Anyone watching the US Open?

[foreverincamo]

Why in the world are these conditions so crazy? There are guys lifting the gutter cap 30 feet downlane and still the ball overhooks. When there is oil the guys are playing the first arrow. Whatever happened to a flat pattern?

[1VegasBowler]

This is a new/adjusted pattern for the US Open, which was done about a month ago.

I was at South Point on Saturday to watch the Burn & Double Burn. Needless to say, the conditions were downright brutal.

But with any USBC sponsored tournament, they only oil for the first squad each day and all 3 squads bowl 8 games/day. These conditions make any pro look like mere mortals, to say the least.

[RobLV1]

Why in the world are these conditions so crazy? There are guys lifting the gutter cap 30 feet downlane and still the ball overhooks. When there is oil the guys are playing the first arrow. Whatever happened to a flat pattern?

It is a flat pattern. Flat, that is, until modern bowling balls thrown with high rev rates rip it to shreds. I too watched some of the double burn on Saturday night, and it is indeed, brutal. Unfortunately, it's what bowling has come to with modern reactive resin bowling balls and synthetic lanes.

[Amyers]

I'm sorry I tried to watch a little of that crap that's being portrayed as bowling and just turned it off. If it requires playing the 7th arrow and lofting the ball 1/2 way or more down the lane I'm not interested in watching it.

[drlawsoniii]

I'm sorry I tried to watch a little of that crap that's being portrayed as bowling and just turned it off. If it requires playing the 7th arrow and lofting the ball 1/2 way or more down the lane I'm not interested in watching it.

That's right up the sniper's alley

[ep1977]

I tried watching but it's terrible bowling. The scores are still pretty high but what it takes to get them is garbage.

[JasonNJ]

I think you have to admire the versatility of these guys. Depending on which session you are watching, the first session on the fresh everyone is pretty much keeping their angles in front and playing straighter. On the burn and double burn is when you see the crazy lofting. So you know whoever wins this thing can really play on any conditions.

[fordman1]

Maybe they need ball restrictions. Maybe they need approaches with out of bounds with maybe outer edge of the gutter or it is a foul.

[stargell1]

I don't know what sport they are playing now, but I remember the days when bowling was actually fun to watch on tv.

[RobLV1]

Personally, I find this thread to be pretty sad due to the narrow-mindedness of most of the opinions being expressed. Just for fun, I looked at the qualifying scores of four bowlers with pretty traditional styles. Martin Larsen: +158, +233, +226. Marshall Kent: +58, +284, +221. Chris Barnes: +131, +33, +244. Walter Ray Williams Jr.: +88, +182, +96.

Note that all of these players were able to score significantly above par on all three oil conditions: fresh, burn, and double burn. The great players are the ones that figure out how to get the job done and do it, regardless of what it takes.