Demo days?

[boatman37]

So what are demo days like? Never been to one. Just heard there is one coming up here soon. What should I expect? Guessing Brunswick folks would be there? Or just the PSO? Says they are using Ultimate thumbs. Pretty sure mine are Turbo so guess they won't work? Doubt I go cause I don't need anything but...

[J Anderson]

So what are demo days like? Never been to one. Just heard there is one coming up here soon. What should I expect? Guessing Brunswick folks would be there? Or just the PSO? Says they are using Ultimate thumbs. Pretty sure mine are Turbo so guess they won't work? Doubt I go cause I don't need anything but...

The only one I’ve gone to was part of a Next Level coaching event. I don’t really know the PSO at the center where it was held so I’m not sure if he was involved at all. The guy who helped me with the balls I tried is a regional employee of Storm. At least I think that’s what he is.
They will find a ball that’s very close to your span but the pitches will be generic. They will try to find proper size grips for you and might even tweak them with a piece of tape or two.

[boatman37]

The only one I’ve gone to was part of a Next Level coaching event. I don’t really know the PSO at the center where it was held so I’m not sure if he was involved at all. The guy who helped me with the balls I tried is a regional employee of Storm. At least I think that’s what he is.
They will find a ball that’s very close to your span but the pitches will be generic. They will try to find proper size grips for you and might even tweak them with a piece of tape or two.

It's at our local center and my PSO actually posted it so I know he will be there. I got my PAP checked last week and wondered if there were Brunswick guys there maybe they would have some advice or comments about what I currently have. I wouldn't expect them to do it for free so I'd feel obligated to buy a ball, which I do not need. I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of something like that for free so out of respect and thankfulness I'd buy something...lol. Just basically wondering if it might be something that might help my game.

[Phonetek]

What's an ultimate thumb?

[boatman37]

What's an ultimate thumb?

It's a brand of switch grip I guess. Never heard of it before but the post said they use Ultimate thumbs and that Vice and Turbo won't work. So wondering if They will have a bunch of those drilled up in different sizes?

[Ryster]

My PSO has been involved in numerous Storm test drives. They basically drill up balls using common/standard layouts and common spans. The holes have neutral pitches. They use snap-in interchangeable finger and thumb inserts to get you as close as possible to your normal size. The fit isn't perfect, and people have gotten blisters after throwing balls since the fit is off. There are usually balls in 14 and 15 pound weights. Very few 16 and very few 12 or 13. The balls are shipped around to different test drive events in the region. They usually give bowlers 1-2 hours of unlimited bowling to throw whatever they wish, but it can sometimes be tough to get your hands on the really popular new stuff if there are a lot of people.

You don't need to feel obligated to buy anything. That is why it is a test drive. It gives you the chance to try different equipment and see if there is something you are interested in. If there isn't, there is no need to buy anything. If there is something you absolutely love then it might be worth. You don't buy a new car every time you test drive one, test driving a bowling ball is the same idea.

It is surprising the event is free. There is usually a $10-$20 cover charge in events around here. The cover charge is then refunded if you buy a ball.

[boatman37]

My PSO has been involved in numerous Storm test drives. They basically drill up balls using common/standard layouts and common spans. The holes have neutral pitches. They use snap-in interchangeable finger and thumb inserts to get you as close as possible to your normal size. The fit isn't perfect, and people have gotten blisters after throwing balls since the fit is off. There are usually balls in 14 and 15 pound weights. Very few 16 and very few 12 or 13. The balls are shipped around to different test drive events in the region. They usually give bowlers 1-2 hours of unlimited bowling to throw whatever they wish, but it can sometimes be tough to get your hands on the really popular new stuff if there are a lot of people.

You don't need to feel obligated to buy anything. That is why it is a test drive. It gives you the chance to try different equipment and see if there is something you are interested in. If there isn't, there is no need to buy anything. If there is something you absolutely love then it might be worth. You don't buy a new car every time you test drive one, test driving a bowling ball is the same idea.

It is surprising the event is free. There is usually a $10-$20 cover charge in events around here. The cover charge is then refunded if you buy a ball.

Not free. $20 and I think they are limiting it to 20 people per session and there are 2 sessions.

[Ryster]

Not free. $20 and I think they are limiting it to 20 people per session and there are 2 sessions.

Since there is a $20 fee, that is even more of a reason not to feel compelled to buy anything since you are paying something to test drive the product.

