A New Low for House Bowlers

[mc_runner]

I think some of the most bearable and least complaining bowlers are the ones who do nothing but open bowling, and don't take the sport seriously. For the most part, they don't know about oil patterns or revs or cores or anything like that. Essentially, they just throw the ball at the pins and hope for a strike (or at least 5-7 pins). It's almost kind of funny to watch them bowl in the house I bowl at. Horrible conditions, yet I see the open bowlers having a good time and not caring, for the most part, about the bowling technicalities.

Now when you look at the very few good bowlers that bowl there, they can get very upset about the erratic lane conditions. And as a kid wanting to get better at the sport, this can get very frustrating for me, from time to time. It really doesn't seem to add up. The less experienced bowlers (in some case, "bowlers") have a better time than the more experienced ones. But the main cause of this, to be honest, is that one group simply wants to have a great time regardless of score or anything of the sort, and the other wants to have a good time while racking up strike after strike. While there are some exceptions to this, this is what I seem to see (and experience) most of the time.

In open bowling I really like bowling on unknown conditions... whether it be a leftover tournament pattern, a family of 6 throwing 6lb balls with bumpers, or a beat to you know what house pattern from who knows when... it's a challenge to adapt. While still practicing release, these different conditions are great experience. In league it's a little bit different, because it "counts". And even if it's a perfectly walled up THS people will still complain. If it's a hard shot, and I'm not doing well, I just try to make the best of it and still enjoy myself.

[Bradski9]

In open bowling I really like bowling on unknown conditions... whether it be a leftover tournament pattern, a family of 6 throwing 6lb balls with bumpers, or a beat to you know what house pattern from who knows when... it's a challenge to adapt. While still practicing release, these different conditions are great experience. In league it's a little bit different, because it "counts". And even if it's a perfectly walled up THS people will still complain. If it's a hard shot, and I'm not doing well, I just try to make the best of it and still enjoy myself.

Yep I love adapting to whatever is left on the lane, I do a lot of open bowling so I am usually bowling on lanes with tons of carry down oil on the backend

[TVan]

My favorite complaint about THS from league bowlers is the guy that throws a weak spinner up the puddle and leaves flat 10's all night. He thinks the house is responsible for 10 pins. I have bowled in plenty of different leagues and houses and each one is the "house that leaves more 10 pins than any other house" or the "welcome to (insert center name)" after a guy leaves a 10. I just laugh as he continues to leave flat 10's and make no adjustment for it at all.

[Tony]

I bowl with an old man on Wednesdays...I LOVE this guy because he's the only person I know that is as interested in bowling as I am...maybe not counting RobM. Well, this guy has a ball speed of 7-11mph...usually closer to 7.5mph. He uses the MOST aggressive balls he can get his hands on. I've tried to help him by telling him that since his ball speed can't safely be increased (not a good idea to mess with speeds for older guys with potential injury issues)...he needs to make some lateral adjustments and if that doesn't work...by lower hooking equipment. But...as is VERY COMMON among our older folks...he absolutely will NOT listen. He listened to me ONE time regarding a lateral move....and it worked...and he struck...but he was almost ashamed that he had to listen to me and went back to doing it his way. Frustrating.

And what does he complain about (constantly)?? The lanes. They aren't oily enough. And maybe they aren't. It's an easy house with a very manageable THS. But good bowlers adapt. Bad bowlers just complain and drink more. Either way, the house always wins!!

Keep in mind that some people just need something to complain about. With the advice it's very common for people of any age to get stubborn when they start to feel like some "young kid" is telling them how to do something they have been doing for years. Just consider how you might react if some 20 year old kid starts telling you the balls you are using are wrong, you stand in the wrong place, and you don't throw hard enough ......

[Aslan]

Keep in mind that some people just need something to complain about. With the advice it's very common for people of any age to get stubborn when they start to feel like some "young kid" is telling them how to do something they have been doing for years. Just consider how you might react if some 20 year old kid starts telling you the balls you are using are wrong, you stand in the wrong place, and you don't throw hard enough ......

I wouldn't constantly complain to the 20-year old that I can't play the lanes because they are hooking too much.