One ball only

[fordman1]

Not every track athlete can run a mile in under 4 minutes without steroids.

So it's ok for those that need a little help?

The current version of bowling has included far too much help.

Bowling balls that hook with very little effort.

Oil patterns to give length, and guide the ball towards the pocket, so that hook won't occur until its most beneficial.

Come on same as saying if everyone was the same size and same age and the same sex. So a young power player could use a weak ball and dominate. Or on a dry lane a stroker could dominate. I say let each bowler pick what equipment would help them on that pattern that day.

[NewToBowling]

I do agree that bowling has become very equipment dependent. Same way that tennis and golf has been. Heck, they even banned those special swimsuits a few years ago because everyone was breaking world records in swimming.

But the PBA isn't about saving itself anymore. Their major and seemingly only backers are the ball manufacturers. They sure won't bite the hand that feeds them.

And modern balls are great for the novice (like me) because it is instant hook in a box. Sure I have to work on not over hooking to be more controllable.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

"Technology" is in all kind of competitive activity.

Power adders to drag racing
Aluminum bats to baseball
Special clubs/balls to golf

[NewToBowling]

"Technology" is in all kind of competitive activity.

Power adders to drag racing
Aluminum bats to baseball
Special clubs/balls to golf

But short of golf (multiple clubs) bowling is the only other sport where one uses multiple balls. Baseball players don't change out bats when a new pitcher enters the game. Same with hockey or basketball or football. Even in tennis with new racket technology players use one racket for the whole game most of the time. You never hear commentators talking about how a certain tennis player should switch to a more "aggressive" tennis racket, etc.

Bowling has become for the most part equipment reliant. You get scoffed at if you're a serious bowler and only have 2 balls. One is expected to bring at least 6 balls otherwise you're not a serious bowler.

I'm starting to agree with Mike that talent should be the over riding factor on who is the better bowler. There should be one standardized ball spec and leave it at that. One strike and one spare ball. But I also understand the cat is out of the bag and we can't go back to that anymore.

I mean just read Aslan's thread on his next arsenal. Talking about surface, RG, cores, etc. Enough to make someone pull out their hair. It should be more about physical adjustments and not simply a ball change. Now I sound like a geezer

[fordman1]

My problem isn't with a standard ball. It is who gets to decide what the standard ball is. Also no spare ball use the same ball for everything.

[JaxBowlingGuy]

I agree you'd she be able to pick your own ball in this hypothetical scenario.

As for multiple balls, bowling also is one of the only one that has a constant changing playing surface.

Baseball and football, although use the same balls, bats, ect, they do change their shoes to the condition in which they are playing. Most high end cleats have interchangeable spikes for various conditions.

[Mike White]

My problem isn't with a standard ball. It is who gets to decide what the standard ball is. Also no spare ball use the same ball for everything.

I think a non-flaring urethane ball would solve many of the problems with bowling.

Bowling centers apply so much oil on the lane because most people use flaring reactive resin balls.

The result is a lot of that oil is removed from the lane over the course of one league session.

You could place the blame on reactive resin balls absorbing the oil, but I don't think that is actually the heart of the issue.

If you had any surface type ball (reactive resin, urethane, plastic), but it didn't absorb oil, you would still see the same amount of oil on the ball when it came back.

What would be different is when you got up to take your next turn, that oil would still be on the ball, so the bowler would wipe the ball down before each shot to remove the oil.

At that point the same amount of oil is still removed from the lane, in one case its absorbed into the ball, in the other it's absorbed into the towel.

So let me restate my 2nd line.

Bowling centers apply so much oil on the lane because most people use flaring balls.

Again, I propose, non-flaring urethane.

Most people will complain that urethane doesn't hook enough on current oil patterns.

Thats true, so lets give the proprietor a break and cut back the amount of oil placed on the lane (both length and thickness).

The ball isn't flaring, so even with less oil, very little damage is being done to the oil pattern, which allows for practice before and/or after league.

Since the lane oil is holding up over the course of the day, the real reason to oil lanes before league is to remove the dust that has been attracted to the oil.

We used to walk the lanes with a Lin-O-Duster (cloth roll) and then apply oil on top of previous oil.

Stripping was done twice a week on the midnight shift.

Finally to bring skill back to the game, outlaw the walled up pattern.

Make it a crown (like the street to drain water) not like a top hat to guide the ball.