Drilling for your first ball?

[Lt Tom]

I've been gone for almost 30 years. I'm back. I've never thrown a reactive ball. I was about to get a finger tip drilling when I "left", so now I want a weaker reactive ball like a Strike King or a Cyclone, drilled for finger tip. So; is my local pro shop going to have some kind of "standard" drilling for this? He's not going to be able to learn much from watching me throw an ill-fitting conventionally drilled plastic house ball, is he? I imagine I could find a $5 or $10 ball on e-bay, but by the time I have it drilled and finger tipped I'm getting up near Strike King/Cyclone/Misfit price territory anyway, just so he can watch me bowl and measure my PAP etc. and start over. I suppose I could use that for a "spare" ball, which brings up another question; since a spare ball is usually thrown straight, do people usually throw those finger tip too? At this point I'm assuming (yes, I chose that word on purpose) I just have my pro drill my first ball however he sees fit and go from there. Any thoughts?

[RobLV1]

Most ball companies have a standard "safe" drill pattern for use for bowlers whose PAP is unknown at the time of drilling.

[bowl1820]

I've been gone for almost 30 years. I'm back. I've never thrown a reactive ball. I was about to get a finger tip drilling when I "left", so now I want a weaker reactive ball like a Strike King or a Cyclone, drilled for finger tip. So; is my local pro shop going to have some kind of "standard" drilling for this?

Yes, there are some basic layouts for someone just starting out.

He's not going to be able to learn much from watching me throw an ill-fitting conventionally drilled plastic house ball, is he?

No, not particularly (Now some might say oh yes they can, but it's a waste of time)

I imagine I could find a $5 or $10 ball on e-bay, but by the time I have it drilled and finger tipped I'm getting up near Strike King/Cyclone/Misfit price territory anyway, just so he can watch me bowl and measure my PAP etc. and start over. I suppose I could use that for a "spare" ball, which brings up another question; since a spare ball is usually thrown straight, do people usually throw those finger tip too?

You should use the same grip in all your balls spare or strike ball and you want them all the same weight also. You want consistent feel on all your equipment.

At this point I'm assuming (yes, I chose that word on purpose) I just have my pro drill my first ball however he sees fit and go from there. Any thoughts?

The Strike King and Cyclone are both good balls to start with. They are fairly similar balls (The Strike King is what replaced the Slingshot, IMO it's a little stronger than the old slingshot). Me I would lean toward the Strike King, but you can't go wrong either way.


Since your just starting to learn using a fingertip ball your not going to have a stable PAP, So don't even worry about PAP yet. Don't worry about layouts right now either, just let him give you a basic layout.

The main thing starting out is "FIT", if it doesn't fit good, your release won't be as good as it can be. So if you need to tweak the fit as you go along do it. A Plug and redrill to adjust your pitches, span etc. is not a big deal.

[Mike White]

I've been gone for almost 30 years. I'm back. I've never thrown a reactive ball. I was about to get a finger tip drilling when I "left", so now I want a weaker reactive ball like a Strike King or a Cyclone, drilled for finger tip. So; is my local pro shop going to have some kind of "standard" drilling for this? He's not going to be able to learn much from watching me throw an ill-fitting conventionally drilled plastic house ball, is he? I imagine I could find a $5 or $10 ball on e-bay, but by the time I have it drilled and finger tipped I'm getting up near Strike King/Cyclone/Misfit price territory anyway, just so he can watch me bowl and measure my PAP etc. and start over. I suppose I could use that for a "spare" ball, which brings up another question; since a spare ball is usually thrown straight, do people usually throw those finger tip too? At this point I'm assuming (yes, I chose that word on purpose) I just have my pro drill my first ball however he sees fit and go from there. Any thoughts?

If you have decided that your first ball back to bowling MUST be a reactive resin ball, I would recommend a Columbia 300 Scout.

It sells on Bowlingball.com for $10 less than the Strike King, so that price difference should be similar at a pro shop.

It has the reactive resin cover, but the pancake weight block, which will tame it down.

Have it drilled straight over the label like a 1980's ball.

After you have developed a consistent release with that, if you need more hook, consider upgrading to a resin ball with a dynamic core.

At that point the Pro Shop can get a good read on your PAP and drill a 2nd ball based on the shape adjustments you need.

[ChuckR]

Yes, there are some basic layouts for someone just starting out.


No, not particularly (Now some might say oh yes they can, but it's a waste of time)




You should use the same grip in all your balls spare or strike ball and you want them all the same weight also. You want consistent feel on all your equipment.



The Strike King and Cyclone are both good balls to start with. They are fairly similar balls (The Strike King is what replaced the Slingshot, IMO it's a little stronger than the old slingshot). Me I would lean toward the Strike King, but you can't go wrong either way.


Since your just starting to learn using a fingertip ball your not going to have a stable PAP, So don't even worry about PAP yet. Don't worry about layouts right now either, just let him give you a basic layout.

The main thing starting out is "FIT", if it doesn't fit good, your release won't be as good as it can be. So if you need to tweak the fit as you go along do it. A Plug and redrill to adjust your pitches, span etc. is not a big deal.

6 years ago I returned after a 25year layoff. My first ball was an Infection drilled as recommended by RotoGrip. Shortly after I bought a Columbia WD for a spare ball. The layouts were just changed as, of course, my hand changed and a wrist support was added. I still use the same drilling 40 by 4 by 30 with a PAP of 4 3/8 and 1 up. With the new hand layout I get more action so I expect the PAP will change and the drilling will have to be adjusted. Welcome to the new bowling environment.

[Lt Tom]

I remember back when I got my first ball back in the late '70s. After bowling most of my teenage years having to hang on to ill-fitting house balls, the poor proshop guy had to work with me for almost half an hour, just to teach me to relax enough to let my new ball fall straight down off my hand. I know the difference having a ball that's drilled to fit properly makes. But I love researching new toys, and the tech involved in modern balls really plays to my tendency to over think things. Thanks for the answers so far. Y'all are mostly confirming what I was thinking. I probably need to get a ball (almost any ball) and get bowling, to establish some kind of baseline.