Need help please

[mseufer44]

Hello all my name is Matt and I live in Columbus, Ohio. I have always enjoyed bowling casually with my buddies once or so a week. I just recently started to join a couple bowling leagues to the point where I am playing 2-3 times per week. Since I picked up my playing I decided to purchase my own bowling ball. I just picked up a 900 Global Break Pearl Bowling Ball 16lbs and took it to my local pro shop to get it drilled. Well they told me that in addition to the finger holes, they will also need to drill a extra hole in my ball to meet the weight requirements. My question is does this hole get covered up, or will I just have a big hole on the side of my ball. I just think this will look real tacky on my brand new sweet looking ball. I just am a bit confused by this, and I will be the first to admit that I am a newby when it comes to this. All responses will be appreciated. Thanks

[Graaille]

First off, welcome to BB.

What they're probably talking about is a balance hole, which usually is only put in to a) make the ball legal as far as balance is concerned or b) fine tuning the reaction when it's thrown. If the ball driller weighed the ball out to make sure it was within one ounce left vs. right (after it was drilled) and it was heavy on one side - he would need to put in the weight hole - and yes it will be open to the world. However it's not the end of the world.

I am a bit . . . . concerned that they're already talking weight hole when they've not put any finger/thumb holes in the ball already. Did they ask you / watch you as you normally bowl to get an idea about how you play? That would help them to better figure out how to drill up the ball to better perform for you.

Let us know what happens.

[Stormed1]

It could be that the cg is way out of line like many of the recent ones i have seen on ebay. If that is the case even a basic layout would probably require a balance hole. Balance holes are not a bad thing as they increase the balls dynamic capabilities

[southpaw Bob]

I just had a brand-new Hammer Black Widow Pearl drilled and it has the balance hole also in it. Don’t worry, it’s hardly noticeable and it will add optimal reaction to your ball.

As a new bowler, (to personal balls), I’d be more concerned if I were you about how they drill your finger holes. If you’ve been using alley balls, your in for a new experience with your personal ball. If your getting a finger tip drilling pattern, you’ll need some instructions from an experienced bowler who can help you with “revs” (ball rotation), hook and targeting angles.

[JAnderson]

mseufer44 - welcome to the site. Your first question is a good one.

Stormed1 makes a good point - this is an asymmetric core, so if the Cg is way out of line with the pin and mass bias, it may be difficult to drill the ball with a "normal" layout without a weight hole. If the pro shop doesn't typically carry 900 global equipment, a 1-for-1 exchange is probably out of the question. This is one of the risks of buying a ball elsewhere and taking it to a pro-shop to drill. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. It is what it is. Purchased through the pro shop, you can request a different ball without the off-kilter Cg.

Don't be afraid of the weight hole. I understand that it may look the ball look "tacky" to you while it is sitting on the rack, but you won't notice it while the ball is rolling down the lane. There are times advanced bowlers purposely put weight holes in their equipment to tweak ball reaction.

[GarretG]

Years ago when i was throwing a columbia torque i would 9 that rack to death. A friend of mine in the pro-shop messed with the finish for a while with no results finally drilled a weight hole to tweak the balance and the rest was XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX