RobLV1's Plastic Pilgrimage

[RobLV1]

9/10/17

As I posted a few weeks ago, my health problems have made me stop bowling competitively. I have started bowling recreationally in two leagues. In my Sunday's Doubles League (my wife is my doubles partner), I have decided just to use plastic balls. Today I used 2 Brunswick T Zones: one for strikes and most spares with a 500 abralon surface, and one with polish for right corner spares.

Today, in the first day of league, I shot 193-180-189=562 for a 187 average. I learned some valuable lessons. First, half pocket hits with plastic do not carry. The same holds true of light hits. High flush, however, carry every bit as well as reactive resin. In three games, I failed to get at least a nine count only four times. Two were splits and one was intentional as this bowling center gives out free game or free drink tickets for 111 in the seventh frame, and we were sixty pins ahead at the time, so I moved my feet three boards left and left a 2-4-5 in the eighth for the ticket (free drink, of course!). I also learned that my biggest bugaboo in picking up ten pins is when I got pissed that I left it and got fast feet to the line. Once I slowed my feet down for tens, I never missed another one.

I also considered that I should have joined a no-tap league where I could easily average 275! LOL

[bowl1820]

Did you layout the strike ball any special way, like with the pba plastic ball layout or just punch it straight up?

[RobLV1]

Did you layout the strike ball any special way, like with the pba plastic ball layout or just punch it straight up?

Nothing special. It's just an old spare ball to which I added some surface.

[Amyers]

If you decide to do this regularly Rob I would highly recommend one of the Track Spare + balls or something of the ilk. One of the guys I bowl with is using one as his primary ball with great success in one of my houses.

[fokai73]

over a decade ago, an old teammate had been battling cancer for a couple of years. Looking at him though, you wouldn't think he was sick. The last season he bowled, he struggled with his ball not staying right long enough to get to the pocket. Long story short, since he had a similar span to mine, I let him use my clear spare tire. He was averaging 178 with his strike ball in the first half. The second half he averaged a high deuce to finish his last season 190's. We bowled that following summer and I let him borrow the ball. He did well and finished with 200 even.

I've had success with clear balls and spare balls with cores when things got too rough with my urethane and/or reactive balls for dry. My first night of second shift league last week we were at the end pair due to lane break down. It was dry as the approach it seemed. My spare ball with a big diamond core came into play in the third game. I scored higher than my first two games.

1st game I shot a buck 90's playing just inside the 4th arrow, but not enough to push down the lane, shot two brooks and bad shots that carried. 2 splits.
2nd game, ball down to a reactive pearl. I got trapped and it was over under. I shot <170.
3rd game, old spare ball with a core and I played the track, shot 221.

I agree with Amyers, spare ball with cores are much better than traditional spare balls.

[RobLV1]

You guys are missing the point. I can hook a spare ball with no core. I don't want to see the ball hook. I simply want to keep the ball in the one-three pocket, and get a strike when I hit my target (at the tracers) and roll the ball correctly. In three games, as I said, I only failed to get a nine count or better four times. The main thing is the I HAD FUN! I had fun because I made bowling simple again. Plastic with cores is not simple. You have to worry about layouts. Plastic without cores is simple. What is so important about seeing more hook? What I did see was that the guys throwing aggressive reactive balls averaged higher than I did for the first two games, and shot 140-150 the last game. In the end, I had one of the highest series scores without ever shooting 200!

[Amyers]

You guys are missing the point. I can hook a spare ball with no core. I don't want to see the ball hook. I simply want to keep the ball in the one-three pocket, and get a strike when I hit my target (at the tracers) and roll the ball correctly. In three games, as I said, I only failed to get a nine count or better four times. The main thing is the I HAD FUN! I had fun because I made bowling simple again. Plastic with cores is not simple. You have to worry about layouts. Plastic without cores is simple. What is so important about seeing more hook? What I did see was that the guys throwing aggressive reactive balls averaged higher than I did for the first two games, and shot 140-150 the last game. In the end, I had one of the highest series scores without ever shooting 200!

I wasn't suggesting a core for additional hook but increased carry. Personally I don't care if a ball hooks 3" or 3' as long as it carries. I don't worry much about layout on my reactive equipment more less a plastic ball in a fun league but if I can shoot 1 less ten pin every game or even every other game I'm having more fun.

[RobLV1]

If I use plastic with a core for more carry, then I am defeating one of my main purposes (aside from having fun) which is to improve the way I roll the ball. When I roll it rather than throw it, it carries. While I have limited my lessons and writing, I still coach the junior gold bowlers, and learning how rolling the ball feels myself, helps me to teach them what it feels like.

[RobLV1]

Wk 2 of the Plastic Pilgrimage... 191-216-164 = 570. First game, one split in the second, then clean. Didn't have as much room as last week, but better carry on flush hits. Second game clean for 216. Third game was a learning experience. My wife was using reactive, playing just outside the third arrow. We bowled against a single bowler who made full use of his rev rate, shooting a low six covering 5 boards at the arrows and 7-8 boards at the tracers. My problem came when my line started to change. I tried to move right figuring that using plastic, I was creating carry down which my plastic ball would "see". That didn't work, so I tried moving left, and hit the dry that the other two bowlers had created. I left three splits in that last game, ending up at 164. I think that the next time I run into this situation, I'll change to my polished spare ball (that I use for right corner spares) and move a little right. Hopefully, the polish will actually allow the ball to utilize the carry down... the ball with surface certainly doesn't!

[manke]

Keep up the good work.

