capable of handling.

[billf]

On some of the oil patterns like the US Open or the Brunswick, to score well you need to play near the middle. In that case a heavy oil, high hook potential ball is required to get the needed entry angle.

[DanielMareina]

At my pro shop, I won't drill a ball without finding someone's PAP. I even have demo equipment to get an idea of what someones PAP will be on their first ball. Bowling balls cost way too much money to do shotty work. As for layouts, I loved big hook layouts when i was younger. Now, I usually put the smoothest reacting layout on bowling balls that I can, without giving up carry. I like longer pins to reduce flare, and more surface to create early and smoother reaction. This doesn't work for everyone, or every pattern, but it is what I prefer. I rarely drill a 4X4X2 which used to be the standard. The main factors in what layout to use are; Oil, rev rate, axis tilt, ball speed, and bowler's preferred hook shape. Put all those together, and you will love everything that you get drilled.

[MICHAEL]

At my pro shop, I won't drill a ball without finding someone's PAP. I even have demo equipment to get an idea of what someones PAP will be on their first ball. Bowling balls cost way too much money to do shotty work. As for layouts, I loved big hook layouts when i was younger. Now, I usually put the smoothest reacting layout on bowling balls that I can, without giving up carry. I like longer pins to reduce flare, and more surface to create early and smoother reaction. This doesn't work for everyone, or every pattern, but it is what I prefer. I rarely drill a 4X4X2 which used to be the standard. The main factors in what layout to use are; Oil, rev rate, axis tilt, ball speed, and bowler's preferred hook shape. Put all those together, and you will love everything that you get drilled.

Good for YOU!! My last ball the Lucid had MY PAP figured in on the layout!! GREAT BALL!! Very happy with the way it rolls!!!

[Stormed1]

What i see at the pro shop is "throwers" ttend to want the go 45 feet and then go sideways. "Bowlers" want control and predictability for better scoring

[noeymc]

What i see at the pro shop is "throwers" ttend to want the go 45 feet and then go sideways. "Bowlers" want control and predictability for better scoring

thats how i drill my balls lol long then cut =D

[billf]

What i see at the pro shop is "throwers" ttend to want the go 45 feet and then go sideways. "Bowlers" want control and predictability for better scoring

That's how all mine use to be drilled until I found a place to watch me and interpret what I really wanted.

[75lockwood]

What i see at the pro shop is "throwers" ttend to want the go 45 feet and then go sideways. "Bowlers" want control and predictability for better scoring

so true! people really should realize that while a "hockey stick" hook can work very well on certain conditions, it will not help a new bowler learn! bah!

[billf]

Or an old bowler score better. If you can't control it how can you adjust for it?

[LonelyBowler]

All this layout stuff is too complicated for me. I know pin up and pin down so I usually say pin up.

[DanielMareina]

Layouts can be complicated, but there are some easy ways to think about it. Imagine that the lower the pin goes, the sooner the ball hooks. The higher it goes, the later on the lane it hooks. Then, the closer to your PAP it is, the sooner the core revs up. The farther from your pap, the slower the core revs up. This isn't exactly a bulletproof explanation, but it will help you have a general idea of what to think about.