It's been 30 years and wow things have changed!

[dbdweeb]

My bowling ball is 38 years old and I think it is about to be retired!!

It's been about 30 years since I was in regular league play and I've only gone bowling about 4 or 5 times in the last 10 years. I've been busy having a family and stuff but now I'm getting my priorities straight and getting back into bowling again. ;)

So in preparation for a company bowling "team building" event I figured I'd practice a few games. I use a basic 4 step approach with a finger tip grip and I have always been able to throw a decent hook. But on this recent outing, no matter how hard I cranked... Nothing! During the main event I still managed a couple of 170's and one 200 game so not too bad considering my lack of play. But still, my hook was barely noticeable. My timing was okay, my aim was consistent, my release was good, I was rolling at 15-16 mpg, but no hook. It was perplexing and I was wondering what was wrong with me. I'm in my mid 50's now, I'm a towering 5 ft 6 inches, but I'm in decent shape.

My ball is a pure black 15 pounds and 6 ounces of hard rubber. I noticed all these youngsters throwing all those silly colorful balls but they were getting some good action. What's up with that? :eek:

So when I got home I did a little Internet research and man did I have a lot to learn. One of the first posts I read said that no matter how hard you crank, you're not going to get one of those old hard rubber balls to hook. Yeah, I can confirm that. Then I read about rotational gyration and PAP and pins on the ball, coverstocks, weight blocks, and drilling patterns and so much stuff that it's almost overwhelming.

So I'm in the market for a new ball and I'm looking at the Storm Invasion. But here's my problem and the reason for this, my first post. I live in Bozeman, Montana and there's no Storm pro shop here. The nearest pro shop is in Butte, an hour drive one way. I read reviews about bowling balls and drill patterns but I still need some guidance. What would be a good drilling pattern for me and what questions should I ask the Pro Shop dude in Butte to make sure I get the balled properly drilled? Since it's going to be a bit of a drive on winter Montana roads I'll probably make a day out of it.

Please help.

AtDhVaAnNkCsE !!

[Stormed1]

Make sure you take your old ball with you. Your pro shop operator will want to look at the track on the ball to determine your PAP. Out of curiosity why the Invasion? It's a hook monster that needs plenty of oil to preform properly. In my opinion you would be better served with a middle of the road ball such as a Reign, Hy-Road,Nomad, or one of a ton of mid/upper mid level performance balls. They would be much more versatile as far as lane conditions go being able to handle medium to medium heavy (most common house shot) rather than strictly heavy. Your pro shop operator after seeing you throw a ball and finding your PAP can discuss layouts with you and together you can decide on one

[dbdweeb]

Good advice, THANKS!

Yeah, I'm definitely planning on taking my old ball in. The thumb hole was drilled facing slightly in to the left and I like that for a better release.

I was looking at the Invasion because of heavy oil but I should find out from the locals if heavy oil is the norm. I'm suspecting that it's not because of inconsistent maintenance. So I'll take your advice and start in the middle of the road... While avoiding dead skunks.

Thanks again.

[Strike Domination]

Welcome to the site and back to bowling. First, is the closest pro shop really an hour away or is that just the closest pro shop that is affiliated with Storm in some way(as it seems you implied)? Next, a good pro shop would watch you bowl in order to recommend a ball for you.

Going from rubber to the reactive resins what we have today is night and day difference, so I would automatically lean towards something more tame than the high-end Invasion, something mid-range or even entry level. Look at stuff more like the Thunder and Hot lines from Storm. Since you're used to the reaction you get from a rubber ball I'm sure you'd like a solid reactive better, so balls like the Furious or Reign of Fire. Those hook plenty for the price, so the more you pay does not always equal more hook. However in the case of the most expensive balls, not too many others hook more, but some mid-range balls are that far off of those.

There are some other solids that are weaker from other brands such as the Brunswick Avalanche, Roto Grip Pluto, Hammer Onyx Vibe, among a few others. I mention all these balls because that's most of the smoother reacting(like the rubber ball) ones. I don't know if you've already decided that you want to throw Storm, but every company makes some balls that everyone can use for a given lane condition. It ends up coming down to personal preference most of the time in my opinion. I would probably recommend one of those weaker ones as opposed to the Storm ones because you said you could hook the ball pretty well.

Back to the Pro shop. I think it would be a bit difficult if they're that far away. After watching you bowl they would recommend some options probably and if they don't have what you want in stock they'd have to order it. If they have to order something you'd have to go back and I'm not sure you want that. So I guess you just have to choose whether you want to pick your ball and know what you want before you go, or if you want their advice. The other thing is you should probably get your hand remeasured as it has likely changed.

Sorry for all the info, but I wanted to inform you of some of your options. Good luck!

[dbdweeb]

Thanks for the advice. It turns out that there is a good pro shop tech in town.

I met the new owner of the bowling alley today. Before the new owner it had the reputation of a poorly maintained smoke-filled dive. With advent of smoke free indoor laws things have improved considerably. All new equipment and staff. I'm going to putz around for a few more weeks then make an appointment with the shop tech.

In the meantime I'm still trying to get educated on bowling tech. I calculated my PAP and now I'm looking into layouts. I'm kind of gravitating towards the Storm Reign for the first weapon in the arsenal.

I'm not as strong as I used to be so I'm considering going down to 14 pounds from 15.5 pounds. My ball is kind of wearing me out and I'm not able to cup my wrist enough so my axis tilt is lower than it used to be.


D. B.

[crzysnake137]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE my Reign, it was the best 200 dollaz i have spent on a bowling ball, good luck with the purchase, i bought a invasion to complement my reign and its a great ball but you got to keep the speed up for it to work properly

[randwool]

I'm in the same boat here. Lots of time off from the game and having to learn the new terminology should be interesting.

[mrbill]

Welcome to the site DBD and Randy.
I know you all will be happy with the advice you get here, it's from the hart because we all love bowling very much..

[jmcelliott]

DBD, I don't know if you have gotten a new ball yet, but if not, it may be worth a drive down to Butte. I was there a couple weeks ago for a tournament and I would recommend talking to Harry Shafer at Star Lanes. He is knowledgeable and will be able to help you get back into the swing of things. There have been some great suggestions by going with a mid-range ball. The Invasion is probably a bit too much for a transition from rubber to reactive equipment. The Reign is a great ball and is one that I have promoted a lot. Good luck!

[The Mayor]

Welcome back to bowling! I would definitely agree with what everyone has said about going with something in the mid-performance range for your first reactive ball. My favorite benchmark ball on the market right now is the Nomad Solid (http://www.bowlingball.com/roto-grip-nomad-bowling-ball.html/?lf=BowlingBoards). This ball's reaction is extremely predictable and will make the transition to reactive more seamless. If you get something like the Nomad, choosing what you would need for your next ball will be much easier because the Nomad will always be right in the middle of your arsenal (and the ball you pull out of the bag first).

More examples of mid-performance balls can be found here: http://www.bowlingball.com/bowling-balls.html?Attribute_40=Advanced+Performance%286%2 9 (http://www.bowlingball.com/bowling-balls.html?Attribute_40=Advanced+Performance%286%2 9)

Second, I would have your pro shop operator take a look at your grip. It's possible that the grip you're using on your rubber ball is perfectly fine, but the general way of thinking when it comes to span and fit have changed over the years. It's possible that a slight change to your grip could make you relax more and therefore feel less of the weight of the ball. Just make sure they at least watch you throw the ball a few times. Good luck with whatever ball you decide to go with, and let us know how it works!

[owlish]

In 1950 there were 270 perfect games bowled. In 2005 there were 52,000+ perfect games bowled. The ball is juiced!