Another way to tell your lanes need to be oiled

[Phonetek]

Of course we all know when our lanes are too dry for obvious reasons. Ever been on dry lanes and notice you have to call the counter because you keep getting "out of range" pinsetters? What happens is the oil gets carried down to the pin deck, when too much gets down there you will notice pins will slide off spot instead of falling over. Then when the pinsetter comes down it will hit the top of the pin and stop. The pin chasers or mechanic have to go in back and make it go up and cycle to the next ball and remove any dead wood.

The more oil that builds up on that pin deck the more this will happen. So if you notice a lot of pins sliding around off spot instead of falling then this is a great indicator that your lanes haven't been oiled recently. When the oiling machine goes down the lane it goes all the way down 64' (the entire lane + pin deck) and stops before the pit. As it's doing that on the way down it's cleaning and stripping the old oil, dust and debris off the lane including the pin deck. At the same time it's also placing some fresh oil down to the desired length. The front of the machine does the cleaning, the back does the oiling. Then on the way back to the approach it will start off going fast then slow down. When it's slowing down it's again placing oil down. It only cleans on the trip down, all the through the pin deck.

Now there are many different oiling machines that may work differently than ours. There are some out there that don't even require anyone to operate, they are completely automatic and move lane to lane by themselves. Kinda like a giant Roomba. They still need someone to fill and empty them of course.

[bowl1820]

The more oil that builds up on that pin deck the more this will happen. So if you notice a lot of pins sliding around off spot instead of falling then this is a great indicator that your lanes haven't been oiled recently.

Excessive out of ranges are more a indicator that your pattern might not be quite right (not that they havent been oiled recently) might need a different lane conditioner or your not using the right cleaner or mix ratio, residue.

And of course you might need lane machine maintenance.

Pin deck not being cleaned properly, they also have deck sprays to help with it. Such as Kegels spot on pin deck spray.

[Phonetek]

Excessive out of ranges are more a indicator that your pattern might not be quite right (not that they havent been oiled recently) might need a different lane conditioner or your not using the right cleaner or mix ratio, residue.

And of course you might need lane machine maintenance.

Pin deck not being cleaned properly, they also have deck sprays to help with it. Such as Kegels spot on pin deck spray.


Hmmm....the mechanic specifically told me a rash of out of ranges are because of excessive carry down on the pin deck. However I could have misunderstood but I will be happy to confirm this as I don't like giving out mis-information.

[djp1080]

Phoney, Many posts here have indicated that there is a minimum of carry down these days. The reactive resin balls absorb the oil rather than move it around in the plastic and urethane days. Many of the articles on Bowling This Month seem to mention this as well...

[RobLV1]

Phonetek: While your sharing of information is appreciated, please be careful about jumping to conclusions. Many of us who have never worked in a bowling center have had the opportunity to spend considerable amounts of time down the lanes, inspecting the pindecks, and behind the lanes. As I said, your sharing is appreciated, but I really don't think that a week of experience in a bowling center qualifies you as an expert. Keep at it, and keep sharing your observations. We'll all learn something, as will you.

[bowl1820]

Phoney, Many posts here have indicated that there is a minimum of carry down these days. The reactive resin balls absorb the oil rather than move it around in the plastic and urethane days. Many of the articles on Bowling This Month seem to mention this as well...

djp1080 your thinking about when the lanes/pins are behaving "normally".

When your having excessive out of range calls, it's a abnormal situation that's causing it and It's typically is do to oil getting on the pindeck from abnormal "Carrydown". , Like if the lane machine doesn't clean properly . The balls will push oil all down the lane on to the deck because they haven't been stripped properly and the oil doesn't adhere to the lane right

[bowl1820]

Hmmm....the mechanic specifically told me a rash of out of ranges are because of excessive carry down on the pin deck. However I could have misunderstood but I will be happy to confirm this as I don't like giving out mis-information.

