Sythetic vs Wood question

[Ptnomore]

I did search, and am a bit surprised that I didn't come up with anything.

But here's my question: I'm 190 average, typically try to stay about 15mph (but can accurately throw up to 17), and have low-med revs.

I bowl primarily on OLD wood lanes with from what I understand is a difficult THS. The lane conditioning is completed typically within minutes of the evening leagues bowling on it due to school team comps going on in the afternoon. I know nothing about the issues that this causes. All I hear is constant complaining from guys with much higher averages than mine, that to me should be able to adjust. It seems opinions of this conditioning method and wood condition, etc are all over the map.

Anyway, the house that I used to practice at (different house from league house) went to all Synthetic this summer. I bowled there yesterday for a mixed doubles tourney with the wife, and I struggled. My med-Heavy oil ball and medium oil balls were both squirty...either hitting like a marshmallow or low in the pocket, or jumping across and almost missing the head pin. I finally balled down to the weakest resin in my bag, and went to a straight down and in shot that gave me a fair amount of room for error. I had to take my hand out of it, similar to the way I would roll my plastic or urethane. I did find some success in doing that, but I was definitely the only male throwing like that. It worked, so I stuck with it, but I do like to have more than one trick that works.

There's a Tournament that I'm bowling in coming up that over two days uses two houses, one wood, one synthetic now.

If patterns and Volumes were the same, What SHOULD I be doing differently (typically) or at least looking to change from one house to the next? Is one more difficult than the other and should reduced scores be expected at one over the other (I've been told that Synthetic is more difficult but I'm hard headed until logic makes connections)? Should I have one or two balls drilled specifically for Sythetic? I'd love to be able to experience leagues on both types, mutliple patterns etc, but until the kids are grown and out of the house (LONG time from now), I'm doing the best i can with what I've got.

I made enough money last year at the tourney with my singles scores to pay for my entire team to go this year. I hoping to improve upon that this year (maybe slightly urealistic, I know).

Thanks

[Aslan]

I can relate to this 100%

If you're used to wood, synthetic will seem like an ice rink. When I bowl on my house (wood) lanes, I have a very large "cushion" where I can miss 5-6 boards right or 1-2 boards left...no problem. Might not "strike", but I'll hit the headpin. When I first played on synthetics, I was essentially throwing a straight ball...no hook, no flare, nothing. That 8-9 board window became a 3-5 board window.

I started out with a 182 average on wood lanes and a 118 average on synthetics. Over the course of 10-11 weeks, I changed my game and got another ball and by the end I was averaging 138 on synthetics and about 162 on wood. So I lost some average on wood lanes with my adjustments, but I'm now more competitive on synthetics which is the majority of the lanes out there today.

And like the other folks you were talking to that were complaining...I hear it all the time when a new bowler with a high average starts bowling on wood....and he can't keep the ball on the right side of the pin. They have to learn to adjust as well. I chose to give up my high average on wood lanes because A) The alley is converting to synthetics soon, B) We sweep in Vegas which is synthetics, and C) Most lanes everywhere are synthetic. It mad no sense to me to continue bowling the way I was and not be able to bowl in any other house. But believe me, there are more than a handful I bowl with on wood lanes that will have a RUDE awakening very shortly.

I suck, so I'll let the pros give ya advice on adjustments...but for me it was slowing the ball down and trying to get it on the lane sooner.

[MICHAEL]

Iceman is looking for some REAL wood lanes to bowling on! Since I got started late in life, I think most of the wood lanes in the Kansas city Missouri area are GONE!

I would like VERY much to find some lanes that are wood, and bowl on them before I die! I would drive what ever miles within reason to had this experience!!

[tccstudent]

Pryor Oklahoma Pryor Lanes about a 5 hour drive
You could get a team togather for the 4 state open in Pittsburgh KS they have hybrid lanes synthetic backends and wood heads or vise versa I cant remember

[Aslan]

After April I think the closest one to me will be Arizona or Nevada.

[MICHAEL]

After April I think the closest one to me will be Arizona or Nevada.

That SUCKS!! I can't go to St Peter, having not bowled Wood!! I have heard you can't enter the kingdom of Bowl-more with out first bowing on WOOD! There has to be a wooden lane some where reasonably close! Is everything synthetic now??? Is anything really, REAL any MORE!!

Money is really not money anymore, its all worthless paper! Even bread is not really bread, its chemicals put togerther that form the stuff we eat,,, water use to be healthy, and pure, now its full of Chlorine, and fluoride!

My god,,, Chicken Nuggets, are not really chicken, but rather a mix max of things you really don't want to know!

I don't ask much, but its going too far fazing out all the wood lanes!!

[Ptnomore]

LONG drive for you, but there's still plenty of OLD wood lanes around in PA, Delaware and Maryland. Wait till some of this damn snow melts...from the looks of things, June looks safe. I wouldn't bet on it being much earlier than that though. It's shaping up to be a short, wet boating season. :/

[Mudpuppy]

Saturday I bowl on wood lanes
Tuesday I bowl on synthetic lanes

[kakcpa]

Funny that the 5 houses around in in the North-West suburbs of Detroit are all wood!

[Aslan]

Funny that the 5 houses around in in the North-West suburbs of Detroit are all wood!

Because wood lanes are a bit higher to insure because they tend to burn...especially when soaked with oil. And since it would actually be a positive if Detroit burned down...they encourage wood lanes, fireworks, and campfires.