What can your balance hole do?

[billf]

Many of the bowlers here who started years ago may remember that a balance hole was to keep the weight legal. How about now? Has today's technology changed that also? It sure has and with the advent of dual angle drilling the balance hole plays an important part in your balls reaction. Here is the link to gradient balance hole replacement by MoRich Bowling http://morichbowling.com/Education/GradientLineBalanceHole/GradientLineBalanceHole.htm

[MICHAEL]

Very interesting Bill! I have had talks about the subject with my driller here in Kansas City, Trent! One thing I like about trent is that he will take the time to watch you bowl, and then decide what drilling, and where to place the balance hole. Something that can't happen when done by someone that has not seen your type, and style of bowling.
I am learning more and more on this great web site!!

[DanielMareina]

The balance hole can be a very useful tool to create the right reaction. I really like small drill bit weight holes (25/32 and smaller) about an inch below the mid grip line. It creates a little earlier role, and if you are on a pattern with a lot of oil, that can help a lot at creating the right angle into the pocket. Before drilling a weight hole, even if I know it needs one to be legal, I have the bowler throw a game or two with it and tell me what they would like it to do differently. I know a lot of pro shops that just put the hole on the axis no matter what, and they are missing out on a chance to fine tune the reaction to perfection.

[billf]

My Nexxus and both Hell Raiser Revenges' have the balance hole on the mid-line. I was a little upset when I learned more about them especially when I asked that one of the HRR have a real early roll. That was the purpose of buying two, heavy oil, one to rolls early the other late. Of course this was the same highly recommended pro shop that couldn't tell me what my PAP was AFTER drilling six balls for me. He did watch me bowl but I told him I use different releases depending on how I feel and what seems to be working that day. I took the time to explain what I wanted each ball to do, with what release, boards, speed and pattern type. He said my PAP was around 4". I checked and it's 5 3/8" over 3/8^. Would that 1" make a big difference? The balls work well but how much of their capability am I missing out on? (that's rhetorical)

[martin]

are spare (plastic) balls allowed to have balance holes?

[bowl1820]

are spare (plastic) balls allowed to have balance holes?

Yes it can have all the same holes that others have.

[J Anderson]

are spare (plastic) balls allowed to have balance holes?

The question is why would you want one in a ball that you're trying to throw straight?

[bowl1820]

The question is why would you want one in a ball that you're trying to throw straight?

I had one in my Zebra in the PAP to make it legal. Plus if you put one in the PAP it will help keep it stable and go straighter.
Also you might want one if your using it as a dry lane strike ball.

You can see it here on the right.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/aloarjr810/bowlingballs/ebo_zeb_2.jpg

[J Anderson]

I had one in my Zebra in the PAP to make it legal. Plus if you put one in the PAP it will help keep it stable and go straighter.
Also you might want one if your using it as a dry lane strike ball.

You can see it here on the right.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w89/aloarjr810/bowlingballs/ebo_zeb_2.jpg

Thanks, I never realized it could stabilize the ball.

[DanielMareina]

My Nexxus and both Hell Raiser Revenges' have the balance hole on the mid-line. I was a little upset when I learned more about them especially when I asked that one of the HRR have a real early roll. That was the purpose of buying two, heavy oil, one to rolls early the other late. Of course this was the same highly recommended pro shop that couldn't tell me what my PAP was AFTER drilling six balls for me. He did watch me bowl but I told him I use different releases depending on how I feel and what seems to be working that day. I took the time to explain what I wanted each ball to do, with what release, boards, speed and pattern type. He said my PAP was around 4". I checked and it's 5 3/8" over 3/8^. Would that 1" make a big difference? The balls work well but how much of their capability am I missing out on? (that's rhetorical)

First of all, that 1" makes a big difference.If he put a 4" pin on it that is actually a 4 3/4" pin now, you aren't missing anything. It would just be different. If he put a 5 1/2" pin that is now a 6 1/4" pin, you could be missing a lot. Any pin location between 3 3/8" and 5 1/2" will fully use the balls potential, they just do it differently. Any longer or shorter is when you have a loss in overall strength. Second of all, putting a weight hole on your midgrip will get the ball to roll a little earlier because your PAP is still above it. So he may not have done anything bad, even though he doesn't sound like he knows his stuff as well as you would hope.

