Wood vs Synthetic lanes.

[okfoz]

Locally we still have some wood lanes in play, and I will practice on them on occasion. I have found that the lanes seem transition differently between the synthetic and the wooden lanes.

On synthetic lanes, as the lanes transition and "dry up", I start to get more reaction, and have to move left on the approach. However with wooden lanes the conditions actually seem like I have to move more to the right as the lanes transition, then back to the left.

Is this my imagination or is this something consistent with what you have seen?

[JaxBowlingGuy]

When I used to bowl on wood my transitions would follow how it would on synthetic, but just a lot quicker.

[fordman1]

I do remember having to move right before moving big time left. It was caused by carry down with the old balls. Haven't seen it in a long time though. Haven't seen many wood lanes in a long time.

[foreverincamo]

Wood lanes where I bowl league. Oil still seems to push downlane at the end of game one. But eventually we all migrate left, sometimes 10-15 boards.

[LOUVIT]

before my 25 year layoff I only knew of weed lanes and a plastic ball, I worked in the house I bowled in from 16 years old until I was about 23. back then we did the oil by hand machine. I somehow was a cranker back then and never even thought of oil. I came back 6 months ago to all of this new stuff, lanes, ball, oil etc...

[foreverincamo]

LOUVIT, I truly understand what you're saying. I thought is was awesome when I had a two-ball bag and I had two different urethane balls and I could handle oily lanes and dry lanes. Now there's reactive, pearls , hybrids, solids, urethanes...... and more core types than you could ever name. Then there are the oil patterns! THS, Sport Shots, Pro Patterns, high volume, medium volume , low volume.
Yet we go and play!

[LOUVIT]

LOUVIT, I truly understand what you're saying. I thought is was awesome when I had a two-ball bag and I had two different urethane balls and I could handle oily lanes and dry lanes. Now there's reactive, pearls , hybrids, solids, urethanes...... and more core types than you could ever name. Then there are the oil patterns! THS, Sport Shots, Pro Patterns, high volume, medium volume , low volume.
Yet we go and play!

now I read and learn more than I bowl trying to figure out all this stuff....lol..seems everytime I bowl I try something different.

am I holding the ball right? am I walking ok? is my wrist in the right place? how's my spine? etc...etc...etc....lol

[Mike White]

before my 25 year layoff I only knew of weed lanes and a plastic ball

weed lanes?

Is that anything like sandlot baseball?

Or is that the other kind of weed?

[foreverincamo]

It's an interesting sport! I find it difficult to stop buying new balls. I'm always trying to improve. Practice, coaching sessions, online videos, watching the pros, etc.

[foreverincamo]

I bowl league on wood lanes, but practice on synthetic lanes. I really like the synthetic lanes with the second set of arrows downlane. Some call them " cheater arrows ", but they truly help.

[foreverincamo]

There are also different types of Lane oils. Where I bowl now, back in the 1980's, the owner back then didn't use lane oil at all. He used barrels of mineral oil. It wasn't flammable and any kid who was daft enough to licks their bowling ball or their hands couldn't get poisoned.

[okfoz]

I think have read somewhere that the base to lane conditioning oil is Mineral oil.

I thought I was losing my mind or changing something to cause the odd transition. Thanks for confirming it for me.

John