Urethane balls on Pro Tour.......

[Hammer]

I watched a couple pro tournaments in 2017 and urethane balls were being used. Jason Belmonte even used a urethane ball to win his 4th title in a row. It seems like the Pitch Black urethane ball was the ball of choice. So I guess urethane balls are not going to be shelved yet. I saw a young Swedish guy use a urethane in a tournament. Well I still use my Blue Hammer urethane as my strike ball. Other times the lanes dictate that I should use my reactive resin ball as my strike ball and my urethane as a spare ball. So I thought that the two tournaments I watched on youtube were pretty exciting. Urethane still hangs on.

[RobLV1]

What goes around, comes around. Reactive balls have become so aggressive that they absorb much of the oil that is on the lane very quickly. Both the pros, and many league bowlers are finding that using urethane helps to overcome what's happening on the lanes.

[Hammer]

What goes around, comes around. Reactive balls have become so aggressive that they absorb much of the oil that is on the lane very quickly. Both the pros, and many league bowlers are finding that using urethane helps to overcome what's happening on the lanes.

One tournament I watched that Jason Belmonte won had two brothers bowling against each other. They were the Tang brothers. Both were using urethane balls and bowling down and in shooting between boards 3 and 8. It seemed like they were able to use the same line for quite a while. It looked like their slide foot was ending up on board 20. It was an exciting tournament. Belmonte won his 4th in a row. It was amazing to me to watch Belmonte using a urethane for his strike ball which was a Pitch Black.

[LOUVIT]

If I'm not mistaken Belmo was also lofting a bit on that tour.... But he has a hell of a rev rate...lol

[Blacksox1]

Belmo could have won that tournament with a marble.:rolleyes: He only had to roll one game and was locked in.

[Hammer]

Belmo could have won that tournament with a marble.:rolleyes: He only had to roll one game and was locked in.

With the revs Belmo has you are probably right.

[foreverincamo]

I haven't drilled it up yet, but I bought a Brunswick Fanatic BTU just for the burn conditions. Urethane isn't going away. I'm really surprised there aren't more urethane options on the market.

[Hammer]

I haven't drilled it up yet, but I bought a Brunswick Fanatic BTU just for the burn conditions. Urethane isn't going away. I'm really surprised there aren't more urethane options on the market.

Urethane balls are like any other balls that you can use surface changes to change the way the ball works down lane. I put a 2000 dull surface on my Blue Hammer urethane ball and it works fine for me on the lanes I bowl on. Originally it was out of the box with a 4000 surface.

[chip82901]

It all just depends on the pattern honestly. Sounds like you watched the 2017 masters. The way that pattern was (40 ft, pyramid taper to the inside, a bit more oil on the forward on the right side), it made complete sense to use urethane up the edge. It was when the shot started breaking down that you saw some guys grab something like a no rules pearl and move in. Hell, was watching a guy I've bowled with out of Utah that was throwing a torrent for the most part and he made the show (Alex Hoskins).

[Blomer]

Been toying with the idea of getting one.

[RobLV1]

A suggestion for all of you: urethane or low reactive resin (BTU) balls are great, but please don't buy one to keep from moving in on a house shot. Personally, I love to use the BTU on the fresh on a house shot to smooth out the over/under reaction that we see when playing near the oil line. As the lanes start to dry up, I'll move left until such time that the BTU is not aggressive enough to get back to the pocket. At that time, I'll make a big jump (7-8 boards with my feet and 4-5 with my eyes) and switch to an aggressive reactive ball. I really don't like non-aggressive balls on the burn for the simple reason that while you can get them to the pocket, you had better throw them perfectly if you expect to carry.

[chip82901]

I couldn't agree more! I've toyed around with my Pitch Blue from time to time, and found it works best during the transition phase of the lanes, not so much on the dry. There really is no forgiveness. I'd rather grab something pearl (lately its been a Street Fight) or if there is a ton of oil in the middle of the lane still, I'll grab my Phaze II. Seems to work out ok with more forgiveness and better carry.