How often are changing balls in league?

[mx1alex]

In my league where we're bowling 3 games a night I see guys that will go through 3-4 balls by the times the night is over. Is this normal? How often are you guys changing balls on average?

[Amyers]

In my league where we're bowling 3 games a night I see guys that will go through 3-4 balls by the times the night is over. Is this normal? How often are you guys changing balls on average?

It's a little different for everyone. Myself I rarely need to change for a 3 game set if I do it's once. My wife on the other hand may change 3 times I think it effects her mental game more than her physical as the changes don't always make sense. The larger percentage of bowlers if they are constantly changing are lost though and people tend to blame their reaction to the ball instead of where they are attempting to play.

[MajorPhoenix]

More often than not, I only need my benchmark and a spare. It's all depending on how the oil is breaking down. Some people in my league swap every game. I agree with Ameyers, it's easier to blame the equipment "not working" than it is to admit you're having an issue.

[djp1080]

Most sessions I'll use two different balls, but bring four with me. Last night I saw most of the guys changing balls and watched the lanes changing for everyone. I used a Hy-Road Pearl and played the same shot until the last two frames of the game. Rather than targeting board 13 at the dots I decided to target a board farther left and finished well.
Making a decision to change balls usually has to do with who you're team is bowling against IMHO. Apparently last night no one was messing with where I was playing much at all. It was almost like what it was when I was a kid bowling with my Black Beauty on wooden lanes. :)

[RobLV1]

I think Ameyers hit the nail on the head. Most of the bowlers who are constantly changing balls are the ones who are trying to stay in their comfort zone, rather than playing the lanes the way they (the lanes) want to be played.

[vdubtx]

Unless I am in my Thursday late league where the lanes are typically drier, I usually wont change balls unless I am really not getting a good read from the lane or ball. If anything I will change balls on one lane at a time. I don't just change ball on both lanes unless the read is showing me exactly the same on both.

[J Anderson]

Between bowling in leagues with only two or three people per team, bowling against team with lots of lefties, and a center that puts down a house pattern with a decent amount of oil, I usually don’t have to change balls except to shoot spares.

[JerseyJim]

It usually depends on who is bowling on the lanes with me. I prefer playing straighter, if there is a lot of traffic where I'm bowling, I'll move further inside. I'll test multiple lines and balls during warm-ups, it's one of the advantages of being in a trios league. We get the same 10 minutes of warm-up as the 5 person team leagues.

[SRB57]

I typically do not change balls during league. I look for my best reaction during practice and just move left as the night goes on. I only take three balls and a spare ball to league. This past Tuesday I ended up moving in 8 boards by the end of the night but there are nights I only move a couple. I can usually find a shot in 4 or 5 practice shots and make my ball decision then. Steve

[RobLV1]

I typically do not change balls during league. I look for my best reaction during practice and just move left as the night goes on. I only take three balls and a spare ball to league. This past Tuesday I ended up moving in 8 boards by the end of the night but there are nights I only move a couple. I can usually find a shot in 4 or 5 practice shots and make my ball decision then. Steve

This is a really good post! If you are willing to move, rather than just changing balls, you will find that the amount you have to move will depend on the other bowlers on the lane. Sometimes you move a lot. Other times you move a little, but the bottom line is that YOU HAVE TO MOVE!

[boatman37]

I rarely change balls. I take 3 and a spare ball every week but hardly ever take the Black Widow Gold out of the bag. This past Tuesday I only used my Conspiracy every shot, including spares. I only need the Rhino for 7 pins or maybe the 4-7 depending on lane conditions but usually with the 4-7 I use my strike ball. I didn't leave any 7's Tuesday night so no need for the Rhino. I generally just make adjustments rather than changing balls. We have 3 lefties on my team but I usually throw the first arrow while the other 2 are the 2nd arrow so being the only one out there I don;t have to move much. If I do end up having to go 2nd arrow I usually end up moving my target in by a board or 2 by the 3rd game. If all else fails and I start leaving 7's I'll change balls but that rarely happens. I didn't leave a single 7 Tuesday night and usually only leave a couple a night. Of the 6 on my team none hardly ever change balls. I think they all bring 2 balls but rarely change.

