Getting re-fitted tomorrow

[boatman37]

Tough night. Won 2 of 3. Went in early to practice and was striking from everywhere. Once league started I struggled. Had very little miss room. Used the Altered Reality the first 2 games then the Raw Hammer pearl the last game. Probably should have stayed with the AR the last game but I had to be perfect with it but same with the Raw Hammer too. 8 of the 10 of us struggled. Teammate rolled a 300 the first game. His 2nd ever and finished with a 750 (195 average bowler). A guy on the other team rolled a 705 but he is a 230 average so not a 'great' night for him. Aside from that the rest of us were all below average on the night. PSO and the center owner are on that team.
For me it just seemed like I had to be spot on. Miss 1 board left and I'm a little light and 1 board right and a little high. And when I say light and high they still look like good pocket shots, just not getting the carry. I tried the Altered Reality from the 5 board in to the 13 board with pinky tucked and untucked. Tried the Raw Hammer from the 5 board to the 10 board with pinky tucked and untucked. Made no difference. I did realize I was throwing a little harder than I usually do but the lanes were hooking pretty hard. Of the 30 games bowled on our pair tonight our team only had 4 games that were over our averages and the other team only had 5 games that was over their averages so only 9 of 30 games were at their averages so that tells me it had more to do with the lanes than it did me. Especially when I bowled so well in practice. That doesn't excuse my missed spares. Both 7 pins I missed were just barely to the inside. So close I thought for sure I had them but then I made an adjustment and made the next 4 I left. The other spares I missed were either splits or not so easy spares except the 6 pin on my last ball of the night but I only half-hearted that one since we won that game by about 100 and I just wanted to get out of there.

Supposed to bowl in a tournament this Sunday. It's the sport shot tourney with a 43' pattern unless they change it. Grabbed my Kingpin from storage tonight in case I need it. Last tournament I entered there nothing I had would hook except the Kingpin and it was the best ball for me that day but I think the Altered Reality will be good too. The Kingpin has a 500 surface but the pad was slightly worn.

[boatman37]

Seems like the last 2 weeks lanes were very touchy but also seems i am throwing harder than usual. Wonder if there is a correlation? been afraid to slow it down cause the lanes are hooking so hard but just wondering if i slow it down will it help that?

[boatman37]

Well went in early for practice and tried slowing down and moving right. Was able to stand 35 and target 20 and get back to the pocket. Speed was pretty slow, like 14.8 to get it back but was striking when I did. Wasn't consistent but that will come. But in doing that I moved forward about 12" on the approach and it felt better for some reason. Stuck with that all night. Was 3/3 on 7 pins in the 2 practice games then 1 for 1 in league. Looked back and counting the tournament Sunday I have made my last 13 7 pins so that's good news. But have missed too many others that I shouldn't be missing.
Tonight I used the Altered Reality all 3 games and only moved 1 board right. 2nd game was due to bad shot placement, not transition. My speed was critical tonight though. I was around 15.2 all night. If I got over about 15.5 I was light and under 15 and I went through the nose.
The whole team killed it tonight so the lanes were prime for high scores.

Tonight:
225
180
243

648

[Aslan]

It's interesting that the PSO drilled you the Altered Reality.

Backstory:
I recently gave up on my "Closet of Destiny" approach to bowling ball purchases and use a spec-based selection matrix to determine the best balls on the market for each slot in my arsenal. I recently ran those numbers because I plan on getting at least a couple balls for the start of summer season. The Matrix produced the following results:

Ball #1: Hammer Obsession
Ball #2: Storm IQ Tour
Ball #3: Brunswick Twist
Ball #4: 900 Global Altered Reality

Now, what is "Ball #4"?

Ball #4 is the "skid/flip" ball. It's the ball used to battle "carrydown".

What is "carry down" and does it really exist in today's game?

