Understanding Modern Bowling Balls

[RobLV1]

It seems that we have a new group of "newbies" on the site, and from time to time in the past, I have started a thread to help these bowlers demystify modern bowling balls. If there is interest in doing this again, please let me know by posting below.

Introduction-

There is nothing mysterious about modern bowling balls. There are four elements that determine ball reaction: core, layout, cover material, and surface. Once you learn to control these four elements, you will never again have to ask "what bowling ball should I buy."

[Phonetek]

You and Bowl1820 have certainly helped me understand those 4 elements since joining here in Jan. I was clueless. The knowledge is valuable. Although I've only purchased one ball thus far armed with that knowledge, I'm grateful to say the least. I know I can feel more confident in my future choices being good ones.

Since you started the post as you traditionally did Rob, you should again take the honors of once again elaborating on those four elements for the new comers so they can benefit as I did.

[Davidjr113]

When I returned to bowling after a 30 year layoff, I had no idea how the game & equipment had changed. Once I was hooked, I started reading Bowling This Month (discontinued print edition) and got hooked on Rob’s writings. When/While BTM closed (until the digital edition was born) I was looking for more of Rob’s work and came across the forum BowlingIntel, now also deceased. Rob’s thread there on modern equipment grew quite long, but sadly was lost with the demise of bowlingintel. I learned a great deal from the thread and him and it really inspired me to continue to learn which I do to this day. Rob’s website, which also contained a lot of his work, is also now closed, I believe. I do hope this thread takes off, like the bowlingintel one did, there is so much to learn, and so many differing opinions. Bowlingchat forum has very much to offer too

[LowDown]

I for one would like this. I bowled a lot in the 80's and there really wasn't much to it I had an AMF Cobra and an Ebonite Gyro II (still have both). When I first started back I just went with what my PSO suggested (Massive Damage, C-System AlphaMax, plastic, and I still use my AMF Cobra as a Urethane option). I'm looking to move down to 15 pound equipment and this time around I would really like to have a better understanding of what I'm buying and why I need it (not that I think my PSO did me wrong). I get the basics of bowling ball motion it's just understanding things like RG, Flare, layouts and how they relate to the motion of the ball on the lane based on the conditions....It is so much more complex than I remember.

[mx1alex]

I'm always up for learning. When I was learning photography it took me a bit to understand everything until I thought of it as an equation. The get a good exposure you need to have the proper ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. If you change say the shutter speed to something faster then you would need to compensate by changing either the ISO or aperture to get the proper exposure. Of course all these changes have other affects on the photo (depth of focus, graininess, etc) but once I thought of it that way it made it much more easier for to come up with the shot I was looking for.

With bowling I just don't know enough yet to know what shot I'm looking for. I'm starting to understand what the different cores, surfaces, layouts, etc will do. Just not sure what it is that would fit me best. With digital photography I can take thousands of pictures to mess around with different settings and learn them. In bowling I've only ever thrown one ball that wasn't plastic.

[Florida Bowler]

I am all for learning about modern equipment. I am getting back into the sport after a long layoff and I am getting close to picking up a new ball. My last ball was an Ebonite Tiger, but I no longer have it. I picked up a TZone just to start with and to use as a spare ball. Now that we're getting closer to fall leagues, I need to figure out what is going to work best for me.

[RobLV1]

I'm happy to hear that there is some interest. Unfortunately, I am recovering from neck surgery, so I will have to keep my typing sessions short.

First, let me say that most of the misconceptions about modern bowling balls are a direct result of knowledge that bowlers acquired during the 70's and 80's. Unfortunately, most everything has changed since then, but bowlers still want to hang on to their beliefs rather than to open themselves up to new ideas. Unfortunately, this also goes for many PSO's who are adamant about their long standing beliefs. A good example of this is the concept that pin up balls go longer. They did back then because the only thing that affected ball motion was the static weights. Finger weight made the ball go longer. Today, with balls with dynamic cores, pin up balls don't go longer, they are simply more angular. Pin down balls don't roll earlier, they are simply more banana shaped than hockey stick shaped.

