House that favors lower rev-rates??

[LOUVIT]

Second request of picture of blue lanes....lol...found these online....wow..

http://www.brunswickbowling.com/prod...es/lane-types/

[Mike White]

I'm trying to get my head around what conditions would favor Low rev-low speed bowlers. The typical house shot favors that throw enough hook to take advantage of it. As long as the rev rate matches the speed it's fine.

Here is what such a condition might look like.

[freshlybakedfingerolls]

Here is what such a condition might look like.

Kinda like that, ours looks drier/shorter outside. Most importantly, what does it look like for the power players there?

Wow LOUVIT, those colored lanes look spectacular. Doubt I'll even see it anywhere around here with the popularity of the sport waning.

[DMS]

Yeah... I have sort of the same situation here! Living where I do, there's bowling centers every few miles. I've bowled six of them in all, and bowl three of them frequently enough to catch them on different days and times.

My home house is by far the toughest... I'd swear the lanes are surfaced with Teflon! I've got to be super-careful with my strike ball to be extremely accurate, have my speed just right, and my hand just perfect on the release. I've played several lines at various times, and always have trouble with carry.

The other two houses I frequent somewhat regularly are a cakewalk by comparison. I consistently score 30 or 40 pins higher at the other places... I'm not kidding.. THAT big a difference. It seems like at these other centers, there's the true 'walled in' shot that you always read about in books, where even a really green player can score pretty well.

So here's the reveal: I'm a total old-school stroker. My benchmark ball is a Brunswick Vintage Series Danger Zone in OOB finish. I even have a conventional grip! I throw a plastic spare ball with a dead-straight delivery... You can hear the thumb thudding as it rolls.

At my home house, my scores would be disgraceful if not for the luck of my being able to do a perfectly straight, end-over-end spare release. My cranker buddies are jealous of my straight ball.

As you might expect, I don't have high revs, and when my home house shot is fresh, I need to keep my speed low or I'll be taking out only the right side of the rack on every shot.

My 'A' game there is down and in, usually on the five or seven boards, where there's just enough friction to keep my skid phase from extending all the way to the pin deck. As the lanes get burned up, I finally start getting some better ball reaction and can throw faster, which improves my carry, and makes me tend to score higher as the night goes on.

I'm not the only player who plays this condition the same way, so sometimes I get some help burning a hill of friction out on the twigs.

The folks that score high(er) at my home house are MASSIVE crankers. The place is run by experienced and active bowlers. I think they're putting out a sport shot as the THS! Nobody will tell you what they're putting down for the THS shot... It's like they'd have to kill you if they told you. Not kidding.

I've learned that these lanes are fairly new, and some say they have less friction because they aren't scratched up from years of use. Also, the oil on my ball seems like it has a much lower viscosity compared to other houses I've played.

(I) Have no idea how often they change the pins, but sometimes I could swear they seem a little 'dead', particularly when I'm forced to play lower ball speeds and am hitting with just a little lower inertia than the power players. Other places, I seem to enjoy a little better pin action, but that could just be a byproduct of being able to throw a slightly faster ball speed. I dunno.

Here's my theory: I think my home house is using one of the slicker (cheaper?) conditioners, and they're putting out 'sport-like' pattern. By that, I mean it has a very low wet-to-dry ratio, and an overall lower volume.

I've played all the animal patterns, and I'll be damned if my home house doesn't play exactly like that. I think the other houses are putting out a shot that's more what we'd all call a THS, with a high (maybe 10:1) ratio in a block or Christmas tree pattern, middling in length... maybe 40 or 42 feet, and of much higher overall volume.

When I play the outside at these other houses the whole shot just feels a lot less twitchy, and has way more margin of error. If I play the usual 10 board track, it feels perfectly 'normal' and the ball does what you expect. With the huge ratio, I can even play a pretty convincing inside shot, if I feel like it.

It seems a little counter-intuitive, that the low volume shot is more slippery than the higher volume shot, I know. I think that might be because of the lane surface AND the type of conditioner being used. I know there's significant difference in lane surfaces depending on their manufacturer / model.

What about conditioners? Are some 'slicker' than others? Anything any of you could add to these thoughts?

I'd love to be more educated on this. It drives me nuts! I like that I practice and play league in a tough house, because when I go other places I look like a bowling God (which is a helluva lot of fun!)... But it comes at a cost... I must have ZERO ego at my home house!

Our house shot is really humbling, and there's some really good players that are there all the time.


Note: Post edited to eliminate 'wall of text' resulting from 'Quick Reply' mode... Which didn't work.... How do you do a carriage return on this forum software???