"Carrydown" is oil that is essentially "dragged" (or carried) from the more condensed area of the pattern to the drier part of the lanes. It was more prevalent in the days before reactive resin balls when rubber, plastic, and urethane balls would pick up and re-deposit that oil or push it around. Does it still exist? Debateable.

If you ask "old timers" and some professionals...they will say it certainly does in "some degree".
If you ask moderate bowling experts (like RobM) and other professionals...they will say it either doesn't exist at all or exists at a virtually non-existent level that can be all but ignored.

I actually tend to believe carry down exists...because plastic balls are used to shoot corner pins and bowlers leave a LOT of corner pins. There also is a resurgence in urethane ball usage recently...especially among 2-handers. So, you kinda gotta gauge who you're playing against and how many bowlers you're bowling against...but I think carry down 'can' be a thing in a 4 or 5 person league and/or if you have 1-2 bowlers (same hand as you) throwing urethane.

All that explanation aside...why does all that matter?

The "Ball #4/Skid/Flip Ball" should be the ball you use around Game 2, 3, 4. The lanes get chewed up a little...oil gets carried down toward the breakpoint...and you need a ball that is going to ignore that chewed up area and still have a ton of energy to make that hard, angular, backend motion at the breakpoint.

Where I would "question" this ball choice for you is:

1) You're a lefty. Carrydown should RARELY be an issue for a lefty. Not enough other lefties bowling against you to push oil to the breakpoint.

2) You're using it as a Ball #1...right out of the gate. It's a polished pearl...a low RG assymetric core with a fairly high differential. Until the OOB surface starts to wear off, the ball is likely to go too long and be too unpredictable in early games.

None of these issue will matter once the polish wears off and the 1500 surface starts to work it's way to 3000-4000. Actually, once it gets to 3000-4000...it'll should be a really great ball to start with...much more controllable. I used my Reaxx Pearl as a Ball #1 and a Thug Life as a Ball #1...both surface at 1000-3000 and they had similar specs to the Altered Reality. The Reaxx Pearl at 3000 was one of the best balls I ever used.

But, I think (and this is just me making a prediction...you can tell me if I'm right or wrong based on what you see on the lanes)...

...you're gonna struggle to throw it as far outside as you normally like to play (because it's too strong on the backend).

...and it's going to be very 'jumpy' when you move inside...especially in early games...because there just isn't any oil downlane to calm it down.

...look for higher scores in later games, when you bowl other lefties, bowl on longer patterns, and look for your Game 1 and Game 2 scores to start improving as the OOB surface wears off.

I forgot to warn RobM not to read this. I may have made his head explode 2-3 times.

[boatman37]

It's interesting that the PSO drilled you the Altered Reality.

Backstory:
I recently gave up on my "Closet of Destiny" approach to bowling ball purchases and use a spec-based selection matrix to determine the best balls on the market for each slot in my arsenal. I recently ran those numbers because I plan on getting at least a couple balls for the start of summer season. The Matrix produced the following results:

Ball #1: Hammer Obsession
Ball #2: Storm IQ Tour
Ball #3: Brunswick Twist
Ball #4: 900 Global Altered Reality

Now, what is "Ball #4"?

Ball #4 is the "skid/flip" ball. It's the ball used to battle "carrydown".

What is "carry down" and does it really exist in today's game?

"Carrydown" is oil that is essentially "dragged" (or carried) from the more condensed area of the pattern to the drier part of the lanes. It was more prevalent in the days before reactive resin balls when rubber, plastic, and urethane balls would pick up and re-deposit that oil or push it around. Does it still exist? Debateable.

If you ask "old timers" and some professionals...they will say it certainly does in "some degree".
If you ask moderate bowling experts (like RobM) and other professionals...they will say it either doesn't exist at all or exists at a virtually non-existent level that can be all but ignored.

