Another Frustrating Night

[Amyers]

Last night was another in a list of my frustrating experience in my summer leagues this year. I started off terribly this summer after having big issues with the fit of my thumb holes and basically having to have my entire arsenal re-drilled on the thumb holes. Then it was fighting through a slump that I ended off the fall with which just made the thumb issues worse. After about the first month to month and half of the summer season I was averaging about 150 (also changed houses to older wood lanes) after having averaged 193 last fall. I finally got everything fixed and back to at least hitting what I was aiming at and since my average has climbed up to 175 in both leagues. Needless to say this summer has been a humbling and annoying experience for me but it has been educational and I've learned some things about my game that I didn't know.

This house has speed monitors where the previous house I bowled in did not. I have learned that one of my serious problems is ball speed. My speed ranges from about 10.5 to 12.0 on these monitors which I'm told you should add about a 1.5 to for your off the hand speed. I have learned that extremely dry conditions effect my ball speed but it just seems less on some days than others too. I get a lot better carry at 11.5-12 than I do at 10.5-11.

Most houses I have bowled leagues at in the past have freshly oiled the entire lane before leagues started at this house as far as I can tell they redo the entire lanes randomly once a week and just refresh the heads before leagues each night. This results in you having absolutely no idea where the line will be each night. It is also not uncommon for them to have put a sport pattern out the night before for a tournament or one of the tournament bowlers to practice on and then just run the refresher over that. I actually bowled there one night the pattern on the right lane was a 35ft pattern with a THS Head oil and the pattern on the left lane had been a 47ft pattern with THS Head oil. Inconsistency is the rule not the exception here.

Last night I seemed to have a good look on both lanes and 21 of my first 22 balls were solidly in the pocket never left more than a single pin on any strike ball. Maybe not perfect but all shots I see other bowlers carry on a regular basis and I'm not talking bouncing them around and looking for two messengers to take stuff out. The result 3 strikes about a strike percentage of 14% on a pocket hit. I didn't bowl as well the last game (I think frustration had taken it's toll) but still managed to be in the pocket 8 out of 11 balls. Result 0 strikes.

Game 1- 182 two strikes all balls in the pocket did miss a 10 pin and a 7 pin spares. I left two 7 pins, six 10 pins, one 4 pin, and the two strikes. not a single multi-pin spare

Game 2- 184 one strike all balls in the pocket except for the 6-10 leave and even that was carryable missed one 10 pin spare shot. I left one 7 pin, six 10 pins, one 4-7, one 6-10, and one strike. only missed one spare.

Game 3- 164 I threw 4 bad first balls in this one. Left two splits (one on a ball change) one washout the others were all 10 pins which I missed one of.

Honestly I've seen people throw 300 throwing the ball worse than I did my first game. I'm sure that Mwhite will point out that the pocket hits weren't perfect by some of the leaves I'm not claiming they were they were but all of the shots were ones I see people regularly carry and sometimes do myself.

Overall stats

Pocket percentage 23/28 82%
Strikes on pocket hits 3/23 13%
Spares 23/27 85%
Splits 0/2
Series 530

It's just frustrating to throw the ball like it should have been 650-700 kind of night and end up sub 550. I don't know if anyone has faced these issues let me know what you did. This is worse than usual but I seem to be facing this issue at this house more often than not. At least my team is in 1st on Tuesdays and up to 3rd on Friday

[mc_runner]

Those kinds of nights are never fun. When you're making adjustments, tweaks and trying to find just the right angle into the pocket but just can't do it (especially fun when different balls aren't matching up quite right too). The kind of night that Aslan will say makes him want to quit bowling altogether and throw the equipment in the dumpster! But, come back in a week and all those hits might be carrying for you, you might have that 650-700. It's what keeps the game interesting.

When I have these nights I stew about it for a bit, make sure I get in for some practice during the week, and just try to put it behind me - don't overthink what you might have been doing wrong or try too hard to adjust something that isn't wrong. I managed to do that somewhere this summer and hit a slump for the last few weeks.

[Amyers]

Those kinds of nights are never fun. When you're making adjustments, tweaks and trying to find just the right angle into the pocket but just can't do it (especially fun when different balls aren't matching up quite right too). The kind of night that Aslan will say makes him want to quit bowling altogether and throw the equipment in the dumpster! But, come back in a week and all those hits might be carrying for you, you might have that 650-700. It's what keeps the game interesting.

When I have these nights I stew about it for a bit, make sure I get in for some practice during the week, and just try to put it behind me - don't overthink what you might have been doing wrong or try too hard to adjust something that isn't wrong. I managed to do that somewhere this summer and hit a slump for the last few weeks.

In some ways your right and if it was just one night I would agree with you 100%. Unfortunately this has become the standard instead of the occasional night with bad luck.

[jab5325]

I sympathize, Amyers.

Though my spare percentage has increased this summer (just below 80% for single-pins now.....which is good for me), my strike percentage has gone down to 37% and my first ball average is down to 8.56. In winter, I was at 44% strikes, 8.9 first ball average.

I'd like to blame it on the house. The air conditioning broke, and it's at least 80 degrees inside to start each week. They haven't fixed it. By about midway through the second game, my thumb is swollen to the point that I can barely get out of the ball. As the third game progresses, I really struggle.