Yes excessive oil getting on the pin deck causes pin out of ranges, BUT what I'm saying is that doesn't mean the lanes need to be oiled. Like the title of your post says.

It means the pin deck and/or lanes need to be stripped/cleaned properly. Plus it's a symptom of a possible problem with the lane machine, Cleaner, Conditioner etc.

[Phonetek]

Phonetek: While your sharing of information is appreciated, please be careful about jumping to conclusions. Many of us who have never worked in a bowling center have had the opportunity to spend considerable amounts of time down the lanes, inspecting the pindecks, and behind the lanes. As I said, your sharing is appreciated, but I really don't think that a week of experience in a bowling center qualifies you as an expert. Keep at it, and keep sharing your observations. We'll all learn something, as will you.

Whoa, I never claimed to be an expert so lets back up here and please relax. I was simply sharing info that was given to me by an a guy who has done this his whole life who IS an expert. In this house most of what is thrown there is plastic balls (house balls mainly) which causes excessive carry down onto the pin deck. Reactive and Urethane are very few and far between here.

The oiling process does in fact strip the oil off the lanes including the pin deck in order to put new oil on the lanes. They wouldn't run the oiler to only remove oil even just to do the pin deck, hence they would also need to be oiled as well. The mechanic whom I spoke to tonight did say that if too much oil got onto the pin deck that pins would slide more which normally had fallen if that oil wasn't there. So given that the pins would slide out of range instead of falling it would cause the pinsetters to be out of range. He said that was a big problem when he got to that alley because they didn't do it near often enough. That's why he mandated that it be done daily to alleviate the problem. So all I was really saying, if you notice this when you are bowling it could be another sign that the stripping / oiling process is needed to be done aside from the normal obvious symptoms. I'm sorry RobLV1 if I caused any confusion here, I certainly wasn't trying to nor pass myself off as anything more than a trainee I apologize if you took it that way. When the mechanic told me this I thought it was kinda cool to know so I figured I'd share. I should only hope when this man finally retires I can retain at least a fraction of what he knows.
And Yes Bowl1820, it could also indicate an issue with the cleaner / oiler machine. I've been told some guys forget to check the fluids and have in fact stripped all the oil off and added none or vise versa, they ran it without cleaning solution but oiled over the top of the existing oil. Both would be quickly evident one would think but it does happen. Hopefully that never happens to me and I always take the time to check the fluids prior to running it, I'm pretty good about that stuff but mistakes happen like they did the other night when I shut down all the pinsetters thinking it was the light switch.

[fordman1]

I never get confused by those long post because over a short paragraph I just skip. You should be able to get your point across with out running on and on.

Does your machine strip the back ends every day?

[boatman37]

Well I find it interesting learning about how things work. Don't know that I NEED to know when a lane needs re-oiled since I have no control over when it gets done but interesting to learn these little things. When somebody comes on here and jumps down your throat for being wrong it makes you not want to post here anymore. I was told by Rob a few weeks ago that I don't know anything about bowling balls, which I have alluded to here already. The whole reason I came here was to learn about them. I don't come here to be blasted for posting a question. I specifically started a thread asking about bowling balls and drilling and this was your response Rob "Yes, it indicates the weight block or something. Hopefully you have a good PSO, cause you seriously need lots of help... and someone to explain bowling balls to you. "

This was just a few days after I joined here but I blew it off. Not a very good way to welcome new members to the site but hey, I'm a new member here so what do I know. I do know I came here to share my joy of the game and to learn, not be berated for not knowing everything. Maybe this is the wrong site for me?

[bowl1820]

Phonetek it's not what your saying it's, It's how your saying it.

Saying Out of ranges are another way to tell your lanes need to be oiled isn't exactly accurate, It's more another way to tell your lanes need to be stripped.

You can have out of ranges and the lanes have been freshly oiled. A lot of houses do what's called "Headshots", which is where they don't strip the lanes and only oil the heads. In that case you have fresh oil, but with dirty backends with oily pindecks.