[bowl1820]

To start a new paragraph

you just hit Enter

(Twice so there's a space between them like here)

Like this.

[DMS]

Bowl1820 - Thanks for the editing tips. Double carriage return it shall be!

[fordman1]

"I've learned that these lanes are fairly new, and some say they have less friction because they aren't scratched up from years of use. Also, the oil on my ball seems like it has a much lower viscosity compared to other houses I've played."

We got new Brunswick Anvil lanes installed last year and 85% of the league bowlers took a hit on their average. They are the hardest and slickest lanes on the market. At least That is what I have heard. They will get better in time but until then be patient. Not sure that is what your center has or not why not ask them.

[DMS]

Fordman1, Thanks for the information. They are definitely Brunswick lanes, as they have all the cardinal features (dots on 5 boards, range finders, lighter color, brighter 7 board, etc.). If they really are that much slicker, then that could indeed by the problem. One thing is for sure, almost nobody plays dull balls there; they all roll polished surfaces. I actually polished my Storm Crux (alternate strike ball) and improved it's look significantly. One of my bowling buddies (who is a cranker and a high average player) suggested getting one of my balls re-drilled to put the pin above my fingers to achieve a length / back end snap reaction. Will be trying that to see how it works.

[Aslan]

I have a similar problem when I sub on Tuesdays.

I swear they either:

A) Don't oil their lanes pre-league.
B) Use lower viscosity oil that evaporates faster.
C) Oil a very short (28-29ft) and/or very narrow (15-35) pattern.

I'm not a "cranker" nor do I do any other distasteful thing, like 2-handed bowling. But, like the video MWhite (banned? WT?? No vote?? ??) posted...you can see the ball roll out very early. If the ball has already rolled out...it doesn't matter how much it hooked...it's not hooking anymore.

I've had to resort to using a very weak ball (Track 300A) and play up and in the 15-board. A very straight shot, a little fish hook at the end...but my only other option is urethane up the 5-10. Like you described, these options result in carry issues. Not just for 'crankers'...but "old time" bowling...people didn't average as high...the angle wasn't there. Unfortunately, the modern era of bowling has taught bowlers that all ya gotta do...is spin the ball as much as you can...and bounce it off the 8-board near the tracers...and if you DON'T strike...you got robbed.

Mudpuppy Cliff Notes: Best Guestimate is the lanes have patterns that are shorter, and/or drier, and /or haven't been freshly oiled...so your balls are losing energy and rolling out before they get in position. Even if they make it back to the pocket, they don't carry as well.

[DMS]

Aslan, Yeah, so I'm not crazy (that there can be such massive variations). Thanks for the confirmation.

I did a little research, and there is indeed a very wide variation in the viscosity of the various conditioners on the market. I'm pretty experienced in plastics and lubricants, and can definitely see a marked difference in viscosity of the conditioners I've experienced. Our lanes do burn up quick... From first to last game on league nights, the changes in the shot are significant and trend toward increased friction over the whole lane, perhaps a result of evaporation. I can deduce this since I often end up trying several different lines to get carry each night (which may be one of my problems, too... Lack of commitment to a shot).

The league in question is a sanctioned Vegas league, and they do condition the lanes before league play. That said, I don't know if they're stripping them. I always go early to do some warm-up rolls, so I'm going to watch the oil machines this time and see if they're going all the way up to the pin deck, which would imply that they're stripping before laying down the fresh pattern. If they're not, and just laying down a fresh shot over the hash left over from a whole day's worth of open bowling, then I could see it being pretty squirrely, particularly in the back ends. That's one of my issues; how is it that my ball isn't grabbing well at the back end? Possibly carry down from hundreds of plastic ball shots sprayed all over the place?

Anyhow, I'm seeing best results by playing an extremely outside line, down and in. I'm launching parallel to the boards, anywhere between the 4 and 7. With that shot, I can get enough pocket angle for reasonable carry, especially as I'm able to increase ball speed as the lanes dry up. Margin for error in that space is pretty reasonable for my skill level and style.
I'll be playing tonight and am going to commit to that shot and see how it scores. Did pretty well with it in practice this week. Hoping for a good look!

OT: Aslan, are you playing the OCUSBC Tourney coming up in February at Fountain?

Group: I'll report back after playing tonight and let you know how it went! Thanks again for all the great insights!

ETA: Also, almost forgot to say... Yeah, I can use the shot up the 15 board, too (with a small bit of swing). That's probably my second-favorite way to attack it. I've had success doing that exact same thing on some sport shots. Appreciate the tip!