I've been thinking about ways of further simplifying this little tutorial, and it occurs to me that the four elements mentioned at the beginning of this thread can be further condensed into two related elements: core/layout, and cover material/surface. While it has long been said that cover/surface accounts for 75% of ball reaction (totally true), it is also the only thing about the ball that can be changed once the ball is purchased and drilled. With that being said, I think that it is pretty obvious that the core should be the first consideration when deciding on buying a bowling ball....

More later.

[boatman37]

Definitely interested. When I left bowling around 2002 most bowlers bought a ball and kept it for 10 years. I had a Brunswick Cobalt Rhino I bought in the early 90's and was still using it when I quit and I was one of the highest average bowlers in my league. My first ball when I came back in January was a used Storm Sync and it was a world of difference. That was when I realized how much things had changed. Now thinking about trying a different surface on my Hammer Black Widow Gold. Just bought a new Brunswick Kingpin and it is way different than the BWG. Years ago it seemed no matter what I used it reacted about the same.

[RobLV1]

Years ago it seemed no matter what I used it reacted about the same.

More like years ago no matter what we used DIDN'T react the same! LOL

[Phonetek]

How do you decide what layout is the best matchup to the core? Is this where it gets complicated and the bowlers attributes come into play in addition to the pattern they want to use it on?

[RobLV1]

How do you decide what layout is the best matchup to the core? Is this where it gets complicated and the bowlers attributes come into play in addition to the pattern they want to use it on?

Great question! Back in the '70's, '80's, and early '90's bowling balls were very limited by the lack of friction on their plastic and urethane surfaces, and in most cases, the lack of cores. With no more than twenty or thirty balls to choose from, the only way to make a ball do what you wanted it to do was to use the very limited effect of static weights to try and create a specific reaction. Thus was born the whole "make it go long and snap" philosophy of ball drilling. Today, there are between two hundred and three hundred balls available for you to buy at any given time. What you need to understand is that all balls are not created equal to PSO's. Balls routinely go on promotion to PSO's who agree to purchase a given quantity of them. Given the chance to sell on of these balls at a greater profit, the PSO will often offer to drill a ball that was designed to roll early to "go long and snap". The problem with this stems from the fact that the core numbers; the one thing that bowlers are given total information about,
are based on the undrilled ball. Once holes are drilled, the low rg, the high rg, the differential, and in the case of asymmetrical cores, the intermediate differential, all change. When you use a different layout for different bowling balls, you have no way of knowing how the numbers have changed based on the fact that the layout changes the position of the core within the ball. This is the reason that most professional bowlers use two, or a maximum of three layouts for all of their bowling balls. Once you have a pin up layout and a pin down layout that works for you, why change it? Doing so only makes it more difficult to understand and predict the differences between your bowling balls. When you want a ball that goes long and snaps, buy one that was designed for that reaction. Trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear doesn't benefit anything other than the PSO's bottom line.

Questions?

[LowDown]

Ok Rob writes one paragraph and crushes the only thing I actually thought I knew about ball layout. :o

[JasonNJ]

Also with modern bowling balls is understanding ball maintenance. Cleaning and resurfacing a ball is a must. I remember when I got back into bowling and the ball I had just stopped hooking. I struggled for about 6 weeks thinking I was doing something wrong and developed a bunch of bad habits trying to make the ball hook. I finally read something online about how the balls absorb oil and the pores of the ball can get clogged. So I wouldn't recommend this but I put the ball in my oven at about 120 degrees and I got about 2 tablespoons of oil out it. Voila my ball reaction came back.


So always wipe down the ball after every shot, clean the ball immediately after bowling and refresh the surface every between 20-50 games.

[RobLV1]

So always wipe down the ball after every shot, clean the ball immediately after bowling and refresh the surface every between 20-50 games.

Studies have actually shown that the surface breaks down very, very quickly. I suggest a light refresh after every outing.