[SRB57]

This is a really good post! If you are willing to move, rather than just changing balls, you will find that the amount you have to move will depend on the other bowlers on the lane. Sometimes you move a lot. Other times you move a little, but the bottom line is that YOU HAVE TO MOVE!

Thank You for the compliment. Last night was interesting had two high rev guys on the other team that burned up the track pretty early which led to carry problems. I had to move in early and was in the oil a little to far {getting any further right was over hooking) that led to a game of double,flat 10,double,7,flat 10,7,7, strike then got outside too much and left a 6 10 for 215. I shot 660 so bowled all right but if can figure out how to carry better would be a ton more. I was thinking if I used something with a little surface on it I would be able to play in a little deeper and stay away from the track area {at least hit it later). Just have to figure out what ball to get to try this with. I was thinking of a stronger solid Halo or a weaker solid like the winner solid. Decisions decisions. Steve

[RobLV1]

Funny how most of the guys who post that they rarely change balls or make lateral adjustments are lefties. Hmmm....

[vdubtx]

Funny how most of the guys who post that they rarely change balls or make lateral adjustments are lefties. Hmmm....

Wish I was a lefty. LOL!!

[RobLV1]

Wish I was a lefty. LOL!!

You and me both!

[vdubtx]

You and me both!

I might have to look into that as a back up plan for when something happens with my left knee or right shoulder. :cool:

[boatman37]

lol. you can always give it a try....lol.

[mc_runner]

I use a ball until it stops working, basically - after moving. Usually it's no more than 1 change in a night, being able to change entry angle as the lanes transition does make a difference.

[mx1alex]

I only have one ball now to work with since my other strike ball cracked on me. Seems like I usually move at least 5 boards by the end of the night. Last night I tried something new. I could not figure out one of the lanes so I actually moved right, put less revs on the ball and just gassed it as hard as I could and finally started striking on that lane.

[JasonNJ]

I usually stick with my benchmark ball as well. I only take 2 balls plus my spare ball with me on league nights. The nights that I'm completely lost is usually where I'm switching back and forth from balls and playing different lines just trying to find something. Like this past Weds in my mixed league, not sure if there was something wrong with the lane machine that night but everyone struggled. It was supposed to be a house shot, but it was wet outside, dry inside and you couldn't play a line more than 2 or 3 shots. Finally after struggling all night, I decided to throw my spare ball mid 3rd game, 4 out of 5 strikes, it was the only ball I could consistently get to the pocket.

[Timmyb]

I take two and a spare with for league, three and a spare for tournaments. The league I'm in, it's far easier to adjust than to switch lumber. Most nights, the biggest move I make is 3-4 boards. My benchmark isn't a terribly strong ball (IQ Nano), so it stays pretty steady. The SureLock is fun, but boy it can get out of control in a hurry.

[Blomer]

When I change balls that much, im struggling. When I can stay with one ball, besides spare ball, I’m in good shape. With that said, I’ve been using many balls lately.

[got_a_300]

I went thru 6 balls tonight on league the lanes were awful I finally
settled on using plastic so I could keep it on the right side of the
pocket the lanes hadn't been oiled in 2 days.

[fordman1]

What kind of a dump do you bowl in? I hope you are talking about open bowling. If it was league you should have the league refuse to bowl on that kind of lanes.

[JasonNJ]

I went thru 6 balls tonight on league the lanes were awful I finally
settled on using plastic so I could keep it on the right side of the
pocket the lanes hadn't been oiled in 2 days.

This same thing happened to me 2 weeks ago on my Weds Mixed league. Everyone on my pair was about 30-40 pins under average. They did oil before my league but I think the machine was not stripping the oil off properly and just laid down the house shot on the existing oil. The problem is the Tuesday league is a sports shot so no one could find a line and I finally ended up throwing plastic which ended up giving me my best look.

[got_a_300]

What kind of a dump do you bowl in? I hope you are talking about open bowling. If it was league you should have the league refuse to bowl on that kind of lanes.