So saying out of ranges mean you need to oil can give the wrong impression.


Now there are many different oiling machines that may work differently than ours. There are some out there that don't even require anyone to operate, they are completely automatic and move lane to lane by themselves.

Yes lane machines today are something, they can be set to strip&oil or just oil or just strip. (Because there are times when you just want to do one or the other. Say you want to do a double or triple strip before oil or you could set the machine to double strip just the backend etc.)

and also you have machines like the Kegel Flex which can put down two totally different kinds of oil on different parts of the lane.

Tell me how many lanes do you burn before oiling?

[Amyers]

Phonetek it's not what your saying it's, It's how your saying it.

Saying Out of ranges are another way to tell your lanes need to be oiled isn't exactly accurate, It's more another way to tell your lanes need to be stripped.

You can have out of ranges and the lanes have been freshly oiled. A lot of houses do what's called "Headshots", which is where they don't strip the lanes and only oil the heads. In that case you have fresh oil, but with dirty backends with oily pindecks.

So saying out of ranges mean you need to oil can give the wrong impression.



Yes lane machines today are something, they can be set to strip&oil or just oil or just strip. (Because there are times when you just want to do one or the other. Say you want to do a double or triple strip before oil or you could set the machine to double strip just the backend etc.)

and also you have machines like the Kegel Flex which can put down two totally different kinds of oil on different parts of the lane.

Tell me how many lanes do you burn before oiling?

Bowl nailed it as usual. Excessive out of ranges and pins sliding on the deck are more often than not caused oil on the pin deck. Around here at least it's more of a sign of the lane machine working improperly as they aren't removing the oil than it necessarily is of the lanes needing oil.

[Amyers]

Well I find it interesting learning about how things work. Don't know that I NEED to know when a lane needs re-oiled since I have no control over when it gets done but interesting to learn these little things. When somebody comes on here and jumps down your throat for being wrong it makes you not want to post here anymore. I was told by Rob a few weeks ago that I don't know anything about bowling balls, which I have alluded to here already. The whole reason I came here was to learn about them. I don't come here to be blasted for posting a question. I specifically started a thread asking about bowling balls and drilling and this was your response Rob "Yes, it indicates the weight block or something. Hopefully you have a good PSO, cause you seriously need lots of help... and someone to explain bowling balls to you. "

This was just a few days after I joined here but I blew it off. Not a very good way to welcome new members to the site but hey, I'm a new member here so what do I know. I do know I came here to share my joy of the game and to learn, not be berated for not knowing everything. Maybe this is the wrong site for me?

Don't take it personally Rob's a good guy he tends to be a bit on the upfront side sometimes. In his defense sometimes you have to be that way on here as if you phrase it nicer not making the point as strongly people tend to ignore it and go on believing what they will.

[Phonetek]

I never get confused by those long post because over a short paragraph I just skip. You should be able to get your point across with out running on and on.

Does your machine strip the back ends every day?

Yes it does.

[bowl1820]

I never get confused by those long post because over a short paragraph I just skip. You should be able to get your point across with out running on and on.

Which is why it's particularly important to use short paragraphs on internet forum post's, people hate reading walls of text (tl;dr :"Too long; didn't read." posts.). When people see a block of text, even a relatively short block, it looks daunting and they start skimming.

[RobLV1]

Well I find it interesting learning about how things work. Don't know that I NEED to know when a lane needs re-oiled since I have no control over when it gets done but interesting to learn these little things. When somebody comes on here and jumps down your throat for being wrong it makes you not want to post here anymore. I was told by Rob a few weeks ago that I don't know anything about bowling balls, which I have alluded to here already. The whole reason I came here was to learn about them. I don't come here to be blasted for posting a question. I specifically started a thread asking about bowling balls and drilling and this was your response Rob "Yes, it indicates the weight block or something. Hopefully you have a good PSO, cause you seriously need lots of help... and someone to explain bowling balls to you. "

This was just a few days after I joined here but I blew it off. Not a very good way to welcome new members to the site but hey, I'm a new member here so what do I know. I do know I came here to share my joy of the game and to learn, not be berated for not knowing everything. Maybe this is the wrong site for me?

