How much drilling ignorance is bliss?

[HughScot]

I love this guy. Confirms the conclusion I came to: It's not the ball it's the bowler. Which doesn't mean you should buy the cheapest and drill three holes anywhere, but we should get real.

[AZBowla]

I love this guy. Confirms the conclusion I came to: It's not the ball it's the bowler. Which doesn't mean you should buy the cheapest and drill three holes anywhere, but we should get real.

That's no fun, come on there has to be a magic bowling ball that will just automatically find the pocket no matter what!

In all seriousness, I agree although having a good ball doesn't hurt your chances any. I've gotten a few strikes with my DV8 ball that shouldn't have been strikes because I threw it all wrong, but that ball made it happen anyway. It's a bit more forgiving than my previous ball was.

[HughScot]

That's no fun, come on there has to be a magic bowling ball that will just automatically find the pocket no matter what!

In all seriousness, I agree although having a good ball doesn't hurt your chances any. I've gotten a few strikes with my DV8 ball that shouldn't have been strikes because I threw it all wrong, but that ball made it happen anyway. It's a bit more forgiving than my previous ball was.

I know what you mean and it is psychological, if I throw a cheap ball and it doesn't hit well I'll want to blame the ball. At least now I know for sure it really is just me.

[billf]

Only to a point. Let's say you average 140s. You have just below average speed, say 13.5 mph, tweener with high revs, let's say 375-410. Your league bowls second shift. Wanting to be all you can be you buy the brand new, hook in a box DV8 Nightmare because you saw the reviews and want to throw the big hollywood hook. Now this is a heavy oil monster with a matte finish. Obviously this ball is way too much for most fresh lanes never mind on a burnt shot. So this bowler struggles along still fighting to keep his 140 average. What happens when he is given the original Marauder drilled to go long? He starts hitting the pocket easier. Confidence goes up. The average starts to rise. With this all going good he starts to practice more, gets some coaching and starts making spares. In one season that 140 bowler went to a 200 bowler. What was the biggest change? The ball was the root change that affected the rest.
How do I know this story? It's mine. I slowed the ball down because league bowlers who I thought knew what they were talking about told me to. I bought better balls. Nothing worked. Then one day I went to a pro shop 50 miles from home. The driller watched me for a few minutes. He asked why a guy as big as me was rolling it so slow. We talked and a coach came over. 20 minutes later I was hitting 20 mph at the pins matching my rev rate. The driller picked out an entry level ball that would suit my new style and lanes I bowl at. I went from one 600 series to four 700s in six weeks. It all has to match or it won't matter at all.