The events are pretty popular and usually fill up. They also tend to generate a pretty good burst of sales for the shop hosting it. My PSO would usually see 30-40 new ball orders after each event. That's kind of the point of the whole exercise...get bowlers pumped for a new ball after throwing the latest and greatest.

I always wonder what they do with the sample balls when they are done with their test drives...recycle/crush them, donate them to junior bowlers, plug and sell as used, etc. Since they get shipped around and used by numerous bowlers they may just end up pretty beat and ultimately get discarded.

[SRB57]

The one demo day I went to (hammer, ebonite) there was a $20 fee which included 2 hours of demoing whatever ball they had plus they had bower ID which gave ball speed,rev rate,tilt rotation and pap. It was fun and well worth the $20. Steve

[boatman37]

The one demo day I went to (hammer, ebonite) there was a $20 fee which included 2 hours of demoing whatever ball they had plus they had bower ID which gave ball speed,rev rate,tilt rotation and pap. It was fun and well worth the $20. Steve

I would definitely go if they gave out that info

[Phonetek]

I would definitely go if they gave out that info

You've truly become obsessed with your stats. LOL With all the love in the world my friend... just roll the damn ball and don't worry so much about numbers. I'm starting to realize myself that the numbers are what they are and unless you do something drastic. They are going to only change an insignificant amount to help or hurt anything. To use them for anything more than "it's nice to know this" they are pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Especially at our age and level. Again, with all the love in the world.

[boatman37]

You've truly become obsessed with your stats. LOL With all the love in the world my friend... just roll the damn ball and don't worry so much about numbers. I'm starting to realize myself that the numbers are what they are and unless you do something drastic. They are going to only change an insignificant amount to help or hurt anything. To use them for anything more than "it's nice to know this" they are pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Especially at our age and level. Again, with all the love in the world.

You are probably right but I'm a numbers nerd. Like big time...lol. My best friend still makes fun of me cause when we were little we would play his Intellivision baseball and I wrote down stats for every player and kept a whole seasons worth in a notebook...lol. True story.
But yeah it is all in just curiousity but on the other hand if I have 2 balls I really like with similar layouts then it might be something I want to stick with. Granted surface and to a lesser degree, cores will make a difference too. But yeah sometimes I dig too deep and miss the forest through the trees. But I've been doing it since I was little....lol

[Phonetek]

You are probably right but I'm a numbers nerd. Like big time...lol. My best friend still makes fun of me cause when we were little we would play his Intellivision baseball and I wrote down stats for every player and kept a whole seasons worth in a notebook...lol. True story.
But yeah it is all in just curiousity but on the other hand if I have 2 balls I really like with similar layouts then it might be something I want to stick with. Granted surface and to a lesser degree, cores will make a difference too. But yeah sometimes I dig too deep and miss the forest through the trees. But I've been doing it since I was little....lol

Intellivision baseball players had stats? They were stick men, there were no stats for the players in those days. You were either the green stick men which the active one turned back or the wonky orange stick men which I think the active one turned red.

Believe it or not, I still have my intellivision. I actually have 3 of them and every cartridge they ever made from it. At least one copy of every game, some still sealed in the box. I modified one until by soldering on a gold RCA connector and hook it to the TV with a gold monster RCA cable. The picture quality is perfect. The stick men look amazing!

Let's just say it was an obsession many years ago when I first started using eBay. I did the same with Atari 2600. LOL I've grown past that phase but let's just say I still have it all and it functions perfectly to this day.

[boatman37]

Intellivision baseball players had stats? They were stick men, there were no stats for the players in those days. You were either the green stick men which the active one turned back or the wonky orange stick men which I think the active one turned red.

Believe it or not, I still have my intellivision. I actually have 3 of them and every cartridge they ever made from it. At least one copy of every game, some still sealed in the box. I modified one until by soldering on a gold RCA connector and hook it to the TV with a gold monster RCA cable. The picture quality is perfect. The stick men look amazing!

Let's just say it was an obsession many years ago when I first started using eBay. I did the same with Atari 2600. LOL I've grown past that phase but let's just say I still have it all and it functions perfectly to this day.

lol. Yeah, no stats. That's why I kept my own. Every single, double, triple, HR, strikeout and walk for each player. Stolen bases, runs scored and RBI's too. Wrote it all down in a notebook. Same with the basketball. Remember Kirby Hoover? lol. But me and him still talk about how awesome we used to think the graphics were on that system...lol. Little did we know.

[Phonetek]

lol. Yeah, no stats. That's why I kept my own. Every single, double, triple, HR, strikeout and walk for each player. Stolen bases, runs scored and RBI's too. Wrote it all down in a notebook. Same with the basketball. Remember Kirby Hoover? lol. But me and him still talk about how awesome we used to think the graphics were on that system...lol. Little did we know.

