Real Men Bowl on Wood, World Championship ICEMAN OPEN

[Aslan]

My "guess" Iceman is that the wood lanes were easier.

When I say "easier"...I don't mean to over-generalize...because as Mike so dramatically showed...wood lanes can be just as hard, actually much harder if your game and arsenal is suited for heavier and longer oil patterns.

This happened in a tournament this weekend. The owner of the pro shop hosted a tournament and I think he tried to give the center's patrons an edge by giving them a much shorter pattern to try and mimic the old wood lanes. The problem is, everyone had adjusted their game and/or arsenals to the center's 40ft flat pattern...so we were struggling almost as much as bowlers from other centers.

When I played on wood lanes, high speed seemed to work great...a ton of miss room right...a good 3 boards miss room left...good times! Now that the center has redone their lanes...people are going to have to learn to bowl and adapt to the new conditions.

Why you may be hitting light 'could' be due to your ball losing energy on the drier surface. If I recall, your ball speed is a bit lower...if you're throwing even a moderately aggressive ball...it could be losing a bunch of energy before it gets to the pocket. But that's a guess without actually seeing it.

[Amyers]

I bowl on both wood an synthetics. I average 20 pins higher on synthetics between the two current houses. I am also bowling another league on wood in a different house this fall so we will see if the differences hold. As a lower speed bowler myself the transitions happen much faster on wood than synthetics and dry on synthetics is much easier to handle than on wood. I would also suggest trying out some lower end equipment such as Hammer Arson low flare, Storm Tropical Breeze or Ride, and the Radical Rack Attacks. From my experience the power guys can get away with throwing even heavy oil stuff on the wood lower speed requires more careful equipment selection.

I don't know of a single high average bowler at any of the wood alleys here that bowl on synthetics too that average higher on the wood. Power bowler or not. For those that are Rev challenged maybe as I tell my youngest daughter who struggles on the synthetics "At your home alley (wood) the friction is free here you got to work at it and use proper technique for the ball to hook".

[Mike White]

The first league outing last Thursday was not GOOD AT ALL for ANYBODY!

I don't get it? Refinished lanes, inspected, and ready for play yet no 200 games, and many real low scores! Crazy low scores as I walked around
looking at the over head projector! 48 bowlers,,,, on that league.. I did have a few 600's last year, and a few high games, but Wow, what a crappy start for everyone this year!!!!

Is Good, Wood that much more difficult... I know my average there was a good 20 pins lower then most other synthetic places!
I must say Gladstone was tough with oil complaints last year too.... But last Thursday was like finding a pin in a haystack,,,,,,, ,, that line to the pocket with carry!

Many were complaining,,, for me it was carry,,, lots of 10 pins, even with adjustments I thought might correct the unprecedented low scores
by all!

I am beginning to think from the bottom of my godly heart that its true: REAL MEN BOWL ON WOOD!

A 700 at these lanes are almost like a 800 on the synthetic....

There are several 200 average bowlers on that league, that are in the same boat! 200's at other lanes, not Plattsburg! NO 200 averages on that league last year.

It will be interesting to see how things pan out this week! At this point in time it might be premature to say, wood is just a much tougher way to bowl high scores.

How long before the league started did they resurface the lanes?

Back in 1985 I bowled in a scratch league at a Brunswick owned center.

Compared to the other centers around at that time, it had the most oil.

The center closed at the end of that season, and a new independent center opened across town just in time for September start dates.

Since I was bowling at a few different centers, I was accustomed to both oily and dry conditions. (not as far apart as oily and dry is now)

While I wasn't going to be bowling at the new location, I was asked if I could sub on the first night in the 9pm scratch league.

When we arrived, we heard that the lanes had not had any oil applied to them until that day.

The first league of the day started somewhere between noon and 3pm.

They had applied oil just before that league started.

Those bowlers complained about how dry the lanes were.

Before the 6pm league, they applied more oil (cleaning was not automated at that time).

The 6pm league complained about how dry the lanes were.

Before the 9pm league, they applied more oil.