I actually tend to believe carry down exists...because plastic balls are used to shoot corner pins and bowlers leave a LOT of corner pins. There also is a resurgence in urethane ball usage recently...especially among 2-handers. So, you kinda gotta gauge who you're playing against and how many bowlers you're bowling against...but I think carry down 'can' be a thing in a 4 or 5 person league and/or if you have 1-2 bowlers (same hand as you) throwing urethane.

All that explanation aside...why does all that matter?

The "Ball #4/Skid/Flip Ball" should be the ball you use around Game 2, 3, 4. The lanes get chewed up a little...oil gets carried down toward the breakpoint...and you need a ball that is going to ignore that chewed up area and still have a ton of energy to make that hard, angular, backend motion at the breakpoint.

Where I would "question" this ball choice for you is:

1) You're a lefty. Carrydown should RARELY be an issue for a lefty. Not enough other lefties bowling against you to push oil to the breakpoint.

2) You're using it as a Ball #1...right out of the gate. It's a polished pearl...a low RG assymetric core with a fairly high differential. Until the OOB surface starts to wear off, the ball is likely to go too long and be too unpredictable in early games.

None of these issue will matter once the polish wears off and the 1500 surface starts to work it's way to 3000-4000. Actually, once it gets to 3000-4000...it'll should be a really great ball to start with...much more controllable. I used my Reaxx Pearl as a Ball #1 and a Thug Life as a Ball #1...both surface at 1000-3000 and they had similar specs to the Altered Reality. The Reaxx Pearl at 3000 was one of the best balls I ever used.

But, I think (and this is just me making a prediction...you can tell me if I'm right or wrong based on what you see on the lanes)...

...you're gonna struggle to throw it as far outside as you normally like to play (because it's too strong on the backend).

...and it's going to be very 'jumpy' when you move inside...especially in early games...because there just isn't any oil downlane to calm it down.

...look for higher scores in later games, when you bowl other lefties, bowl on longer patterns, and look for your Game 1 and Game 2 scores to start improving as the OOB surface wears off.

I forgot to warn RobM not to read this. I may have made his head explode 2-3 times.

When I got this ball I was looking for a Storm and went to a new PSO. It was 2 days after x-mas so inventory was low and my mindset was to let them tell me what I needed instead of me trying to outsmart myself. Since inventory was low he remembered he had this Altered Reality in the back that someone had ordered for x-mas but it didn't come in in time so the guy cancelled. Not knowing anything about the ball I asked if he thought it would work for me and he said he though it would. He drilled it 45 x 4 x 30 saying it should start reading midlane with a pretty aggressive backend. The odd thing is that this ball has been so versatile that I can throw way outside and the hook is tamed down. I'm not doing anything different with my release. Tuesday night I targeted the 6-ish board (at the arrows) all night. Never moved my target. In game 3 I did have to move my feet 1 board right but that was the only adjustment I made all night. My speeds were actually slower than usual all nigh too. There have been a couple of nights where that far out didn't work but that was on practice lanes which are typically drier than our league pairs. At that point I move in to the 2nd arrow and all is good again. I have moved as far in as the20 board but I'm inconsistent there so it may be the ball too but I'm not hitting the same spot consistently from that far in.

If you watch the reviews on the AR many are saying to start with the AR then ball down to the Wolverine. Have also heard to possibly start with the Idol Helios then the AR then the Wolverine but of course that all depends on the bowler and conditions. For me this ball works great whether it's the 1st game or 3rd game. In fact the first time I used it I rolled 669 and my 3rd game was only 201 and I regretted either not making a bigger move in or balling down . The next 2 weeks we had bad lane conditions and everyone on our pairs struggled. But then the other night it felt the same all 3 games. I rolled 225, 180 and 243. The 180 was just a few bad shots that were my fault and a few missed spares. If I put it where I wanted it I was striking.
I'm sure there will be nights where the AR just doesn't match up but so far this has been the most versatile ball I have ever had.
Also, if you look at the ball specs it indicates it is a heavy oil ball. All that said, I have been told our THS is a little shorter than most, like closer to 38'. I did throw it in a tournament the other day with a 43' less than 2:1 shot and although I sucked, I sucked with every ball I threw...lol. It was probably a little better than any other ball I had with me.