The thing that you need to understand about this site and others like it is that there are bowlers with widely varying spheres of knowledge and experience that post here. There are a few; bowl1820, amyers, j anderson, and VdubTX are some that come to mind who understand quite a bit about the game. There are many more who don't. In my own case, my name is Rob Mautner. I am a Silver Level Coach and a long time PBA member. I have been included in the Bowler's Journal List of the top 100 Coaches world-wide. In the past decade I have written nearly 100 articles for Bowling This Month. If I sometimes show my frustrations, I certainly apologize. I hope that you can understand the frustrations that many of us feel when we say the same things over and over and over again (I have a knot on my forehead from beating my head against a wall from hearing bowlers continue to talk about carry down so many years after it stopped being a factor). If you cannot understand this and accept my apology then, yes, maybe it is the wrong site for you.

[mattmc82]

The thing that you need to understand about this site and others like it is that there are bowlers with widely varying spheres of knowledge and experience that post here. There are a few; bowl1820, amyers, j anderson, and VdubTX are some that come to mind who understand quite a bit about the game. There are many more who don't. In my own case, my name is Rob Mautner. I am a Silver Level Coach and a long time PBA member. I have been included in the Bowler's Journal List of the top 100 Coaches world-wide. In the past decade I have written nearly 100 articles for Bowling This Month. If I sometimes show my frustrations, I certainly apologize. I hope that you can understand the frustrations that many of us feel when we say the same things over and over and over again (I have a knot on my forehead from beating my head against a wall from hearing bowlers continue to talk about carry down so many years after it stopped being a factor). If you cannot understand this and accept my apology then, yes, maybe it is the wrong site for you.

To be clear - it’s not a factor only if the majority of balls being rolled aren’t plastic right? I would say the houses I go to are still about 70/30 split of straight ballers using house balls. But if you’re are stripping regularly - all patterns are the same # of units of oil right?

I was watching them do the lanes at the house where my league is. They were only running the machine the length of the pattern and not stripping the full length. I tried pointing that out but got shooed away by an “expert”

[Amyers]

To be clear - it’s not a factor only if the majority of balls being rolled aren’t plastic right? I would say the houses I go to are still about 70/30 split of straight ballers using house balls. But if you’re are stripping regularly - all patterns are the same # of units of oil right?

I was watching them do the lanes at the house where my league is. They were only running the machine the length of the pattern and not stripping the full length. I tried pointing that out but got shooed away by an “expert”

That's a high number for league bowlers or are you referring to open bowling here? At least here seeing a league bowler throwing a house ball is unusual at best.

Them amount of oil being used for house patterns is a little different everywhere you go even the length of the patterns are different.

Not all houses strip before laying down the pattern. I bowl at one house that reoils over the existing pattern for their league that night can be real interesting if they had a sport shot out the night before but this type of thing can lead to dirty pin decks and low scores on near impossible conditions lol.

[RobLV1]

To be clear - it’s not a factor only if the majority of balls being rolled aren’t plastic right? I would say the houses I go to are still about 70/30 split of straight ballers using house balls. But if you’re are stripping regularly - all patterns are the same # of units of oil right?

I was watching them do the lanes at the house where my league is. They were only running the machine the length of the pattern and not stripping the full length. I tried pointing that out but got shooed away by an “expert”

A couple of points here. First, many houses, including the one where I usually bowl, don't oil the entire lane before evening leagues. They do what is called a "head run" which just puts out oil for the first 25 or 30 feet of the pattern to compensate for usage during the day. This is the primary reason that I now bowl in daytime leagues. A head run is not an oil "pattern," and, depending on what went on during the day, may be close to impossible to overcome. During the last nighttime league that I bowled in this house, I had back-to-back weeks of 480-690 and bowled well both weeks.