I was the only one who shot 600 that first night, most others were barely 500.

By the end of that season, most of the bowlers were down 20 pins.

So what may be happening is the lanes in Plattsburg having been freshly cut, are absorbing oil into the wood.

Once that stabilizes, the scoring pace should return to normal, if not improve.

[Mike White]

My "guess" Iceman is that the wood lanes were easier.

When I say "easier"...I don't mean to over-generalize...because as Mike so dramatically showed...wood lanes can be just as hard, actually much harder if your game and arsenal is suited for heavier and longer oil patterns..

Again because you can't seem to grasp reality, the problem at Concourse was not an Oil issue, it was a **** poor wood condition issue.

You had to stand way to the right, and loft the ball 15' to avoid the poor wood. But thats how you learned how to bowl.

When you took that technique to other bowling centers, it didn't work there.

This happened in a tournament this weekend. The owner of the pro shop hosted a tournament and I think he tried to give the center's patrons an edge by giving them a much shorter pattern to try and mimic the old wood lanes. The problem is, everyone had adjusted their game and/or arsenals to the center's 40ft flat pattern...so we were struggling almost as much as bowlers from other centers..

The took away 8 feet of guiding oil, and people wonder why they did worse.

When I played on wood lanes, high speed seemed to work great...a ton of miss room right...a good 3 boards miss room left...good times! Now that the center has redone their lanes...people are going to have to learn to bowl and adapt to the new conditions..

You averaged about 160, thats far from working great.

What you call miss room, doesn't keep your ball in the pocket, it just keeps the ball out of the gutter.

Why you may be hitting light 'could' be due to your ball losing energy on the drier surface. If I recall, your ball speed is a bit lower...if you're throwing even a moderately aggressive ball...it could be losing a bunch of energy before it gets to the pocket. But that's a guess without actually seeing it.

A ball doesn't lose energy, except to heat and sound.

A portion of forward velocity is converted to rev rate, which allows the ball to roll into the pins.

The total energy of the ball (momentum both in direction of travel, and rotational) remains the same (minus the insignificant loss)

[Aslan]

Again because you can't seem to grasp reality, the problem at Concourse was not an Oil issue, it was a **** poor wood condition issue.

You had to stand way to the right, and loft the ball 15' to avoid the poor wood. But thats how you learned how to bowl.

When you took that technique to other bowling centers, it didn't work there.

True...but just to play devil's advocate...if a bowler of < 6 months can figure out how to loft the heads and average in the high 160s...I'd expect a 20+ year bowling veteran to be able to compensate for even the chewed up heads at Concourse (pre-changeover). You make it seem like I grew up bowling there and have been for a decade. I bowled there 6 months...

The took away 8 feet of guiding oil, and people wonder why they did worse.

I just thought it was dumb that to help the home center bowlers be competitive...they changed the pattern the home center guys had become used to. And it wasn't just the home center guys struggling on that shorter, more narrow pattern...the guys from travel and scratch leagues at other OC centers were also struggling.

You averaged about 160, thats far from working great.

In fairness...I had bowling 6 months and was averaging like 166 when we faced off.

What you call miss room, doesn't keep your ball in the pocket, it just keeps the ball out of the gutter.

No...that's how it is on most THS shots...there's enough dry to keep you out of the gutter but a miss 3-4 boards right and you're hitting light or washing out. On the WOOD lanes...a 6-7 board miss still hit pocket. Bunny claimed there was a "groove" or "track" that had been pounded into the wood lanes over time...and all you had to do was get the ball in that track and you could hit pocket. I don't think it was quite THAT bad...but maybe she was right.

A ball doesn't lose energy, except to heat and sound.

If you're measuring the energy potential that is being stored up...that gets released when the ball encounters friction...then I disagree. I have seen numerous examples of lower speed bowlers, very little revs or axis tilt...and once their ball gets to the breakpoint it starts to hook...then kinda just rolls out and misses right. That same ball, with a high rev rate...is gonna react much better when it hits the dry...more energy, more hook, sharper angle, and the only hope is it enters the roll phase as it gets to the pocket.