[Phonetek]

Studies have actually shown that the surface breaks down very, very quickly. I suggest a light refresh after every outing.

That's one thing I have to get better at. My pre-shot routine is awful. Most times I just grab my ball, put a pat of rosin on my hand, rub my sliding shoe on the approach a couple times, line up and go. I wipe my ball maybe once or twice during a game if that. Bad monkey! Although that's mainly at my center with a black Hammer which really doesn't matter much, I'm a little better with the Rip'd when I bowl elsewhere but still far from every shot. I have to get more disciplined or I'm going to shoot myself in the foot. I do always wipe it with simple green / alcohol before I put it away though. It don't even have 30 games on it yet.

[RobLV1]

According to a BTM article on ball surface, the more surface that is on a ball, the faster it deteriorates. A ball with a 2500 grit finish, was found to be at 4400 grit after three games. A ball that started with a 4700 grit finish, was found to be at 5200 after three games. That's how fast the surface changes!

[Phonetek]

According to a BTM article on ball surface, the more surface that is on a ball, the faster it deteriorates. A ball with a 2500 grit finish, was found to be at 4400 grit after three games. A ball that started with a 4700 grit finish, was found to be at 5200 after three games. That's how fast the surface changes!

Wow, reality check! Now I see why the pro's swap balls so much during matches.

[Blacksox1]

Also with modern bowling balls is understanding ball maintenance. Cleaning and resurfacing a ball is a must. I remember when I got back into bowling and the ball I had just stopped hooking. I struggled for about 6 weeks thinking I was doing something wrong and developed a bunch of bad habits trying to make the ball hook. I finally read something online about how the balls absorb oil and the pores of the ball can get clogged. So I wouldn't recommend this but I put the ball in my oven at about 120 degrees and I got about 2 tablespoons of oil out it. Voila my ball reaction came back.


So always wipe down the ball after every shot, clean the ball immediately after bowling and refresh the surface every between 20-50 games.

http://i790.photobucket.com/albums/yy187/BLACKSOX1/Mobile%20Uploads/20170220_181307_zpsy858bdsf.jpgOven roasted !

[Phonetek]

Add bacon and serve with gravy and you may have something there. EEK!

[RobLV1]

It is ironic that it is learning about cores is the thing that intimidates modern bowlers the most, and yet the core is the only part of the ball that the manufacturers tell us absolutely everything about. Most bowlers who are afraid to try to understand cores fall back on the old argument that the cover determines 75% of ball reaction. As I said before, that is absolutely true, however, consider this: your car has 4 tires. Each tire represents 25% of the total. This means that three tires represent 75% of the tires on the car. Have you ever tried to drive your car with one tire totally flat? How'd that work out for you?

Anyway, the things that we can learn about core in every single bowling ball include: symmetry, shape, low RG, high RG, Differential, and Intermediate Differential (asymmetrical balls only).

I'm starting to hurt, so I'll just start out now talking about symmetry.

Symmetry: there are two kinds of bowling ball cores - symmetrical and asymmetrical. Symmetrical cores are shaped the same all the way around. Imagine a light bulb suspended by a string. Twirl it around and it looks the same all the way around. An asymmetrical core is one that is not shaped the same all around. Take a look at the long-standing gas mask core on the Hammer Black Widow series of balls.

So, what are the benefits of symmetrical cores vs. asymmetrical cores? Symmetrical cores tend to yield a smoother, more predictable reaction. Asymmetrical cores tend to yield a more intense reaction. Now, before you jump up and declare your own desire for a more intense reaction, keep in mind the downside to balls with asymmetrical cores: they tend to magnify differences from one release to the next. Unless you are a very, very consistent bowler, you are much better off using symmetrically cored balls for most lane conditions.

More later.

[mx1alex]

Studies have actually shown that the surface breaks down very, very quickly. I suggest a light refresh after every outing.

What do you mean by "a light refresh"?

[RobLV1]

What do you mean by "a light refresh"?

Light pressure with the final pad for 10-15 seconds on each of four sides.