ArtVandelay
01-28-2013, 11:02 PM
I know this is long (as are all my posts), and I know it sounds like I'm bragging about my wonderful experience, but this is actually a great story, and a good reason to drive almost any distance to find a pro shop with a great owner/staff member who cares:
I've spoken about the worthless pro shop where I bowl before. I also spoke about the two other pro shops in my area that are equally disinterested... Well...
I had a GREAT experiencing while out ball shopping today. One of my co-workers used to bowl in a league, and one of the people in her league was the owner of a pro-shop. She is a 198 average, and spoke very highly of the guy. So I decided to give him a go.
After driving over an hour, I arrived at his pro shop and was disappointed to find out he only sells Storm and Motiv. I was hoping for a Hammer or perhaps a Track. But I spoke to him for a while, and we spoke about our mutual friend. He started talking about some of the balls he had to sell but said none of that matters because he has no idea how I throw. So, with that he grabbed some of his personal balls with some different layouts and watched me bowl with different balls and layouts.
Our spans weren't too far off, and he was able to really see how I throw and what the ball was doing.
So we went back into the pro shop and he gave me 4 different options and explained how he would drill each one to fit my style. He stated my PAP wasn't too important because he noticed I had a habit of changing my release to suit the pins I was shooting at (he's right) so he would base the PAP off my strike ball, but he was more concerned with making this a great all around ball for me.
We discussed the options further, and he stated he think I would benefit greatly from one of his $220 balls, BUT that it would be too strong once the lanes break down, and it would likely be too similar to my Lane 1 Droid (http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/Lane1/10124/Droid.html). So he suggested a couple other balls, and with his help I finally selected a Storm Crossroad (http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/Storm/10143/Crossroad.html).
While I hate its smell, and its color isn't my favorite, I am confident this is a wise purchase and great decision. He gave me a discount for knowing the person who referred me to him (even though I don't bowl league in his alley), and I was out the door for $215 including the interchangeable thumb insert. If I had bought that ball on the internet, I would have been guessing about it (and I likely would have gone with a Hammer or Track and who knows if it would have fit my style), I would have paid $120 for the ball, $50 for the drilling fees, $10 for the finger inserts, and $40 for the interchangeable thumb insert for a grand total of: $220. So I actually came out ON TOP by not buying online.
AAAAAAND, to top it off: Any ball purchased from him comes with 2 FREE lessons taught by him or his co-worker/business partner (whomever is available).
I just couldn't be happier. He identified me as a, "cranker," which is really crazy because I never would have guessed I put that many revs on the ball. He explained what my ball was doing and identified areas where it was losing its power. He explained how different layouts on different ball coverstocks can eliminate that problem and allow the ball to hit the pocket with all its momentum intact.
I've never been more NERVOUS bowling... hahahahaha. But I'm so happy I did this.
FIND A GOOD/GREAT PRO SHOP AND EXPERT AND BUY FROM THEM!!! IT'S MUCH BETTER TO HAVE A SCIENCE BEHIND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO/BUY THAN TO GUESS ONLINE AND PAY THE SAME PRICE!!!
I've spoken about the worthless pro shop where I bowl before. I also spoke about the two other pro shops in my area that are equally disinterested... Well...
I had a GREAT experiencing while out ball shopping today. One of my co-workers used to bowl in a league, and one of the people in her league was the owner of a pro-shop. She is a 198 average, and spoke very highly of the guy. So I decided to give him a go.
After driving over an hour, I arrived at his pro shop and was disappointed to find out he only sells Storm and Motiv. I was hoping for a Hammer or perhaps a Track. But I spoke to him for a while, and we spoke about our mutual friend. He started talking about some of the balls he had to sell but said none of that matters because he has no idea how I throw. So, with that he grabbed some of his personal balls with some different layouts and watched me bowl with different balls and layouts.
Our spans weren't too far off, and he was able to really see how I throw and what the ball was doing.
So we went back into the pro shop and he gave me 4 different options and explained how he would drill each one to fit my style. He stated my PAP wasn't too important because he noticed I had a habit of changing my release to suit the pins I was shooting at (he's right) so he would base the PAP off my strike ball, but he was more concerned with making this a great all around ball for me.
We discussed the options further, and he stated he think I would benefit greatly from one of his $220 balls, BUT that it would be too strong once the lanes break down, and it would likely be too similar to my Lane 1 Droid (http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/Lane1/10124/Droid.html). So he suggested a couple other balls, and with his help I finally selected a Storm Crossroad (http://www.bowlingball.com/products/bowling-balls/Storm/10143/Crossroad.html).
While I hate its smell, and its color isn't my favorite, I am confident this is a wise purchase and great decision. He gave me a discount for knowing the person who referred me to him (even though I don't bowl league in his alley), and I was out the door for $215 including the interchangeable thumb insert. If I had bought that ball on the internet, I would have been guessing about it (and I likely would have gone with a Hammer or Track and who knows if it would have fit my style), I would have paid $120 for the ball, $50 for the drilling fees, $10 for the finger inserts, and $40 for the interchangeable thumb insert for a grand total of: $220. So I actually came out ON TOP by not buying online.
AAAAAAND, to top it off: Any ball purchased from him comes with 2 FREE lessons taught by him or his co-worker/business partner (whomever is available).
I just couldn't be happier. He identified me as a, "cranker," which is really crazy because I never would have guessed I put that many revs on the ball. He explained what my ball was doing and identified areas where it was losing its power. He explained how different layouts on different ball coverstocks can eliminate that problem and allow the ball to hit the pocket with all its momentum intact.
I've never been more NERVOUS bowling... hahahahaha. But I'm so happy I did this.
FIND A GOOD/GREAT PRO SHOP AND EXPERT AND BUY FROM THEM!!! IT'S MUCH BETTER TO HAVE A SCIENCE BEHIND WHAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DO/BUY THAN TO GUESS ONLINE AND PAY THE SAME PRICE!!!