EDIT: I have to stand 2 boards further right with the Altered Reality than I do with my Uppercut, Igniter or Raw Hammer pearl. I can usually get away with standing in the same spot just that they start hooking in different areas or one maybe having more backend, etc. But no way can I stand in the same spot with this ball or it goes Brooklyn

[boatman37]

When I got this ball I was looking for a Storm and went to a new PSO. It was 2 days after x-mas so inventory was low and my mindset was to let them tell me what I needed instead of me trying to outsmart myself. Since inventory was low he remembered he had this Altered Reality in the back that someone had ordered for x-mas but it didn't come in in time so the guy cancelled. Not knowing anything about the ball I asked if he thought it would work for me and he said he though it would. He drilled it 45 x 4 x 30 saying it should start reading midlane with a pretty aggressive backend. The odd thing is that this ball has been so versatile that I can throw way outside and the hook is tamed down. I'm not doing anything different with my release. Tuesday night I targeted the 6-ish board (at the arrows) all night. Never moved my target. In game 3 I did have to move my feet 1 board right but that was the only adjustment I made all night. My speeds were actually slower than usual all nigh too. There have been a couple of nights where that far out didn't work but that was on practice lanes which are typically drier than our league pairs. At that point I move in to the 2nd arrow and all is good again. I have moved as far in as the20 board but I'm inconsistent there so it may be the ball too but I'm not hitting the same spot consistently from that far in.

If you watch the reviews on the AR many are saying to start with the AR then ball down to the Wolverine. Have also heard to possibly start with the Idol Helios then the AR then the Wolverine but of course that all depends on the bowler and conditions. For me this ball works great whether it's the 1st game or 3rd game. In fact the first time I used it I rolled 669 and my 3rd game was only 201 and I regretted either not making a bigger move in or balling down . The next 2 weeks we had bad lane conditions and everyone on our pairs struggled. But then the other night it felt the same all 3 games. I rolled 225, 180 and 243. The 180 was just a few bad shots that were my fault and a few missed spares. If I put it where I wanted it I was striking.
I'm sure there will be nights where the AR just doesn't match up but so far this has been the most versatile ball I have ever had.
Also, if you look at the ball specs it indicates it is a heavy oil ball. All that said, I have been told our THS is a little shorter than most, like closer to 38'. I did throw it in a tournament the other day with a 43' less than 2:1 shot and although I sucked, I sucked with every ball I threw...lol. It was probably a little better than any other ball I had with me.

EDIT: I have to stand 2 boards further right with the Altered Reality than I do with my Uppercut, Igniter or Raw Hammer pearl. I can usually get away with standing in the same spot just that they start hooking in different areas or one maybe having more backend, etc. But no way can I stand in the same spot with this ball or it goes Brooklyn

I would suggest if you want the Altered Reality to get it first then see how it rolls before buying the others. When they told me it was a pearl I was thinking it wouldn't be great early on but so far it hasn't disappointed me. This is my first Storm product and the first that I had drilled using my PAP so maybe that's why it's so much better or maybe it'd the ball itself but it's different than I had expected (pleasantly)

[Aslan]

I would suggest if you want the Altered Reality to get it first then see how it rolls before buying the others. When they told me it was a pearl I was thinking it wouldn't be great early on but so far it hasn't disappointed me. This is my first Storm product and the first that I had drilled using my PAP so maybe that's why it's so much better or maybe it'd the ball itself but it's different than I had expected (pleasantly)

I'm sure it 'could' be thrown as a 'Ball #1' option. Like I said, if the surface was 1000-3000...it really doesn't matter if it's a pearl or a solid. I've thrown pearls as Ball #1s.

