Does the ball make the bowler or is the other way around?

[Tony]

I've been watching with interest the ball selection of some of the other bowlers and it seems to make a case for the title question.

I bowled the other night against some guys that have recently purchased new balls, and I was not impressed. There was a Code Black, No Rules, No Rules Pearl and a Crux Pearl.....yes the house uses a pretty heavy oil house shot so there are lots of these high end balls being used.
The guy using the Crux is about 40 , has a ton of revs and averages 215, so I'll leave him out.
The other 3 guys are all 60 plus and have all been bowling for many years, long enough to know better but yet they bought these high end balls they can't reliably throw.

The Code Black guy I know pretty well, he starts in the middle of the lane and throws it over 2nd arrow at about 12 mph, probably 1/2 the time his ball was crossing over to the left side of the pins and he shot well below his average in the 190/200 range. The Code Black doesn't seem like a great ball for him.

The other two guys were having similar problems with keeping the ball on the right side of the lane......so does the ball make the man or what ?

























































































































































with a speed around 12 mph......it's no wonder that 1/2 the time he's crossing over and hitting the left side of the head pin, this got worse as the night went on.
The 69 yo with the No Rules

[LOUVIT]

I have a Track Heat and a Storm Phaze. From what I see the Phaze is or was a top end ball. I am more comfortable with my Track yet I am so stubborn that I keep trying to get the Phaze to work for me. The guy you mentioned averaging 190+ should know if he's crossing over to move to the left if he's a righty. or if he can increase speed. You have to adjust to the ball as you would adjust to lane conditions. I guess some balls do hit harder and carry better, don't really know.

That's my issue with the Phaze at my speed of 12 mph also it seems to carry better when I throw it right. Less 7 pins and I get them 10 pins with a tap off the wall that I do not carry with the Track. Yet I do not leave a 5 pin with either, that makes me happy...lol

[Tony]

I have a Track Heat and a Storm Phaze. From what I see the Phaze is or was a top end ball. I am more comfortable with my Track yet I am so stubborn that I keep trying to get the Phaze to work for me. The guy you mentioned averaging 190+ should know if he's crossing over to move to the left if he's a righty. or if he can increase speed. You have to adjust to the ball as you would adjust to lane conditions. I guess some balls do hit harder and carry better, don't really know.

That's my issue with the Phaze at my speed of 12 mph also it seems to carry better when I throw it right. Less 7 pins and I get them 10 pins with a tap off the wall that I do not carry with the Track. Yet I do not leave a 5 pin with either, that makes me happy...lol

Oh yeah, he has been bowling over 40 years and knows all about adjusting to the lanes, throwing 12mph if he plays deep the ball comes back like a puff ball so he has to try and throw harder but it's hard to consistently throw harder than you normally do, so whenever he lets up a tiny bit, or doesn't push it out just the right amount the balls crosses over on him.

[1VegasBowler]

Here's what I have said in a few other threads, and I stand by it.

Every manufacturer targets their newest ball as the latest and greatest thing since sliced bread, and if their pros are using it you need to have it as well.

The pros are exactly what they are. Pros. They can control any pattern and ball with their skills. If we could do that, then we could be in their league, right?

Too many of us regular bowlers get caught up in what the pros are using and think they can get the same reactions as they do, and this is where the manufacturers make their targets. Never mind the fact that the balls may or may not match up to our game, we just have to have it. Not saying all of us do that by any means, but you know who I'm talking about.

There are many balls that Brunswick, DV8 & Radical come out with that don't appeal to me, and I certainly don't/won't get one just because a pro uses it.

As you can see in my arsenal (below), most of the Brunswick family doesn't keep these around on a regular basis, with the exception of the BTU.

Buying a ball because it fits your game is what we need to do. Not because it's the latest and greatest, and what the pros are using.

[KYDave]

Buying a ball because it fits your game is what we need to do. Not because it's the latest and greatest, and what the pros are using.

