Little Things Matter

[ChuckR]

Thursday at a 4 game league, my thumb had what looked like a cut and started to bleed. Needless to say, the 4th game was very low.
Friday I took the ball(Melee Hook) to the Pro shop and they cleaned up some rough edges that they found. They wanted to try this before doing anything major.
Of course they gained points for this approach.
To see if that made a difference I bowled 4 game on lanes I have been struggling with all year.
Results: Game 1 208, Game 3 212, Game 4 195. I forgot to mention, Game 2 290. The highest I have ever bowled and I am 74.
I don't plan on having and the Pro shop agreed, LEAVE THE THUMB ALONE.

[bowl1820]

Yes, Unless it's a continuing issue there isn't a reason yet to make a change to the thumb hole.

Since it is winter time, it's good chance your skin had just dried out and cracked. Let it heal and use some hand lotion to help keep the skin moisturized.

You can also try some fitting tape on the thumb to help protect it.

Be careful if you use new skin w/patch, new skin if left on too long will dry out the skin and cause cracking.

[1VegasBowler]

I have issues with my thumb & middle finger. Both are dry and cracked, but it's always weather related here because it's always dry here in Vegas.

While I use a hand lotion to try and help this, I still got through quite a few bottles of new skin throughout the year.

[djp1080]

I was forced into retirement seven years ago and it's been a very good thing in several areas. One of which had to do with dryness. I think the heating/cooling system in the office where I worked was way too dry and likely dusty as well. I suffered with cracked skin on my right thumb and fingers on both hands. I attributed it to paper and books that I handled quite a bit of the time while looking up technical info for customers. Suffered from nose bleeds mainly in the winter months, too.
Now that I don't go to that place any more, my nose works great, no more cracking skin on my fingers and the skin on my thumbs are pretty smooth and no more suffering. That was until I began bowling again. Of course, I brought back my old habits from many years ago like squeezing the ball, turning my hand early, muscling the ball, etc. I tore up my thumb pretty badly. Learned about protective tape and other such tools.
Been using a variety of tapes and Hada tape has helped me a lot to keep my thumb in pretty good shape. Along with coaching assistance I've got much better to keep from those old habits messing up my game.
Conclusion: I'd suggest that you consider trying some of the protective tapes that are available as an insurance against what happened on Thursday's matches. Best of luck!