Secondly, the thing that most bowlers don't understand is that while plastic balls do carry oil down the lanes, they are also the only balls that read the carry down in all but the most unique circumstances. I will tell you that, since my back has decided to fall apart on me, I have been throwing plastic exclusively for about 6 months now. Even though my ball will carry oil down the lane, I can honestly say that I have only had to move right once or twice in over 50 league sets. When balls start to straighten out, it is either because they are burning up and losing energy, or because oil movement has exposed an area of negative topography that is keeping the ball from hooking.

[mattmc82]

That's a high number for league bowlers or are you referring to open bowling here? At least here seeing a league bowler throwing a house ball is unusual at best.

Them amount of oil being used for house patterns is a little different everywhere you go even the length of the patterns are different.

Not all houses strip before laying down the pattern. I bowl at one house that reoils over the existing pattern for their league that night can be real interesting if they had a sport shot out the night before but this type of thing can lead to dirty pin decks and low scores on near impossible conditions lol.

I meant open. But I still don’t encounter that oddity at well run houses. I believe my league just gets the head runs which it doesn’t need. I wish they would understand that their lanes break all the time because they are not stripping. I had to use two towels just for 3 games last week. Each game was enough for monster tac to remove a black filth

[mattmc82]

A couple of points here. First, many houses, including the one where I usually bowl, don't oil the entire lane before evening leagues. They do what is called a "head run" which just puts out oil for the first 25 or 30 feet of the pattern to compensate for usage during the day. This is the primary reason that I now bowl in daytime leagues. A head run is not an oil "pattern," and, depending on what went on during the day, may be close to impossible to overcome. During the last nighttime league that I bowled in this house, I had back-to-back weeks of 480-690 and bowled well both weeks.

Secondly, the thing that most bowlers don't understand is that while plastic balls do carry oil down the lanes, they are also the only balls that read the carry down in all but the most unique circumstances. I will tell you that, since my back has decided to fall apart on me, I have been throwing plastic exclusively for about 6 months now. Even though my ball will carry oil down the lane, I can honestly say that I have only had to move right once or twice in over 50 league sets. When balls start to straighten out, it is either because they are burning up and losing energy, or because oil movement has exposed an area of negative topography that is keeping the ball from hooking.

Thanks for the clarification. That means they are likely just doing head runs, which makes even less sense because the alley is closed from Monday until we bowl on Thursday night. So they are essentially just tossing oil on dirty lanes from the weekend

[Phonetek]

A couple of points here. First, many houses, including the one where I usually bowl, don't oil the entire lane before evening leagues. They do what is called a "head run" which just puts out oil for the first 25 or 30 feet of the pattern to compensate for usage during the day. This is the primary reason that I now bowl in daytime leagues. A head run is not an oil "pattern," and, depending on what went on during the day, may be close to impossible to overcome. During the last nighttime league that I bowled in this house, I had back-to-back weeks of 480-690 and bowled well both weeks.

Secondly, the thing that most bowlers don't understand is that while plastic balls do carry oil down the lanes, they are also the only balls that read the carry down in all but the most unique circumstances. I will tell you that, since my back has decided to fall apart on me, I have been throwing plastic exclusively for about 6 months now. Even though my ball will carry oil down the lane, I can honestly say that I have only had to move right once or twice in over 50 league sets. When balls start to straighten out, it is either because they are burning up and losing energy, or because oil movement has exposed an area of negative topography that is keeping the ball from hooking.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that when we oil daily it's stripped all the way down but at the same time it's oiled 42'. When the machine turns back it's strips the heads again then once it passes the heads stops cleaning and oils again from 42' back to the approach. I made sure to pay very close attention to what the machine was doing today when I oiled before I left for the day so I can answer this properly. The pattern doesn't vary day to day or by time of day. Once in a while they said they change the pattern but when they do it stays that way for how ever many months. The current pattern is as I said 42' THS Christmas tree pattern. The mechanic was not in today to ask just how much oil it puts down in that 42' but I will ask when I see him next.