100%

This is why I love LSR, BB and Tamer bowling videos. They don't just put in 1 guy that looks impressive throwing 20mph and 600 revs. Yeah it looks awesome, but that isn't me. Out of the vids I mention there is usually 1 of the several testers that I match up close enough to get a good idea of a starting point if I am interested or not.

Aside from that, I have really fallen in love with demo days. I have learned that sometimes what you think will work for you ends up being something completely different than you expected.

[RobLV1]

Virtually every time I bowl, I see league players using balls that are way, way too aggressive for them. The idea of trying to throw a Phaze II, a ball with a core that is designed to roll early and a matt surface, with a 12 mph ball speed is ridiculous unless you are able to stay away from the outside part of the lane. While there is plenty of oil in the middle of the lane for these hook monsters, most house bowlers insist on playing around the second arrow where there is never enough oil to use them if you roll the ball at all.

[got_a_300]

I agree with what has been said so far, way too many bowlers see the ball
that the Pros are throwing and think hey that same ball is going to do the
same thing for them.

I have to admit back in the day before I wised up I did the same thing see
someone on TV throwing a ball and then run out and buy the same ball only
to find out it just didn't match up to my game.

Now days I do a lot more investigating on ball reactions and what the RG and
Diff is before deciding which ball to purchase and watching someone throw one
that closely matches up to my game to get an ideal of what to expect from it.

[Aslan]

I believe that someday there will be bowling centers where the oil patterns are not only known, but can be selected prior to bowling on the lanes.

I also believe, in the near future, a system will be developed that can use bowling ball specs to match balls up with certain patterns...so a bowler can look at what pattern they will likely bowl on and match up their arsenal selection to that pattern. You go pull up the pattern, you choose your style, speed, rev rate, etc... and 6-9 bowling ball options will be listed.

Once that exists, bowling ball companies will be more like car companies...making numerous balls...the wider the selection, the more likely their product will suit the needs of the bowler. Pro level balls will no longer be in much demand...much like race cars and exotic sports cars. They will be available to the very highest level...but rather useless to most bowlers. Quality across the product lines will go up, as will prices...since you're no longer getting a "better ball if you pay more money"...then all the balls will be about the same quality (with different specs) and will all cost about the same.

The better I get, the less appreciation I have for Pro level equipment. When I was "new", I needed the ball to help me hook. I needed a ball to hook sooner. Now, slightly better than I was before, I seem to be constantly searching for balls that go longer and snap harder...surface and early-hooking balls are increasingly useless and problematic.

[Tony]

I believe that someday there will be bowling centers where the oil patterns are not only known, but can be selected prior to bowling on the lanes.

I also believe, in the near future, a system will be developed that can use bowling ball specs to match balls up with certain patterns...so a bowler can look at what pattern they will likely bowl on and match up their arsenal selection to that pattern. You go pull up the pattern, you choose your style, speed, rev rate, etc... and 6-9 bowling ball options will be listed.

Once that exists, bowling ball companies will be more like car companies...making numerous balls...the wider the selection, the more likely their product will suit the needs of the bowler. Pro level balls will no longer be in much demand...much like race cars and exotic sports cars. They will be available to the very highest level...but rather useless to most bowlers. Quality across the product lines will go up, as will prices...since you're no longer getting a "better ball if you pay more money"...then all the balls will be about the same quality (with different specs) and will all cost about the same.

The better I get, the less appreciation I have for Pro level equipment. When I was "new", I needed the ball to help me hook. I needed a ball to hook sooner. Now, slightly better than I was before, I seem to be constantly searching for balls that go longer and snap harder...surface and early-hooking balls are increasingly useless and problematic.

With the idea of matching up balls with personal specs to certain lane applications, it seems the bowling centers lack of sharing the pattern information might be an obstacle to getting to that level.

With the Pro level balls, I can certainly agree, they have no real part in my game at this time. I have no need for a ball that moves 10 to 20 boards when you roll it straight. The medium level balls are perfectly fine for my use and the price is a little better.

[bigt_45]

It's like golf, rarely are guys good with really old junk in the bag and same goes for guys with brand new clubs every other month. Its a combination of both, along with a level of comfort and ability to adjust.