observed something interesting in practice....

[foreverincamo]

There is a guy that sometimes practices during the clinics put on by the coaching staff where I practice that wanted to try out some different spans/finger pitches, so he had one ball drilled up four different ways. What caught me off guard was the ball reaction. He is a regional touring player and throws a great ball. It seemed no matter what set of holes he used on that ball, the ball reacted the same and he threw a ton of strikes. I thought two of those drills would have resulted in a ball that wouldn't hook, or over hook. I couldn't tell a difference.
I asked him about it, and he was changing which set of holes every shot but throwing the same line to see which one he liked the best. Just makes me wonder about all the drill patterns and if they really change the way the ball works.

[RobLV1]

Great observation! All the layout does is to change the position of the core within the ball. The layout does make a difference, but it's a matter of degree. A different layout will not make a ball that is designed to roll early and arc into one that will go long and snap. A PBA Regional bowler will see a difference because he is much more in tune with the nuances of ball motion. Most house bowlers will see very little if any difference in ball reaction based on different layouts.

[Mike White]

There is a guy that sometimes practices during the clinics put on by the coaching staff where I practice that wanted to try out some different spans/finger pitches, so he had one ball drilled up four different ways. What caught me off guard was the ball reaction. He is a regional touring player and throws a great ball. It seemed no matter what set of holes he used on that ball, the ball reacted the same and he threw a ton of strikes. I thought two of those drills would have resulted in a ball that wouldn't hook, or over hook. I couldn't tell a difference.
I asked him about it, and he was changing which set of holes every shot but throwing the same line to see which one he liked the best. Just makes me wonder about all the drill patterns and if they really change the way the ball works.

If you drill a zero pitch thumb into the pin of a symmetrical ball, and drill 4 sets of finger holes at 90 degrees intervals, all 4 grips will have the same core positioning.