As far as people using house balls. I would have to say that so far between the open bowlers, leagues and parties that 95% of people use house balls. Of the 5% that don't 2% use urethane or reactive and the rest plastic. Understand, Where I work is a bar with a bowling alley not a bowling alley with a bar which I'm having a hard time getting used to. It's basically "Cheers" with lanes and Norm and Cliff only bowl because Carla said so. There are barely enough serious or even decent bowlers to count on two hands thus far maybe less. I've only seen a two 200+ (207 & 211) games so far which were both last night from the patrons and a LOT more under 100. Mystery pot last night was won with an 83 if that tells you anything. And that was their "Good" league.

Lastly I do want to apologize for any misunderstanding I may have caused here, if I am wrong I have no problem admitting it. I also have no hard feelings toward Rob nor Bowl for setting me straight. Perhaps it could have been done with a little more tact maybe even in PM but I certainly understand your frustration. The fact that you get frustrated tells me you love both the game and this forum so I respect that. In the future I will choose my words more carefully when trying to pass on any of my newly found knowledge. Lets move on from this point and put this behind us.

[boatman37]

The thing that you need to understand about this site and others like it is that there are bowlers with widely varying spheres of knowledge and experience that post here. There are a few; bowl1820, amyers, j anderson, and VdubTX are some that come to mind who understand quite a bit about the game. There are many more who don't. In my own case, my name is Rob Mautner. I am a Silver Level Coach and a long time PBA member. I have been included in the Bowler's Journal List of the top 100 Coaches world-wide. In the past decade I have written nearly 100 articles for Bowling This Month. If I sometimes show my frustrations, I certainly apologize. I hope that you can understand the frustrations that many of us feel when we say the same things over and over and over again (I have a knot on my forehead from beating my head against a wall from hearing bowlers continue to talk about carry down so many years after it stopped being a factor). If you cannot understand this and accept my apology then, yes, maybe it is the wrong site for you.

It is what it is. I appreciate the level of knowledge here and in the end that is why I am here. When I left bowling 15 years ago we didn't have sites like this or even Google. We were on our own to figure things out. I did have Mark Roth to lean on for a short time but he was busy with other things and I didn't like bothering him. As for my post about a ball a few weeks ago the last new ball I bought was about 1990 (Brunswick Cobalt Rhino) and nobody talked about PAP or CG. All I knew was the PSO measured my fingers and span and drilled it in line with the logo. Now reading all this stuff about ball technology piqued my interest and I wanted to learn, hence my question. I never questioned your credentials or achievements but that wasn't the point. I would have been just as frustrated if Pete Weber had responded that way. I understand your frustration too. I am on several forums for different hobbies or professions and see exactly what you were saying. People come in and ask a question and gets an answer then 6 months later complains about the very thing they asked about initially and didn't follow the advice. But when a new member comes in you have to treat them as such and not assume they will do the same as some of the others.

Either way, moving on from this as I am here to get better and learn. I'm still about 30 pins lower than I was 15 years ago and struggling to get my old form back. Part of that just being practice and probably partially just being 15 years older. I'm sure I will have more questions as we go but I am the type that will listen. Why ask if you aren't going to heed the advice given?

[Phonetek]

I forgot to mention, I did check what brand oiler we have and it is a Kegel but not the Flex. Now I can't remember the name but it is a Kegel. I need to just start taking pictures with my phone so I don't have to try to remember. Also, I didn't get to take the video of the pinsetter today I wasn't working in the back. I'm off until Saturday unless they call but I'll be there with my son bowling with his new ball. PSO called and it's already done. I'm sure I can run back there to take the video I promised, I think the mechanic will be in tomorrow too. I can ask him some questions.

[mattmc82]

Here’s a question I have though - what’s the best approach when faced with these conditions (of oil under the pins)? Just throw something as hard as you can at em, entry angle be damned?

