New Bowler in Raleigh, NC.

[DaHammer]

Hey guys! I stumbled upon the forums here while perusing the internet for some good information. I bowled a bit growing up, but I just started taking it seriously about four months ago. I'm a lefty two-hander (rotator cuff injury from baseball makes constant conventional bowling painful), and averaging about 140-150 now.
Unfortunately, the people at AMF Pleasant Valley and South Hills have been a bit less than helpful. I'm not sure if it's due to my bowling style or my lack of a 200+ average, but the only real advice I get from them is "throw it harder." Since I'm getting 14.5-15 mph on the screens, I'm not impressed with hearing that over and over again. I've been using an old (from 2011 and beat up) Columbia White Dot. I can normally start just right of center, get it out to about the 4 board, and then have it come back nicely.
Anyways, I'm hoping to get a good strike ball (for me). I realize that it will probably be a low-end (or at least low-hooking) ball due to my revs overpowering my velocity. Anyways, if someone could point me in the direction of a decent ball, a pro shop with helpful staff, or even a few people around who would be willing to help me out a little, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks all.

-Hammer

[Amyers]

First off welcome to the boards. Throwing it harder is not a solution to any problem in bowling. You may need to improve your footwork or swing which may have the effect of increasing your ball speed but you should try to throw it harder. You may also need to adjust your release to reduce your rev rate so its more matched to your ball speed. The first place you need to start is getting a ball that properly fits. I can't suggest a pro shop in your area I've visited a few of the centers in Raleigh but I have never used any of their pro shops. We may have some members closer to your area who could make a recommendation. The second thing I suggest to all newer bowlers is go to bowl.com and use the find a coach tool to find a qualified coach in your area. It's much easier to start with a relatively clean slate than it is to resolve years of bad habits. As far as balls go with your two handed style I usually recommend less aggressive balls than I do for a traditional style bowler to start with the Brunswick Rhino, Storm Ride, Hammer Viral would all be a good place to start. Good luck.

[DaHammer]

Thanks! I did buy a Pyramid Path Rising, but it's now super-saturated with oil. That and the fact that the ball was really inconsistent down the lanes some nights. I actually had someone say that the ball was "wet-dry"ing (a term that I've heard before, but never fully understood). This was followed by a "get a better ball" and "don't use a Pyramid" when I inquired on how to fix or prevent the scenario.
Anyways, on the consistent days, I was throwing just about as deep as I had room for, and half of my shots still ended up Brooklyn. I would love a ball with a little less bang than that, to help out on the days that I roll out of bed sore as hell and still have league.
I've been looking up a lot of bowling videos, and I think that I have decent form at this point. I should probably shoot a video of myself bowling tonight after league.

And just to be clear, the Pyramid and the White Dot are both drilled for me. They both have thumb holes, and the White Dot is conventional, but my fingers fit well.

[Amyers]

Thanks! I did buy a Pyramid Path Rising, but it's now super-saturated with oil. That and the fact that the ball was really inconsistent down the lanes some nights. I actually had someone say that the ball was "wet-dry"ing (a term that I've heard before, but never fully understood). This was followed by a "get a better ball" and "don't use a Pyramid" when I inquired on how to fix or prevent the scenario.
Anyways, on the consistent days, I was throwing just about as deep as I had room for, and half of my shots still ended up Brooklyn. I would love a ball with a little less bang than that, to help out on the days that I roll out of bed sore as hell and still have league.
I've been looking up a lot of bowling videos, and I think that I have decent form at this point. I should probably shoot a video of myself bowling tonight after league.

And just to be clear, the Pyramid and the White Dot are both drilled for me. They both have thumb holes, and the White Dot is conventional, but my fingers fit well.

That's good to know that you have them custom fit. I maybe reading between the lines again but if you've only been using it for four months the Path Rising shouldn't be super saturated with oil. I own a Pyramid Path Rising that I won in a contest and while not my favorite ball it's good enough to use. I tend to be rev dominate too and I actually considered this to be one of my less aggressive balls even though it's rated as more of a medium-dry ball.

You may have wet-dry issues especially with polished equipment on more freshly oiled lanes. Before purchasing something else I would try changing the surface on the Pyramid maybe try it at 3k without the polish. That will make the ball hook a little earlier but less on the backend. It will also help the ball get a little more traction and may help with the wet dry problem.

I know you mentioned getting your white dot out to 4 at the breakpoint if your getting the Pyramid out that far you might want to tighten your line a little. Mover your break point to more of 8 or 10 or even farther left. This allows the ball to stay in the oil longer on most patterns and you may find the ball has less tendency to over hook. For me this usually improves my carry as the ball doesn't have to expend all of it's energy trying to get back to the pocket.

May not solve any of your problems but new things to try at least.

[DaHammer]

The Pyramid has lost about 6-9 boards of movement recently, and everyone whose opinion I've asked for agrees that the ball is "dead." It's bleeds enough to require a wipe down of the ball and the bag on the 15-minute car ride to the bowling alley, and it's not even to the hot part of the summer yet. I'm planning on leaving it in the car over the summer and wiping it down frequently. Hopefully I can bleed a lot of oil out that way.
I have considered sanding the Pyramid, but I'm hesitant to get into something that I know very little about. I would also like to sand my White Dot down just to make it a little less beat up. I have no idea what to sand it at, though (to make it into an inside/outside strike ball), and I've recently bowled a 235 and a 224 with it. Those are my best two games thus far, and I don't want to mess with something that's clearly working right now.
But back to the Pyramid. Before I somehow ran it into the ground, I spent a little while messing with the breakpoint target. The results were the same regardless of where I put it: I was still over-hooking consistently. Though that was about a month ago, and I've spent a lot of time making my motion more efficient and smooth, so I might not have that problem any longer.
I bought a Storm Match Pearl on Thursday. Assuming the guy actually drilled the damn thing, I'll probably throw it some tonight after league. Either way, I'll try to get some video of me bowling up here so you guys can actually see how horrible I am. :P
Thanks for all the help!

-Hammer

[Amyers]

As far as the ball death I guess anything's possible. Don't be afraid to have your proshop adjust the surface of your balls if they aren't doing what you want/need. Making minor alterations yourself (basically refreshing the existing surface on non polished balls) can be done yourself by hand but making major changes to the surface requires a ball spinner to be done correctly.

The white dot is basically a spare ball it has a pancake core and will not finish the way a modern bowling with a dynamic core will so I would advise you to only use the white dot for spare except for extreme conditions. Good luck with the Match I haven't got to see one yet but it looks like a nice core /cover combo.

[Goose]

Welcome to the board and to my backyard, brother. I bowl with my GF on Thursday night at AMF South Hills, should be there tomorrow at 630.

[DaHammer]

Welcome to the board and to my backyard, brother. I bowl with my GF on Thursday night at AMF South Hills, should be there tomorrow at 630.

Very nice! I work over at Pleasant Valley. I usually come down to South Hills on Tuesday nights for the Service Industry Night after I get out of work. The lanes are drier at South Hills, but I enjoy the atmosphere more.

[DaHammer]

All right. Just came back from league. Bowled with the new Match Pearl, and I could not keep it on the left side of the headpin to save my life. I moved the breakpoint around, and still had no luck. I love the ball, though.