Would you ever?

[ChuckR]

Would you ever by 1 ball type and drill it 3 different ways? I enjoy the MOTIV ball reviews as they do that exact thing. I wonder if anyone has done it for their arsenal.
I currently have Brunswick Mastermind Genius, RotoGrip Uproar, Columbia White Dot.
I do know bowlers that stay with the same company.

[Amyers]

I have a team mate that has two motiv tags drilled different and with different surfaces on them. I don't think I could bring myself to do it. I can see the difference between the balls but I think I could have picked something different to give even more separation between them.

[John Anderson]

I don't think I'd do it. I could more than likely just make some adjustments to how I am playing and achieve the same effect without buying two more balls. The reactions aren't going to be that radically different. You will certainly see the different shape, but you are essentially just changing the amount of flare that's happening.

[RobLV1]

Anyone who spends the money for three of the same ball to have them drilled three different ways has no clue about modern bowling balls (down, Mike, I know you will disagree, but this is my honest opinion). With all of the balls out there, why buy three of the same and try to make them different through different layouts? It just doesn't make any sense.

[J Anderson]

If I understand layouts correctly, the most a layout will do is let the core do what the engineers designed it to do. A "strong" layout on a ball with a "weak" core is not the equal of a ball with a "stronger" core. A " weak" layout on a ball with a "strong" core might make the ball react more like the one with the weaker core. With all the different balls being made, it's hard to imagine having to drill a second version of a ball to fill a void.

[Tony]

I can't see myself having multiple copies of the same ball with different layouts. I can see some applications where a player might have 2 of one ball but I don't think that's for me. I don't even use a ball one step down, it will usually be 2 steps down for me to be able to clearly see the wider difference in ball reaction from one to another. Certainly a more knowledgeable bowler would probably not do this but for me, it seems when the balls are too similar I have a hard time deciding what one to use ....

[Stormed1]

Many times I will have 2 of the same balls with different layouts and surfaces. Currently I have 2w Covert Revolts. #1 is 60x4 7/8x30@2500. #2 is 70x4 7/8x60@2k + polish. They are enough different in shape,tgotal hook and oil handling capabilities to warrant bothI also currently have 2 Deranged's #1 70x5.5x40 (pin over bridge) and #2 is 70x6.25x70 (pin in middle finger) #2 has been drilled multiplee times, (it was an experiment ball when i was tweaking my fit), but still rolls great

[rv driver]

I was watching a Youtube vid of one of the tournaments from earlier this year. I can't recall who the guy was, but one of the pros had two of the same ball (I seem to remember that it was maybe a Storm Optimus) drilled differently, and he'd use one on the right lane, and the other on the left.

But, then again, he's a pro, throwing on difficult sport patterns.

[mc_runner]

I wouldn't unless I was on a staff and got balls for free. I'd rather have a complete arsenal that fills larger holes.

[ChuckR]

These answers certainly responded more than I expected. Great.
NOW---HOW do you fill the 3 or more slots in an arsenal. With the variations in coverstock, weight block, lane conditions, etc.

[Aslan]

Already did it.

VIDEO

http://youtu.be/GRnLBy9UCp8


Backstory:
I really wanted a Columbia Dark Encounter but couldn't find one (it had been recently discontinued/retired). So, I found a 16lb Columbia Encounter. As it was en route to my apartment, a guy sent me a message saying he had a 16lb Encounter and offered it to me for next to nothing...I think I paid $70 for the first one and he sold me the 2nd one for $55...free shipping. As I was agreeing to that...just couldn't pass up that deal...a guy offered me a 15lb Dark Encounter for like $65. So I ended up with (2) Encounters (16lbs) and one Dark Encounter (15lbs). Since I was throwing 16lbs at the time, I thought I'd do a little ball motion experiment (see video) where I could test the true effect of drilling on a ball's performance.

Results:
See thread: http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/17040-Novel-Concept-Idea-The-Bowling-ball-does-not-matter/page10?highlight=drilling+matter

NOTE: Many users HAVE criticized MWhite in terms of how he drilled the balls. More than a few people have commented that the ball drillings were too similar and maybe that's why you saw such a little difference. IN MIKE'S DEFENCE:
1) He was constrained by the stipulation that I (with my meager ability) had to be able to actually use both balls once drilled.
2) Even that recent, my skill level was far too low to really see a difference in ball reaction, no matter WTH Mike did.

What I WILL say about Mike's drilling is that he puts more attention to detail in drilling a bowling ball than ANYONE I've ever used to drill balls. Most guys do a quick measurement and drill and you'll be lucky if they even wipe off the white marks. I've went to 4 different ball drillers and one of the guys measured the ball wrong and I had to have it re-drilled. The newest guy was in a huge hurry and not only scratched the heck out of my bowling balls, but drilled one wrong so it's in the shop getting plugged and re-drilled. And the first guy, he retired and doesn't drill balls anymore. But none of them actually measured the balls or weighed them post drilling. If Mike was closer, I'd probably still be having him do it. But the traffic from Orange County to Riverside County is a galdang nightmare so it greatly limits trips to the other side of Riverside.

[Aslan]

These answers certainly responded more than I expected. Great.
NOW---HOW do you fill the 3 or more slots in an arsenal. With the variations in coverstock, weight block, lane conditions, etc.

I already did that too!! (http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/18315-Aslan-s-Latest-Nerdy-Activity-The-4-ball-arsenal-tiered-selection-system)

And I believe either BTM or bowling journal also has a scale.

[ALazySavage]

Bowling This Month the magazine has a scale to help compare balls that are across different companies. In all honesty the best way to develop a three ball arsenal is to discuss it with a pro shop operator that you trust or have heard good things about through other bowlers. Do some research to give yourself an idea of what you want to see in the arsenal and then take that information to your pro shop operator so that they have some guidance on how they should help you.

I think Rob wrote an article for Bowling This Month about filling gaps; also Tyrel Rose wrote an article a while back about how he would set up arsenals from 1 ball up to 6 balls. Those could be good places to start researching.