Are all Las Vegas centers so easy?

[vdubtx]

Was in Las Vegas over the weekend and brought a couple balls with me to get some practice in at the hotel I was staying in. Thank you Southwest for 2 free bags.

Stayed at the Red Rock Casino/Spa/Hotel and had chance to get a couple games in.

Seemed all I had to do was throw at the gutter and everything was hitting pocket. I could play anywhere from 1 board to 10 board at the breakpoint and ball just made it's way back in. Not used to having so much area and absolutely no out of bounds area compared to what we have on the house patterns here in Texas.

Averaged 251 through 6 games on 2 different sessions.

[foreverincamo]

Makes up for the tight slot machines.

[Blacksox1]

This should be a fun thread

[ep1977]

Everything is easy in Vegas to keep people happy while losing their money in the casinos.

[ChuckR]

I live in Vegas and Bowl at Red Rock. You should see what they do for leagues. Or don't do for leagues. It is a GOOD house, but I have never seen what you describe.
When did you throw, day and time. I would love to see those conditions as they would be great for the mental part of the game.

[got_a_300]

Yeah I wish we had that easy of a shot around here we have a
massive out of bounds area here from board 9 out to the channel
and about a 2 board area to hit to get in the pocket around the 10
to the 11th board.

Outside 9 and with super slooooow ball speed you'll be lucky to hit
the 3 pin or behind it or get less like a 2-3 count. Hit inside of the
11th board and you'll be looking at either a dead on the head pin
split or a runaway brooklyn hit waaaay on the left side of the 2 pin.

No wonder my average is down into the 180's and still dropping it
almost makes me want to up and quit or to go back into bowling
retirement again after the season or drive 80+ miles round trip to
the next closest center.

[Aslan]

Mudpuppy Cliff Note Answer: No

Aslan Answer:
I've bowled at:

The Orleans
South Pointe
Gold Coast
Suncoast
Red Rock

I felt that the Red Rock was the easiest of the five. The other 4 were very similar...and were not very easy (to me). The only real differences I noticed is that at the Gold Coast I had a bit of trouble sliding. Other than approach differences, I didn't notice much difference. I don't remember South Pointe...but I know at Suncoast (and Rob/ChuckR can explain this better)...there seems to be a difference depending on which side you're on because it's a center that has 20 lanes on one side and 20 lanes on the other side (not all lined up alongside one another). Maybe it's 30 each side...I don't remember.

One unfortunate thing about bowling is that since conditions and pin placement and pin weights differ so much:

1) It's impossible to compare house to house unless you're bowling on fresh conditions.
2) Some centers will seem easier to some bowlers than other centers....but not everyone will feel the same center is "easy" versus "hard"....because it is dependent on how you throw the ball. Higher speed shots, higher rev shots, inside lines vs outside and in...all these will fare well at some centers and not as much at others.

For example, when I used to bowl on wood lanes...higher speed and lofting shots played well. Slower speeds and higher rev players hated it. When I started bowling on synthetics...it was the opposite....everyone had slow speeds and/or high revs and scored well....straighter and higher speed players struggled to get in the 190s.

Until bowling goes back to maintaining the integrity of the game by more strictly enforcing sanctioned consitions (which they never, ever, ever will...)...some centers are going to seem "easy" and some "hard"....and practicing on non-league or non-tournament conditions will be of very little value once the league/tournament conditions are applied. How many times have new users showed up in the forums talking about how awesome they are because in open bowling they bowled a 240...only to join a sanctioned league and average in the high 150s? If the outsides are burnt up...and you just palm a house ball at the breakpoint...yeah, lots of bounce out there! Then they try that on league night and can't find the pocket.

[vdubtx]

When I bowled it was the evenings of Friday and Monday after about 9pm or so. Leagues had already cleared out and was only open bowling.

Went to check out South Point as that is where Nationals will be. Man that place is way out there. When they mean South Point, that is literal!

Both centers at South Point were laid out pretty similar. There was an ABT tournament going on while we were there in the Arena area. That place is really hopping. Had some convention going on as well as the Off Road races as well.

[RobLV1]

A lot depends on when you bowl in each individual center. Red Rock is considered to be the easiest shot in town, earning it the name "The Great Wall of Red Rock." LOL

[vdubtx]

A lot depends on when you bowl in each individual center. Red Rock is considered to be the easiest shot in town, earning it the name "The Great Wall of Red Rock." LOL

LOL.

Makes sense with what I saw then. Think I could rack up my Achievement resume in that place.