[Amyers]

Here’s a question I have though - what’s the best approach when faced with these conditions (of oil under the pins)? Just throw something as hard as you can at em, entry angle be damned?

That's never the answer lol. There's not much you can do about that just realize you may have a pin standing you might not have it's also possible a pin hit's another an knocks it down when it wouldn't have. We always remember the ones we got unlucky on the lucky ones are quickly forgotten. There's not an adjustment to make for this condition just remember part of the game is luck too. It's totally possible to throw the ball well and have a sub par series happened to me last night.

[RobLV1]

I always look forward to league sessions on a particularly tough pair of lanes; on tough lanes the best spare shooters with the most patience win. Since I'm using plastic exclusively, on an easy pair against halfway decent bowlers, I'm going to lose. On a tough pair, however, I'll win nine times out of ten. Two days ago we bowled on a pair that was virtually impossible. I was only able to throw eight strikes in three games. The good news is that after losing the first game by five pins on a fluke double by the other anchor man, we blew the other team out of the water on the other two games and totals. My 532 (168-173-191) was mediocre at best, but it was the highest on the pair and only one of two 500 sets on the pair (503 was the other). Winning is, after all, the goal. Isn't it?

[vdubtx]

That's never the answer lol. There's not much you can do about that just realize you may have a pin standing you might not have it's also possible a pin hit's another an knocks it down when it wouldn't have. We always remember the ones we got unlucky on the lucky ones are quickly forgotten. There's not an adjustment to make for this condition just remember part of the game is luck too. It's totally possible to throw the ball well and have a sub par series happened to me last night.

So true. There will hardly ever be a night where every circumstance or variance on a lane can be accounted for. Take the good with the bad and always try to do your best.

[fordman1]

If your bowlers are not happy call a board of directors meeting and discuss it. If you get a majority of them agreeing that the center isn't fulfilling their end of the contract tell them to get their act together or the league won't be back. The lanes should be cleaned and oiled for all evening leagues. If there are morning leagues before them too. Then again for the night league. Get it in writing. That is why so many centers go out of business, poor service.

[mattmc82]

If your bowlers are not happy call a board of directors meeting and discuss it. If you get a majority of them agreeing that the center isn't fulfilling their end of the contract tell them to get their act together or the league won't be back. The lanes should be cleaned and oiled for all evening leagues. If there are morning leagues before them too. Then again for the night league. Get it in writing. That is why so many centers go out of business, poor service.

We are the only league at this place. We only do 12 weeks and start at 8 which has hindered us from getting in anywhere else. Most places here require 6 o clock starts and a full season.

And it’s not just small variances. It is so slick at the pins that even when then rest of the lane is dry, you can hit the pocket and have leaves likes 2,4,7,9,10. This is why I was inquiring earlier in the season on The helicopter/ufo style.

[Amyers]

We are the only league at this place. We only do 12 weeks and start at 8 which has hindered us from getting in anywhere else. Most places here require 6 o clock starts and a full season.

And it’s not just small variances. It is so slick at the pins that even when then rest of the lane is dry, you can hit the pocket and have leaves likes 2,4,7,9,10. This is why I was inquiring earlier in the season on The helicopter/ufo style.

I don't care how much oil is on the pin deck you can't be in the pocket and have a 2 pin standing. Just because a ball makes contact with the 1 and 3 pins doesn't mean it's in the pocket. Not saying this problem can't cause some weird leaves or that they have proper maintence there.

You might look into seeing if one of the other houses would take your league on as a second shift league or something like that next time

[mattmc82]

I don't care how much oil is on the pin deck you can't be in the pocket and have a 2 pin standing. Just because a ball makes contact with the 1 and 3 pins doesn't mean it's in the pocket. Not saying this problem can't cause some weird leaves or that they have proper maintence there.

