Approaches

[fordman1]

Is it just me or are the approaches much tackier than they used to be? I remember when there weren't any changeable soles and bowlers still were able to slide if they wanted to. Now with out special soles it is impossible. I still have a pair of Linds and they won't slid at all. Yet old videos of Marshall Holman show him sliding a foot. We kept our wooden approaches when we went to synthetic lanes.
Can anyone explain this? I know sliding is old school but Planting isn't for old people anymore.

[RobLV1]

Has it been particularly humid? High humidity will make the approaches sticky.

[ALazySavage]

I looked at the Dearborn, Michigan forecast and it does appear that there is rain in the forecast so maybe humidity is playing a factor. Is this something that you notice a large portion of bowlers at the house are experiencing? If this appears to be more specific to your experience there may be a timing issue of some sort that is causing you to engage the brake of your shoe sooner than you would like.

[Aslan]

Radny Pederson talked about the approaches at the center he either owns or bowls at...and how when the humidity rises...the approaches get almost unbearably sticky. There are things the center can do to counter it. They can buff the approaches...or they can just turn up the AC...both will take care of the humidity issue.

[chip82901]

My home center has a humidity issue. I live in what we call an desert tundra (Southwest Wyoming). It is relatively dry here for the most part, but this year, we experienced an unusual amount of snow. It did make for a bit tackier approaches all season (went from a 6 pad to an 8, nothing too crazy). Also, during the summer, my house is still old school and uses a swamp cooler. It does almost make it unbearable to bowl during the summer, but if you have interchangable soles, you can usually find the right combo

[Aslan]

(went from a 6 pad to an 8, nothing too crazy)...but if you have interchangable soles, you can usually find the right combo

I can usually get away with an S8 sliding sole and an H6 heel (with S4 leading edge). On Tuesdays, the approaches are a little tackier so I go up to an S9 sole and was using the H6 heel with S6 leading edge....but I've had to move to an H7 recently with the temperatures going up (80s and 90s lately).

It's great having interchangeable soles/heels...BUT:
1) I ordered my Pyramid shoes a half size too big and a little too wide...so the fit isn't perfect.
2) Changing the heels is a *****. The soles come on and off rather easily...but the heels are stuck on there pretty good.

[Amyers]

One of the houses here has this issue I just refuse to bowl there because of it. The issue is the center not properly maintaining the air temp/humidity it being an issue for a while occasionally is happenstance it being that way on a regular basis is bs. I've tuned down 3 offers to bowl league in that house because of it. It's a shame otherwise one of the nicer houses in the area.

[fordman1]

"Is it just me or are the approaches much tackier than they used to be?"
Sorry for misleading everyone I meant over the last decade. I understand humidity and weather can cause problems. It just seems that over the years the approaches have gotten stickier. Very few bowlers slide. Go look at old shows and Marshall slides a foot. That was before the new shoes were even invented. Is it because so many bowlers are using those rubber soles and leaving the residue on the approach? I stick so much anymore I am afraid to attack the foul line. I end up on my tip toe or falling off the shot arms flapping. Did anything change on the wooden approachs? We bought the approaches from the now defunct Taylor lanes they are 20 years newer and have not been sanded very much. I think they only resurfaced them 10 times in 40 years. Plus they are going to be put in back in front so they should be in really good shape very few balls are dropped in the back. Just need to move the dots to the other end.

[J Anderson]

"Is it just me or are the approaches much tackier than they used to be?"
Sorry for misleading everyone I meant over the last decade. I understand humidity and weather can cause problems. It just seems that over the years the approaches have gotten stickier. Very few bowlers slide. Go look at old shows and Marshall slides a foot. That was before the new shoes were even invented. Is it because so many bowlers are using those rubber soles and leaving the residue on the approach? I stick so much anymore I am afraid to attack the foul line. I end up on my tip toe or falling off the shot arms flapping. Did anything change on the wooden approachs? We bought the approaches from the now defunct Taylor lanes they are 20 years newer and have not been sanded very much. I think they only resurfaced them 10 times in 40 years. Plus they are going to be put in back in front so they should be in really good shape very few balls are dropped in the back. Just need to move the dots to the other end.

I think it may be a case of centers trying to reduce costs. When I started bowling they used to dust mop the approaches between leagues. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen the dust mop in action in the last nine years, and I'm often at the alley four times per week. That's four times as often as when I used to see the approaches get mopped.

[Timmyb]

"Is it just me or are the approaches much tackier than they used to be?"
Sorry for misleading everyone I meant over the last decade. I understand humidity and weather can cause problems. It just seems that over the years the approaches have gotten stickier. Very few bowlers slide. Go look at old shows and Marshall slides a foot. That was before the new shoes were even invented. Is it because so many bowlers are using those rubber soles and leaving the residue on the approach? I stick so much anymore I am afraid to attack the foul line. I end up on my tip toe or falling off the shot arms flapping. Did anything change on the wooden approachs? We bought the approaches from the now defunct Taylor lanes they are 20 years newer and have not been sanded very much. I think they only resurfaced them 10 times in 40 years. Plus they are going to be put in back in front so they should be in really good shape very few balls are dropped in the back. Just need to move the dots to the other end.

I think it's a synthetic thing. The house I was at this last season has wood approaches, and there was never a problem, even on the most humid days. I'm moving to a different center that's been known to be a little tacky at times. Only once was it so bad I wouldn't bowl. The owner has told me he does his best to keep the air management as consistent as possible, but you can only do so much on bad days. I also think a lot of houses could do a better job cleaning as well. I bowled at one house and looked at my shoes after a few shots, and there was glitter impregnated into my heels. Needless to say, I was a little pissed.

I use an S9 slide almost exclusively, except for one house, where I drop to an 8.