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Thread: New to Bowling - Too Early for Second Ball?

  1. #1

    Default New to Bowling - Too Early for Second Ball?

    Sort of new to bowling. Played very minimally when I was young which exclusively consisted of me throwing a ball as hard as I could at the pins. Now much older and joined a league for some winter fun. I have maybe 35 games under my belt so far. The first few sessions were using a house ball without much break until I finally got my own ball a few weeks ago. It is described by the manufacturer as a Lower-Mid Performance ball http://www.columbia300.com/products/...ck-blue-bronze . I went from very little hook in my first few practice sessions to a decent amount of hook simply by watching some slow motion videos of professionals.

    Earlier this week I had a situation where I lost my hook. Thinking it was my technique I tried to correct it through 4 games with not much luck. In the 5th game I gave up and started working from the far side of the lane (far right as a right handed bowler). Suddenly there was my hook again. Moved back left and the hook disappeared, back to the right there it was. So I'm thinking the right side of the lane was much dryer than the left.

    That brings me to the question of is it too early for a second ball, that is rated as higher performance, that might work when I come across that type of lane condition (assuming my assessment was correct)? The second part is how to pick a ball that is good step up from what I am currently using? I see the Perfect Strike rating on this site but am too new to understand exactly how that would translate from my current ball to a higher rating (152 is the Perfect Strike rating for my current ball).

  2. #2
    SandBagger drlawsoniii's Avatar
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    your mechanics and hand are likely to change a lot in your first year, I'd hold off a while before investing in another ball.
    Rolling: Storm Snap Lock, Track Kinetic Emerald, Columbia 300 Freeze, and Pyramid Path Spare

  3. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by drlawsoniii View Post
    your mechanics and hand are likely to change a lot in your first year, I'd hold off a while before investing in another ball.
    Agreed. I've been bowling a little over a year and I am still seeing changes. I actually blamed the ball early on and went on a buying spree. After I got with a couple of coaches (who were running a summer clinic), I finally understood how it wasn't the ball but the guy attached to it.

  4. #4
    Bowling Guru
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    35 games is way too soon to be buying another strike ball, although it is enough time, if you haven’t been good about wiping the ball off after shots and cleaning it before you put it away for it to start losing a bit of its performance.

    If you happen to have some money burning a hole in your pocket, or want to put something bowling related on your list for Santa, you buy or ask for a polyester ball, like a T-Zone or a White Dot to use on spares.
    John

  5. #5

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    Take the money that you're considering spending on a new ball, and spend it on a couple of lessons with a qualified coach instead. It will be the best decision you ever made.

  6. #6

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    OK, too early for a second ball and I will become more religious about wiping and cleaning the ball. I wish the Pro Shop I bought the ball at would have mentioned that to me.

    Lessons seem harder to come by than I expected. I inquired at the lanes where I purchased the ball but they seemed put off by me even asking the question. The other lanes close to me don't seem to offer lessons either. I will have to ask some players when my league starts in a few weeks. I did find one place that is a bit of a drive but the lessons seem more advanced than I would need at this point (3 hour lesson).

  7. #7

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    Check out the USBC website: bowl.com. Under the "search for" feature near the top of the page, look for a certified coach in your area (by zip code). Coaches are rarely attached to a particular bowling center, but there may be several in your area.

  8. #8

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    Not a lot of options there but at least a few. I had assumed there would be a large number of options like for golf instruction but that does not appear to be the case.

    At one of the alley's this weekend I see they are having a ball demo in early January for 4 different brands. My father mentioned he is thinking of getting a new ball so I told him I would pay his registration fee of $15 (which he gets back if he buys a ball in XX number of days). I'm thinking I will register as well just to satisfy my curiosity about a few things ball related.

  9. #9
    Ringer
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    make sure you keep posting and keep an eye on the contests and givaways section. you may just win yourself a new ball.
    in the bag Pyramid Pathogen X, Ebonite Purple Stinger, Elite polyester spare ball
    Southpaw

  10. #10

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    It only takes one quality coach to teach you the correct fundamentals and or suggest changes that make drastic improvements in your game.

    You can always buy more balls but coaching will help you improve more rapidly than experimenting on what works on your own will.

    After coaching you will need practice to ingrain what you have learned and make it a habit/

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