You might look into seeing if one of the other houses would take your league on as a second shift league or something like that next time

Haha I used to think the same thing before I bowled here. The pins are retired ones from the AMF up the road so they are pretty water logged or oil logged. The pins will sometimes just fall directly back with no rotation. They’ll nick the correct pin but only cause a circular wobble. Or the two will get hit but just slide into the 5 position (id still call that a 2 leave though, right?)

I’ll take some video tonight. Hopefully I will be able catch one of them. Not sure if this is related or not but I’ve also witnessed strikes on rolls hitting 4-7 at about speeds probably less than 10 mph at least on 3 occasions this year.

[Amyers]

Haha I used to think the same thing before I bowled here. The pins are retired ones from the AMF up the road so they are pretty water logged or oil logged. The pins will sometimes just fall directly back with no rotation. They’ll nick the correct pin but only cause a circular wobble. Or the two will get hit but just slide into the 5 position (id still call that a 2 leave though, right?)

I’ll take some video tonight. Hopefully I will be able catch one of them. Not sure if this is related or not but I’ve also witnessed strikes on rolls hitting 4-7 at about speeds probably less than 10 mph at least on 3 occasions this year.

ah ok now I understand

[Phonetek]

As promised I found out the machine we have is in fact a Kegel machine called the Kustodian Plus. It's not the one you mentioned Bowl820 the Kegel Flex, my guess is that ours is an older model. I'm not sure how old it is but it's in perfect condition.

I wasn't able to talk to the mechanic, he wasn't there tonight. I also wasn't able to get a video of the pinsetters yet. My kids were acting up after we finished bowling so we wanted to get out of there. I'm not sure if we are going there tomorrow to bowl or not. I'm off tomorrow too but I am on call if they need me. Otherwise I'll be working Saturday one way or another so worst comes to worst I'll get it then.

[Albundy]

Once I saw a footprint on the lane during my league. I cursed at the manager at the desk from 15 lanes away.

[TCJ]

Today during league I had two shots which normally would have been perfect strikes but instead one of the pins just slid over into another position when hit. It was a very strange day for carry.

[Phonetek]

Once I saw a footprint on the lane during my league. I cursed at the manager at the desk from 15 lanes away.

That "Shouldn't have" been anyone who works there that did that, if it was then that employee needed a talking to by the boss. Sometimes open bowlers will walk down the lanes to grab a ball that hit the rake that's coming back or a little kids who's ball didn't quite make it down or even a stray pin. They aren't supposed to of course, not everyone reports it to the counter. We don't always see it happen either. When we run down to retrieve a ball or get a pin out of the gutter we walk down the ball return covers.

I'm curious as to what the manager's reply was?

[Albundy]

He didn't say anything. He knows me he's been working there 30 years and went to school with my sister.The point was even though it's a once a month Saturday league they don't oil right before and put us on lanes 1 to 6 by the door which break down all the time.

[Phonetek]

He didn't say anything. He knows me he's been working there 30 years and went to school with my sister.The point was even though it's a once a month Saturday league they don't oil right before and put us on lanes 1 to 6 by the door which break down all the time.

I don't want to trash talk other houses but they should oil before leagues after open bowlers have been on them all day that's just common courtesy. Unless they are back to back leagues or something we wouldn't oil between. Time wouldn't allow that unless there is large gaps in between. Leagues deserve fresh lanes. Judging by what you say, they don't seem to want to do much to keep their bread and butter happy. If they have footprints on the lanes and poorly maintained machines it sounds like they are sealing their fate. Time to talk to your league president and bring this up to management. If they do nothing then it sounds like a time for a change of houses.

How up to date is the house? What machines and scorers do they use? Do they have improvements scheduled for the summer? If it's old and outdated and everything is maintained poorly they may be buying time, saving money until the leagues end so they can do the improvements. If not, they aren't in it for the long haul and will likely be gone in the next few years anyway if they are treating their leagues like that. I'd at least give them a chance to explain and find out what the story is first but approach with the league president in tow to confront them. If they shrug you off then time to say goodbye, you shouldn't have to put up with that.