Ball weight

[snafu]

There has been a lot of discussion about the efficacy of lighter balls particularly since the start of the reactive era. I am a senior bowler and still bowl tournaments and carry 210 average. Bearing in mind the varying RG levels of different weights of balls, what are the thoughts of reducing ball weight from 14lbs to 13lbs allowing for the fact that I can probably have a little more ball speed and more"on the ball"? Will I lose a lot of carry?

[75lockwood]

First off, Welcome to the boards!


If i under stand this right (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), ignoring the difference in core the main change will be the the kinetic energy your ball transfers to the pins, since Kinetic energy = mass * Velocity, if you lower your ball from 14 to 13 and keep the same speed on the ball, you will loose Kinetic Energy and as such carry. however depending on how much your ball speed increases you can keep the same carry or potentially raise it.

[Mike White]

A reduction in weight can cause a reduction in accuracy.

A flaw in your arm swing will move a lighter ball off line more than a heavier ball.

It's less noticeable on your strike shots since the oil pattern helps guide the ball to the pocket, but there is no such help when shooting at most spares.

[billf]

Both of the above posters are correct. Another thing is, if you do drop in the weight, go with a company that doesn't use a generic core at the weight.