But, even still......I could've done better. I've become much more inconsistent this summer. I hope I can get it rectified soon--I'm bowling in a scratch league, on a team where the lowest current average is 210. Right now, I'm about 170 or 172.

[Amyers]

Just for an update I went in to throw some games for just in the mood to bowl with my daughter. I shot 228-234-231=690 pretty sure my highest series ever (I don't generally track non league series) My league high is 657 and it means nothing just practice. Have I mentioned I hate this game sometimes. LOL

[vdubtx]

It's just frustrating to throw the ball like it should have been 650-700 kind of night and end up sub 550.

Been there, done that.

The house I bowl at on Tuesdays during the Fall season is similar. It is a very popular house in the area, but you never know exactly what you will get each week. Sometimes before you bowl there are open bowlers on one lane, other times it is some senior league bowlers warming up for the nights session on your pair. The house doesn't turn away customers until about 30 minutes before league. They run the lanes in the early afternoon and you get what you get that day.

I have learned that you just have to pick yourself up off the floor when things like your night happen and just go back out and work your game.

[Tony]

I understand how frustrating some of those league nights are when it seems like you're making good shots and nothing seems to carry. For me it usually escalates to missing some spares I should have made and and then some more bad shots as I begin to play lines that are not in my normal range.
Typically I have found when I get back to basics of approach, delivery, and follow through that I realize there is some area that I've been slacking off in, and I am able to get back into sync with a few practice games, as it seems you might have done!
Nice practice !

[rv driver]

Last night was another in a list of my frustrating experience in my summer leagues this year. I started off terribly this summer after having big issues with the fit of my thumb holes and basically having to have my entire arsenal re-drilled on the thumb holes. Then it was fighting through a slump that I ended off the fall with which just made the thumb issues worse. After about the first month to month and half of the summer season I was averaging about 150 (also changed houses to older wood lanes) after having averaged 193 last fall. I finally got everything fixed and back to at least hitting what I was aiming at and since my average has climbed up to 175 in both leagues. Needless to say this summer has been a humbling and annoying experience for me but it has been educational and I've learned some things about my game that I didn't know.

This house has speed monitors where the previous house I bowled in did not. I have learned that one of my serious problems is ball speed. My speed ranges from about 10.5 to 12.0 on these monitors which I'm told you should add about a 1.5 to for your off the hand speed. I have learned that extremely dry conditions effect my ball speed but it just seems less on some days than others too. I get a lot better carry at 11.5-12 than I do at 10.5-11.

Most houses I have bowled leagues at in the past have freshly oiled the entire lane before leagues started at this house as far as I can tell they redo the entire lanes randomly once a week and just refresh the heads before leagues each night. This results in you having absolutely no idea where the line will be each night. It is also not uncommon for them to have put a sport pattern out the night before for a tournament or one of the tournament bowlers to practice on and then just run the refresher over that. I actually bowled there one night the pattern on the right lane was a 35ft pattern with a THS Head oil and the pattern on the left lane had been a 47ft pattern with THS Head oil. Inconsistency is the rule not the exception here.

Last night I seemed to have a good look on both lanes and 21 of my first 22 balls were solidly in the pocket never left more than a single pin on any strike ball. Maybe not perfect but all shots I see other bowlers carry on a regular basis and I'm not talking bouncing them around and looking for two messengers to take stuff out. The result 3 strikes about a strike percentage of 14% on a pocket hit. I didn't bowl as well the last game (I think frustration had taken it's toll) but still managed to be in the pocket 8 out of 11 balls. Result 0 strikes.

Game 1- 182 two strikes all balls in the pocket did miss a 10 pin and a 7 pin spares. I left two 7 pins, six 10 pins, one 4 pin, and the two strikes. not a single multi-pin spare

Game 2- 184 one strike all balls in the pocket except for the 6-10 leave and even that was carryable missed one 10 pin spare shot. I left one 7 pin, six 10 pins, one 4-7, one 6-10, and one strike. only missed one spare.

Game 3- 164 I threw 4 bad first balls in this one. Left two splits (one on a ball change) one washout the others were all 10 pins which I missed one of.

Honestly I've seen people throw 300 throwing the ball worse than I did my first game. I'm sure that Mwhite will point out that the pocket hits weren't perfect by some of the leaves I'm not claiming they were they were but all of the shots were ones I see people regularly carry and sometimes do myself.

Overall stats

Pocket percentage 23/28 82%
Strikes on pocket hits 3/23 13%
Spares 23/27 85%
Splits 0/2
Series 530

It's just frustrating to throw the ball like it should have been 650-700 kind of night and end up sub 550. I don't know if anyone has faced these issues let me know what you did. This is worse than usual but I seem to be facing this issue at this house more often than not. At least my team is in 1st on Tuesdays and up to 3rd on Friday

Beer always seems to work wonders for me in that situation. Gawd! I hate slumps! Transitioning to wood lanes can't be fun, either.

[Stormed1]

Based on the number of 10's you were leaving I would say most likely your ball was not entering the pocket at the correct angle. What type of 10's were they? ring,half or flat 10's

[Amyers]

Based on the number of 10's you were leaving I would say most likely your ball was not entering the pocket at the correct angle. What type of 10's were they? ring,half or flat 10's

Mostly flat I've tried different lines heck I even bought a urethane ball thinking something straighter might be of help but it didn't. If the lanes are more oiled and I can play 10-13 I can score there but most of the time I end up having to play farther in and it's nights like this for me.