This ball is just not right for me - what next?

[taxexpert2]

I have come to the conclusion that the new ball I purchased is just not the right ball for me. I think I will talk to the pro shop and see what they suggest but it has never really felt right and despite getting a few 200 games on it, it (or probably me) is inconsistent and I am very unhappy. Have others had this happen? It is just so different from any other balls I have used.

[J Anderson]

I have come to the conclusion that the new ball I purchased is just not the right ball for me. I think I will talk to the pro shop and see what they suggest but it has never really felt right and despite getting a few 200 games on it, it (or probably me) is inconsistent and I am very unhappy. Have others had this happen? It is just so different from any other balls I have used.

Most of the time when I run into bowlers suffering from buyers remorse, it's because they bought a ball for the wrong reason. Most often that they just wanted a new bakk even though they were still getting good carry from the old ones. When you do actually need a new ball, either to replace one that used to work well or to give you a better option for certain lane conditions, getting the advice of a PSO who knows your game can be all you need to make a choice. If you don't have a PSO that you can trust, then you need to do some research.

What worries me is that you say, "...it has never really felt right...". This makes it sound like the ball is not drilled the same as your other ones. While the span and hole sizes may be the same, the pitches may be different causing it to feel wrong. Since the finger and thumb pitches can affect the release this may be the cause of your inconsistency. Even if the pitches aren't directly affecting your release, the sense of it feeling different may be causing an inconsistent release. I would start with having the grip double checked, posibly by someone other than the original driller.

If the fit is right, then talk to the PSO about getting something that works better with the way you play your local lanes.

[RobLV1]

...or change the surface 7 or 8 times until you find one that works.

[bowl1820]

Have others had this happen?

In a way, years back I got a MoRich Labyrinth and that ball did nothing when I first got it. I changed surfaces but that didn't help, the problem was the layout.

The bowtie was right dead in the middle of my middle finger hole, I had similar layouts on my other balls at the time and they didn't track like that on the ball.

So we plugged and changed the layout based on the info in the MoRich drilling instructions of the time. Which made a big difference, the bowtie moved away from the hole and the ball was hooking a ton.

[Blomer]

This is why having the right PSO is important. They should know how you bowl and the pieces you are ad have to suggest what works best for you. Some PSOs wlll see you wha you want even if you dont need it because it's a sale or it's something they have been trying to get rid of. But a good PSO will see you on your needs. My guy will tell me if the ball s right for me or not. He knows what I got, know how I roll it, and knows my needs.

[Timmyb]

I won a Brunswick Melee Hook on here. Gave it away after about 6 months. I could not get that thing to work. My Black Widow is entirely different. After a week I knew I was in tall cotton.

[KYDave]

I have now attended 3 different ball demos (1 motiv, 2 EBI) and love going to them. You can try before you buy and I have learned there are balls that are ok, some not so good, and some great for how I bowl.

I would recommend trying to go to one of these if possible.

If I remember, isn't this a 14lb vs rest of your balls 15lb? Maybe a timing issue? I think Rob had a good suggestion of trying different surfaces on the ball to see if that helps before you abandon ship.

Good luck!

[bigt_45]

What is the layout? Is it way different from your norm?

[Tony]

I have come to the conclusion that the new ball I purchased is just not the right ball for me. I think I will talk to the pro shop and see what they suggest but it has never really felt right and despite getting a few 200 games on it, it (or probably me) is inconsistent and I am very unhappy. Have others had this happen? It is just so different from any other balls I have used.

Going back to the PSO and telling him how the ball feels and what it's doing is exactly what you should do, there are a number of potential issues with the ball that could be some of the cause, also don't overlook the fact it could you also causing part of the issue. With some of the ball experts around here it might be a good idea to include the model of ball as well as the other balls you regularly throw to see what surface changes might be worth trying.....
If in the end you can't make it work, I'm sure one of your buddies will give you a few bucks for the ball.....or you can send it to me

[chip82901]

I've never been big on changing surfaces (just a personal thing), but I have on certain balls. I have also had a few balls that just DID NOT WORK for me (ebonite mission 2.0 comes to mind first and foremost). Luckily, the way I got the mission 2.0, I wasn't out any money (won city tourney scratch, cracked out 2 Hammer Jigsaw Corner's and my alley had issues with ordering another from CBS and had the 2.0 in stock). None the less, if it's a feel issue, definitely have pitches checked. If it's just not reacting how you would like, or rolling weird, could be the layout or the surface.