Yes it was our Thursday night league last week the machine was not
stripping the lanes and it was oiling all the way down to the head pin
no one could hook the ball more than 2 boards. I seen our big crankers
couldn't even hook the ball and there were so many of the bowlers going
to the owner and complaining about the oil on the lanes last week that they
just decided to oil them on Tuesday morning and let them ride the rest of the
week or until someone showed up to fix the machine which I don't think has
happened yet.

[actonyourown]

I take 3 balls plus a spare with me to a rec league but want to get into a more serious league soon. I start with my Halo if I can (I'm most comfortable with it) and do not change until my adjustments are too large for me to expect to stay consistent. I only move 2-3 boards but I'm still improving my consistency and accuracy. The lanes are sometimes medium oil or dry, so I need options to throw my line.

[six6guy]

I tend to start with a pretty aggressive ball and make small moves every half game or so (chasing the oil). It's more likely I use only one strike ball but I do sometimes change to a different or lesser ball. If I have several bowlers using my same line I move quicker or change ball to get a line not being used. If the oil pattern is extra light then sometimes I switch balls after 1st game. If oil is a short pattern then I switch just a few frames into the 1st game or during warmup. I have one league that is a sport league and the pattern changes every week. I also have a couple normal leagues they don't seem to change their oil patterns very often but they do use a different oil in winter vs summer. The alleys do keep a moderatly cool temp but the humidity is wild and that also effects oil conditions.

[Aslan]

I bring 4 plus a spare ball. I usually only use 1-2...once in awhile I'll get to the 3rd...but the 4th is really only for tournament type scenarios where the lanes are just burnt beyond belief.

My strategy is to move left as the lanes transition until I get to the point where I'm leaving flat 10s or the like. At that point, I know it's time to make a ball change. Sometimes I stay on the same line, sometimes I adjust the line slightly to compensate for the difference between ball #1 and ball #2. I then continue the same strategy...moving left...if I leave flat 10s or the like...time for ball #3.

The problem with this strategy is it works great if you always throw good shots with a good release and good speed control. If any of that varies...then you don't "really" know whether you should change balls or just throw a better shot next time. So, sometimes I change too early when really it was just a bad shot...sometimes I try to make slight changes to my release/laydown point...when I probably should have just changed balls.

[Ryster]

I carry 4 balls with me [3 "performance" balls plus a plastic ball]. I rarely change balls once I decide during warm-up what to throw. If the shot totally goes away I may switch, but that usually doesn't happen until end of the 2nd game or beginning of the 3rd game. It is much easier to stay with the same ball and try to move with the transition than flat-out switching. The funny thing is I currently have a brand new ball in my bag that I have *never* thrown, ever. I had it drilled, put it in my bag 5 weeks ago, and it has been with me ever since but has literally never seen a lane. It is a strong ball with some surface on it, but would be too much for anything I currently bowl on.

[MajorPhoenix]

The way our lanes were working the other night, it's a good thing I brought 3+spare

One lane was oiled long, and the other was about 4 feet shorter. Even with adjustments, I was coming in hot. I bring 4 just in case.

[six6guy]

My strategy is to move left as the lanes transition until I get to the point where I'm leaving flat 10s or the like. At that point, I know it's time to make a ball change. Sometimes I stay on the same line, sometimes I adjust the line slightly to compensate for the difference between ball #1 and ball #2. I then continue the same strategy...moving left...if I leave flat 10s or the like...time for ball #3.


I use the same strategy except that I also watch the other bowlers on the same pair. Maybe you do this but you forgot to say. I pay more attention to the bowlers at/above my average or if they are rolling the same line as me. If a couple people hook early than odds are my shot will also... If nobody hooks early except me then it's me...

Brad

[Tampabaybob]

Only two kinds of bowlers.....those that are lefties and those that wish they were !!! Right?

[RobLV1]

One lane was oiled long, and the other was about 4 feet shorter. Even with adjustments, I was coming in hot. I bring 4 just in case.

Unless the lanes were purposely set up with two different patterns, I think that what you saw was topography; not oil. One of the hardest things for long time bowlers to accept is that everything is not attributable to oil. This is 2019, not 1975!