Hey don't knock the running man gaming system. It's still the bomb! That when video games were actually hard. You needed real hand eye coordination. Basketball was great! The rim shot sound is epic! Boooiing! I absolutely lost it cracking up when I was a kid the first time I heard that. I missed on purpose!

Confession, I made a play book for the football game of all the possible codes you had to punch in for offensive plays. Four digits for every play. Unless you punted I think you hit 8 or 5 and a run play was 7-5. Everything else was 4 digits or you got BUZZ! "9-1-2-5 enter" was a sure touchdown every time! I did it on a manual typewriter and made a cover I colored it with markers and everything. I did this when I was like 10. Why I remember this I have no idea. Pretty sure mom still has it. Now you see why I spent so much time in bowling alleys?

[J Anderson]

You've truly become obsessed with your stats. LOL With all the love in the world my friend... just roll the damn ball and don't worry so much about numbers. I'm starting to realize myself that the numbers are what they are and unless you do something drastic. They are going to only change an insignificant amount to help or hurt anything. To use them for anything more than "it's nice to know this" they are pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Especially at our age and level. Again, with all the love in the world.

I second the idea that our task ( almost wrote job but I don’t think any of us here get paid to bowl ) is to roll the ball as consistently as possible and knock down pins. However knowing a bowler’s stats is invaluable to the ball driller in laying the ball out to give the customer the results that they want. And since people move, good PSOs retire and sell their businesses to hacks, etc. it’s a good idea to know your own stats and perhaps layouts that work well for you in case you need to go to a different pro shop some day.

[Phonetek]

I second the idea that our task ( almost wrote job but I don’t think any of us here get paid to bowl ) is to roll the ball as consistently as possible and knock down pins. However knowing a bowler’s stats is invaluable to the ball driller in laying the ball out to give the customer the results that they want. And since people move, good PSOs retire and sell their businesses to hacks, etc. it’s a good idea to know your own stats and perhaps layouts that work well for you in case you need to go to a different pro shop some day.

Hey man! This post is about vintage video games now! Bringing bowling back into it is killing our buzz!

Seriously though, yeah I guess to a PSO it comes in handy. It does help more than getting a copy of your specs from the PSO and having them watch you throw. The more info the better. That said, Boaty tends to get twisted in knots about numbers that he shouldn't really worry about for the purpose of his game.

[J Anderson]

Hey man! This post is about vintage video games now! Bringing bowling back into it is killing our buzz!

Seriously though, yeah I guess to a PSO it comes in handy. It does help more than getting a copy of your specs from the PSO and having them watch you throw. The more info the better. That said, Boaty tends to get twisted in knots about numbers that he shouldn't really worry about for the purpose of his game.

Sorry Phonetek, just call me Mr. Buzzkill.

[boatman37]

My PSO never got any of my numbers so I couldn't get them from him. The shop I went to for the Altered Reality got them. I think every ball I have is a little different from each other. All pin up but some the pin is above the ring finger, some above the middle finger, some kicked out to the side, etc.

[Phonetek]

My PSO never got any of my numbers so I couldn't get them from him. The shop I went to for the Altered Reality got them. I think every ball I have is a little different from each other. All pin up but some the pin is above the ring finger, some above the middle finger, some kicked out to the side, etc.

Awe man! Now you did it too! You guys are no fun anymore. You're giving people the impression this site is all about bowling or something. SMH

[SRB57]

I would definitely go if they gave out that info

I believe the pro shop at the center had this and just through it in. I had it done earlier in the year from a different person and it just confirmed my specs as they were very close from on session to the next. It is worth getting done if someone in your area does it. Steve

[Aslan]

I went to one a LONG time ago. I thought it was a waste of time.

But, I think for the "average bowler" who might be looking for a ball...maybe there is some value. For me, I can evaluate the balls based on their specs and past experience with the brand or similar brands. And, it's not an exact system...but neither is "demo days". To really get a good match (bowler to ball)...you need a coach that watches you bowl and develop and knows your arsenal and where there are obvious holes or which balls just aren't working. "Demo Days" isn't going to do that...they're just gonna let ya actually throw the ball a little bit so you're buying it with a tiny amount of knowledge versus the usual "zero knowledge" where the bowler just buys it because its pink or smells like grapes.

[boatman37]

yeah pretty sure I'm not going. If I thought I could get anything from it I would but doubt I would