A spinning object, absolutely has potential/stored energy and that energy is released when the ball's rev rate is low enough and/or the lane surface/pattern is dry enough. If you don't believe that, then how would you explain pocket hits that leave a 7-pin or flat 10-pin??

[MICHAEL]

Remember these guy's like to punch numbers on the oil machine and try out different patterns almost every week. Not so much sports patterns, but different lengths of the oil, from what I am told!

I bowl my best games on the 42 foot patters,,, did have some nice series last year! But when they shorten it up to 35, what a difference.

No matter what adjustment I made, very erratic.... that was last year, after 3 years of leagues and no resurfacing.

Too Early to say how its going to work out this year. One thing for sure its never a blocked pattern!

I never know what them Farm boy's are going to put down.

That new fangled, oil machine is sooooooo much fun, compared to mopping,,, and lots of buttons to play with!! WhOOOOPIE, Green Acres!!!!!

In some ways its a blast not knowing.... and trying to figure it out.

Last week was a disaster, score wise for all the bowlers... sort of funny! Everyone complaining, but still having a GREAT TIME!

One Farm boy brought a half a pig cooked and sliced up, to share, along with a couple cases of beer.

Nothing like it anywhere else I know of! Chris and Lee, that run the place even have an refrigerator for drinks anyone brings!!

I swear that old wood lane alley in Plattsburg has a feel that is not like Any OTHER bowling alley I have ever know!

Its the 1960's frozen in time, with great fellowship to go along with it.

I just might make one of my Cherry/Apple pies for this coming Thursday!! hummm,,, hum!



weaving that top crust is my trade-mark!! Does it tastes as good as it looks,,,, you bet ya!!!

[epiepenburg]

It very well could be the fact that the lanes got resurfaced. Perhaps they had developed a groove. The place I bowl resurfaced their wood lanes last summer.

[Mike White]

It very well could be the fact that the lanes got resurfaced. Perhaps they had developed a groove. The place I bowl resurfaced their wood lanes last summer.

A place I bowled at in the 80's held a PBA summer stop, so a few weeks before the pros showed up, the lanes would get resurfaced.

[MICHAEL]

A place I bowled at in the 80's held a PBA summer stop, so a few weeks before the pros showed up, the lanes would get resurfaced.

And????????? What did you think of how they played after the resurfacing,,,, ?



two Saturdays ago went up and tried them out the week before league started,,, no fresh oil,,,, had a few low 200's,,, thought is was going to be a hot start last Thursday... but as I said, unusually low scores!

Maybe it was the oil, and pattern.... looking forward to this Thursday, maybe a better pattern.

It's hard to give an honest appraisal when they really don't have a house shot!

Way too much possible programing on that oil machine, and them there Farm Boys like to play with it. We don't have a mechanic,,, its just Chris and Lee.
In reality, I kind of enjoy, (like I said), never knowing what to expect! Closest thing to a sports league I might ever get!!

[Mike White]

And????????? What did you think of how they played after the resurfacing,,,, ?



two Saturdays ago went up and tried them out the week before league started,,, no fresh oil,,,, had a few low 200's,,, thought is was going to be a hot start last Thursday... but as I said, unusually low scores!

Maybe it was the oil, and pattern.... looking forward to this Thursday, maybe a better pattern.

It's hard to give an honest appraisal when they really don't have a house shot!

Way too much possible programing on that oil machine, and them there Farm Boys like to play with it. We don't have a mechanic,,, its just Chris and Lee.
In reality, I kind of enjoy, (like I said), never knowing what to expect! Closest thing to a sports league I might ever get!!

I averaged 210 there before BPAA mandates the blocking of lanes.

Sounds like you have a bunch of Farm Boys trying to find a pattern they like most.

Odds are all they are doing is selecting one of the preprogrammed patterns.

Kegel.net has a library of oil patterns, with the information required to create the pattern.

Thats were you feed in all the details, not just select this one or that one.

Those machines are actually quite programmable, but that also means if the person doing it doesn't know what they are doing, they could really create an unplayable pattern.