[RobLV1]

Today my Wife and I bowled against a young couple, both two handers who totally ripped up the end of the pattern. I had a pretty good day with 183-197-167 = 546. I threw 15 strikes, 12 spares, 7 splits, 2 split conversions, and 6 opens. The fact that I only had one open (I chopped the 2-4 off of the five) that wasn't a split made me very happy. In three games, throwing plastic, I moved five and three left and it really wasn't enough. It's amazing how much damage high rev players do to the end of the pattern. Luckily for us, after losing the first game by nine pins and getting slaughtered the second game due to the fact that woman two-hander with a 138 average shot 202 against us (her first 200 game ever), they were totally lost the last game, giving us a nine pin win for game 3. The important thing is that I'm enjoying bowling more now than I have in many, many years!

[djp1080]

Great! This past week we had a couple of our teammates who average around 125 roll over average a bit in the men's league (believe it or not) and we took all three games. We didn't think we had a chance to do anything as this other team beat us handily at least three times last year (i.e., 0-9). Even though our low score guys didn't do all that well it was enough for use to squeak out some wins. We bowled as a team. Enjoyed it as I thought we had no chance. Just gave it my best each and every shot. That's what its all about... Have fun Rob!

[RobLV1]

Today was quite a learning experience. My biggest problem with plastic is that as I chase the oil in as the reactive players burn up the line, I reach a point (usually around 13-14) where the plastic ball just won't recover. Today I decided to try going way outside (around 6-7) with a polished plastic ball when I could no longer move in. The problem I ran into was that we bowled against two young women who were throwing very aggressive balls (a SureLock and some kind of Cell) outside of ten, in the dirt from the beginning. I had to play inside of them from the beginning of the first game, and had no carry at all. I threw only 9 strikes in three games. Coupled with 16 spares and five opens (4 splits), I shot 170-182-178 = 530. The good news was that I was high on the pair.

On a side note, Tuesday, during the first game, using plastic, I shot the best game of my life (not score). I shot 225 with every single ball flush in the pocket, giving me at least a nine count. I left only back row, single pin leaves, and picked up all of them. I REALLY NEED TO FIND A NO TAP LEAGUE! LOL

[santos314]

I am seriously considering getting a plastic ball just to experiment with after reading these posts! It would be interesting to see my shot stripped down.

[chip82901]

Every year in my home center, we hold a no-tap tourney. I won it 2 years ago using only my Belmo plastic ball (yes, I'm a 2-hander). But, I just threw rockets at the pocket. I ran a natural front 10 one game, then ripped a 10 pin, then threw another natural strike. Yes, I may be a 2-hander with a decently high rev rate (around 400rpm). But if I can get away without swinging a ball and play down the boards, that's where I'd like to be. I have no use for high end equipment really in my home center. This year, I've actually gone away from it all together, throwing a Rotogrip Hot Cell and a Pitch Blue when they start to break down. So far it's paying off. Good luck on the Plastic Ball Endeavors!

[santos314]

Every year in my home center, we hold a no-tap tourney. I won it 2 years ago using only my Belmo plastic ball (yes, I'm a 2-hander). But, I just threw rockets at the pocket. I ran a natural front 10 one game, then ripped a 10 pin, then threw another natural strike. Yes, I may be a 2-hander with a decently high rev rate (around 400rpm). But if I can get away without swinging a ball and play down the boards, that's where I'd like to be. I have no use for high end equipment really in my home center. This year, I've actually gone away from it all together, throwing a Rotogrip Hot Cell and a Pitch Blue when they start to break down. So far it's paying off. Good luck on the Plastic Ball Endeavors!

I didn't know there was a Belmo plastic!

[chip82901]

Storm stopped making it a few years ago. Mine ended up cracking around the pin, and thinking nothing of it, I donated it to a girl in a wheelchair who paints them and makes some cool stuff with them. Now I'm thinking I should have put that thing on Ebay...people want an arm and a leg for them! Some people, drilled even, want almost $300 for them. All it is, clear plastic ball, white block inside, with some gold flake in the plastic lol. Honestly, I've been looking for one of the black ones he used on the TV shows at the time, but storm never put them into production.

[santos314]

Storm stopped making it a few years ago. Mine ended up cracking around the pin, and thinking nothing of it, I donated it to a girl in a wheelchair who paints them and makes some cool stuff with them. Now I'm thinking I should have put that thing on Ebay...people want an arm and a leg for them! Some people, drilled even, want almost $300 for them. All it is, clear plastic ball, white block inside, with some gold flake in the plastic lol. Honestly, I've been looking for one of the black ones he used on the TV shows at the time, but storm never put them into production.

Wow...as big as he is right now, I'm surprised Storm hasn't cranked out a Belmo line of balls for all ages!

[RobLV1]

I learned a whole lot today. My wife was not feeling well, so a friend subbed for her. We bowled against two young, tattooed crankers who had no idea about accuracy and threw the ball about 20 mph with 450+ rev rates. We won the first game; I had 189 and my partner 224. The second game, both of our shots were gone as the crankers were literally burning up two feet across the end of the pattern. I shot 149 the second game which we lost. The third game I tried increasing my tilt and targeted at the pins, playing way outside. My 180 and my partners 202 was enough to win two games and totals.

[santos314]

Nice! I love to hear stories like this! I'm sure they were a little miffed.

[RobLV1]

Yesterday, the lanes were very tough once again. I shot 180-149-196 = 525 which was high on the pair. The lanes started out with the left lane hooking much more than the right lane. I was standing 27, looking 12 on the left lane, and 22 looking 7 on the right lane. I had a pretty good shot and decent game despite a split/open in the tenth. In the second game, I totally missed the fact that the lanes were transitioning totally differently from each other: the left lane got tighter and the right lane started to break down. By the third game, the lanes were virtually the same. I was having a little bit of trouble with over-hooking, but could not move left because of the puddle in the middle, so I moved my target further down the lane and finished strong. My 196 was enough to win the game and the series. All in all, 5/7 points was pretty good!