I know me, RobM, and Amyers have beat this topic to death over the years...but the way I think about it is this:
Bowling ball selection is like club selection in golf.
Everyone has a bag of clubs...each club is meant to do something different (and like bowling, very much related to distance).
Most golfers start out with their driver and finish with their putter. Over the course of their 2-14 shots they take on each hole...they "PROGRESS" through their bag. Very rarely, would they start with a driver, then use a 5 iron, then get closer to the hole and use a driver. The clubs go up in number the closer you get to the hole...until you're using a pitching or sand wedge...then a putter.
Does that mean you ALWAYS start with a driver? No. Some holes are very short...and even the oldest, female, weaker golfers would need to use something other than a driver. Some guys (and gals) have such a good swing, that they are better off starting with a 4 iron off the tee than a driver for even shorter par 4 holes. Or SOMETIMES...you have to play a hole by landing a shot somewhere near a dog leg...not drive the whole distance of the hole.
Can you learn from what other golfers are doing? Sure. There's been many a time I've grabbed one iron and then notice that other players were using a certain iron and I thought..."hmmm...maybe I should get something else."
Does that mean, before every hole, I take out every club from driver to putter...take a few swings with each...and figure out what the best club to tee off with is?? Ideally, that would be nice...but practically speaking...no, of course we don't. The clubs are numbered to give us a roadmap. Our strength and ability are going to vary...so that just because I am golfing with Tiger Woods and he uses a 7 iron when he's 195 out...doesn't mean I should use a 7-iron when I'm 195 yards out.
So...you have to think about it in terms of extremes. Is it good to be a golfer that ALWAYS starts with their driver...whether it's a 660 yard par 6 or a 90 yard par3? Of course not. That's just stupidity. But if you're playing a course where every hole is 330 yards...no dog legs or trees...wouldn't you start with your driver on every hole...just because you know you can't hit your 3-wood 300 yards? Would you switch from a driver to a 5-iron because Tom Daly just teed off with a 5 iron and drilled the ball 250 yards?
Now, in my case, I illegally carry 4 drivers...so I may have some options on the tee boxes based on topography...but thats just me.
Likewise...if your arsenal is built like a golf bag...where you move left (or right for the disabled LHers out there) and ball down...is it really valuable...on a league night (NOT a tournament)...at a house you play every week or twice a week...to try every ball in your bag during the 10 minute practice?? Probably not. If you're lucky in practice...and you make good shots...and you get to throw more than 3 balls...and you're bowling against players with similar equipment and similar physical characteristics...and a similar path to the breakpoint....'maybe' you see something that makes you think you might want to start with Ball #2 instead of Ball #1...but unless the oil machine broke or a pipe burst under the lane...or they forgot to oil...or something funky happened...that THS isn't changing dramatically week-to-week...so neither should your ball selection process. IMO.
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