[Stormed1]

Also keep in mind that the ball still has to be legal after the hole is put in it. That's one of the reasons i prefer pins 3"+. It allows me to use weight holes in locations that will increase the core dynamics

[billf]

First of all, that 1" makes a big difference.If he put a 4" pin on it that is actually a 4 3/4" pin now, you aren't missing anything. It would just be different. If he put a 5 1/2" pin that is now a 6 1/4" pin, you could be missing a lot. Any pin location between 3 3/8" and 5 1/2" will fully use the balls potential, they just do it differently. Any longer or shorter is when you have a loss in overall strength. Second of all, putting a weight hole on your midgrip will get the ball to roll a little earlier because your PAP is still above it. So he may not have done anything bad, even though he doesn't sound like he knows his stuff as well as you would hope.
Thank you for the explanation. This particular owner/driller use to be an Ebonite ball rep. I would think they would want to be sure their reps knew what the heck to do with the equipment.

[edpup316]

The question is why would you want one in a ball that you're trying to throw straight?

I have one in my Taboo spare. I got it drilled as strong as i could and with a weight hole, cause it has that black widow core, in case i run into something really dry or maybe around the end of a long set. And since i flatten out my wrist, come almost right up the back of the ball and throw it about 20 mph i don't ever have a problem with it hook and when i have to go for something like a 2-6-9-10("The hardest non-split spare!" -randy pedersen) it comes up just enough.

[J Anderson]

I have one in my Taboo spare. I got it drilled as strong as i could and with a weight hole, cause it has that black widow core, in case i run into something really dry or maybe around the end of a long set. And since i flatten out my wrist, come almost right up the back of the ball and throw it about 20 mph i don't ever have a problem with it hook and when i have to go for something like a 2-6-9-10("The hardest non-split spare!" -randy pedersen) it comes up just enough.

Don't you mean the 3-6-9-10? 2-6-9-10 would be a split.

A Taboo Spare doesn't seem like a typical plastic ball. With that core it seems more of a ball for very dry lanes.

[edpup316]

Yes i ment 3-6-9-10 but it wouldnt let me edit it after i posted. And of course its a little more then a spare ball it has a core!! But its called a "Taboo spare" and not a "Taboo a little more then a spare ball". Besides if you take the revs of it and not to mention drill it like a normal spare ball it does the samething every spare ball without a core does. And i was just giving my reasoning as to why a weight hole was put into my plastic ball.

[billf]

Besides if you take the revs of it and not to mention drill it like a normal spare ball it does the samething every spare ball without a core does.

Check out the ball reaction thread, Storm balls, Storm Ice reaction video. You mean all plastic spare balls do that? lol


http://www.bowlingboards.com/threads/9622-Storm-Ice-reaction-video

[Mike White]

The question is why would you want one in a ball that you're trying to throw straight?

It's been 20 years since I bowled with any quality so what I knew may be useless now.

Just because the ball is plastic doesn't mean it has to go straight. On lanes that don't have a lot of oil, you can take a plastic ball the throw it with speed, revs and a high axis tilt and it will retain a lot of energy to the back end without hooking in the front end.

Based on what I've seen lately, it just takes a different mind set to play with plastic on dry. It seems that most people now throw the ball to the end of the oil and rely on however the ball was drilled to make it hook to the pocket. They don't really hit the ball, they throw it, probably because there is a big penalty for hitting a high powered ball. It's a tool you should keep in the tool bag when nothing else works better.

With a plastic ball, you are in charge of what the ball does the whole way down. Your adjustments effect when, and how much it hooks back. You just have to be able to hit the ball with a strong hand.

There were days where I would play from 25 out to 4 because I knew by the time it got out that far it was done going out any further, and the angle it would generate coming back gave it the best chance of carrying. I don't know that numbers because we didn't have the tools to measure them, but I wouldn't be surprised if my RPM rate with a plastic, or hard urethane was 600+.

When reactive balls first arrived (late 80's early 90's) I couldn't keep one on the right side of the lane, sometimes not even on the left side. I tried to reduce my revs to compare with the "dumpers" who were scoring. I figure if nothing else, I could out accuracy them. But reducing revs for me meant slowing down my follow thru, which ruined my timing, and therefore accuracy. So by the time I quit, I went from big fish (small pond) to not even being able to catch a worm.

I'm now in the process of learning how to play today's game. 1st step, I purchased a plastic ball to rebuild my timing and accuracy.

[Mike White]

"What can my balance hole do?"

Well mine used to whistle.