Hardest spares to convert...

[Monte]

Here's a pretty good article I found about the most difficult spares to convert.

Most people think it's the 7-10 split. According to the writer of the article, it isn't. It's the "Greek Church".

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports...ek_church.html

[J Anderson]

For almost any of the author's ten hardest spare's, for an amateur they are virtually impossible and require a lot of luck.

My real complaint about this article is for the analysis to be correct the results would have to exclude all the times that the bowler maximum pin count over making the spare. Among amateurs, I know some bowlers who have never met a split they didn't try to convert. There are others who who never try to make any thing wider than a baby split. Professionals, because this is how they earn a living, will at some level do a risk/reward analysis as to whether they should go for the conversion or go for count. I would take these conclusions with a grain of salt.

[bowl1820]

For almost any of the author's ten hardest spare's, for an amateur they are virtually impossible and require a lot of luck.

My real complaint about this article is for the analysis to be correct the results would have to exclude all the times that the bowler maximum pin count over making the spare. Among amateurs, I know some bowlers who have never met a split they didn't try to convert. There are others who who never try to make any thing wider than a baby split. Professionals, because this is how they earn a living, will at some level do a risk/reward analysis as to whether they should go for the conversion or go for count. I would take these conclusions with a grain of salt.

Yes if you have a big split and don't need the spare for the win, go for the count.

[larry mc]

i still eay 7-10 just due to the physics of it

[bowl1820]

i still eay 7-10 just due to the physics of it

Physic's? I think it's more the Geometry, the angles.

I saw old woman pick it up once, the ball was just barely rolling down the lane. The ball just clipped the the 7 pin, it fell over and rolled across the pin deck and took out the 10 pin.

It was easier to pickup the 7-10 if the house used the old Brunswick GS-10 or Heddon curtains that hung straight down. It was easier to bounce a pin off them than the ones now that curve toward the back.

[swingset]

I've converted two greek churches, by going for them, and in 30 years of bowling have never even come close to the 7-10. Not scientific, but I'll take the Greek any day for "I have a chance here" spares over the 7-10.

[Aslan]

I've converted two greek churches, by going for them, and in 30 years of bowling have never even come close to the 7-10. Not scientific, but I'll take the Greek any day for "I have a chance here" spares over the 7-10.

Agreed. I think the 7-10 is the hardest because the more pins you have to "bounce around"...the more likely you'll convert it.

I'm more baffled at the 80+ % numbers for some of those rather nasty multi-pin spares that the article is calling "easy". I've picked up the 1-3-10 less than half of what they claim (43% vs. 89.2%).

But, still, based on actual data...the website may have a point. But much of the statistics are based on how often you actually leave something. I think it's far more common to leave a 4-6-7 or 6-7-10...therefore it gets weighted more.

Aslan's List of 10 most baffling spare leaves (using actual data):
10) 4-7-9-10: 0/8 = 0%
9) 7-9: 0/9: 0/9 = 0%
8) 4-6-7-9-10: 0/10 = 0%
7) 5-6-10: 0/16 = 0%
6) 4-6-7-10: 0/22 = 0%
5) 4-10: 0/25 = 0%
4) 7-10: 0/37 = 0%
3) 8-10: 0/41 = 0%
2) 4-7-10: 0/59 = 0%
1) 4-6-7: 0/61 = 0%

[Hampe]

I'm more baffled at the 80+ % numbers for some of those rather nasty multi-pin spares that the article is calling "easy". I've picked up the 1-3-10 less than half of what they claim (43% vs. 89.2%).

Probably because the stats are taken only from PBA tournaments....

As Bowl1820 alluded to, the hardest split to convert depends on which kind of alley your are playing. In alleys where you can get pins to bounce back out on the pin deck, the 4-6 would probably even be tougher to convert than the 7-10. In one of the house's I play in, I've never seen pins bounce back out onto the pin deck. The only chance you have of getting the 7-10 is either like Bowl described, or by bouncing one of the pins off the side wall and hoping it rolls over and takes out the other one.