For ME...the skid/flip ball (Ball #4) is the ball where I really have to do a lot of upkeep on the surface. I have to maintain the surface to keep it polished because I'm intentionally trying to get it to ge longer and use it at a time when the lanes have been chewed up a little. The other balls in the arsenal are a little less "picky" about the surface because they are just balling down from one to the other to the other. I try to resurface them periodically, but it's not a huge deal.

However, with the skid/flip ball...for the reasons I explained...I need to keep that ball polished because by the time it comes out...I'm expecting the fronts to be chewed up and expecting a little bit of oil to be carried down to the breakpoint. If those two factors don't exist, the ball will likely not perform well for me because it will either go too long or it will be too jumpy.

I'm looking forward to trying it (should it still be at the top of the list when I buy 2 more balls in the fall). The specs are definitely ideal and match up well with other balls I've thrown well. I don't see starting out with it as Ball #1 like you do...but we have very different games. While we have simlar rev rates and are both speed dominant...you're a lefty and therefore are able to start out near 1st arrow. Despite my rev limitations, I'm always trying to get inside of 2nd arrow because (as a righty) there's just way too much traffic in that 7-9 area. I'd need something very polished or a much higher RG option to play out there and hope to carry the 10-pin.

[boatman37]

I'm sure it 'could' be thrown as a 'Ball #1' option. Like I said, if the surface was 1000-3000...it really doesn't matter if it's a pearl or a solid. I've thrown pearls as Ball #1s.

For ME...the skid/flip ball (Ball #4) is the ball where I really have to do a lot of upkeep on the surface. I have to maintain the surface to keep it polished because I'm intentionally trying to get it to ge longer and use it at a time when the lanes have been chewed up a little. The other balls in the arsenal are a little less "picky" about the surface because they are just balling down from one to the other to the other. I try to resurface them periodically, but it's not a huge deal.

However, with the skid/flip ball...for the reasons I explained...I need to keep that ball polished because by the time it comes out...I'm expecting the fronts to be chewed up and expecting a little bit of oil to be carried down to the breakpoint. If those two factors don't exist, the ball will likely not perform well for me because it will either go too long or it will be too jumpy.

I'm looking forward to trying it (should it still be at the top of the list when I buy 2 more balls in the fall). The specs are definitely ideal and match up well with other balls I've thrown well. I don't see starting out with it as Ball #1 like you do...but we have very different games. While we have simlar rev rates and are both speed dominant...you're a lefty and therefore are able to start out near 1st arrow. Despite my rev limitations, I'm always trying to get inside of 2nd arrow because (as a righty) there's just way too much traffic in that 7-9 area. I'd need something very polished or a much higher RG option to play out there and hope to carry the 10-pin.

For me the AR isn't as much skid/flip as some of my other pearls. My Black Widow Gold, Brunswick Igniter and Raw Hammer pearl all go longer than the AR but the AR is pretty aggressive once it hits friction. The BWG is asym too but the other 2 are symmetrical. To me it seems like the AR is similar to my Conspiracy solid for the first 40' or so then more like my Igniter the last 20'. My axis rotation is about 75* so I naturally get more skid than many others but this ball with the layout thats on it lets it start reading earlier. The day I got it I wasn't able to target the 7 board but I was at a house I had never been to before and who knows what was on the lane before me.

Here is a video of that day. I recorded it with Hudl Technique and it automatically put it in slo-mo through the middle part and there was a lady beside me that came up after I was starting to take my first step so I stopped and let her go ahead:

[boatman37]

Well not so good tonight. 2 practice games went well but league was tough again. My accuracy wasn't the beast but had a tight line. Used the Altered reality the first game then switched to the Raw Hammer pearl. Neither was great. Stayed clean in game 1 then game 2 struck every shot in the right lane but no strikes in the left lane and 1 open. Game 3 was just rough. My accuracy really struggled and left a few opens. On a positive note I was 3/3 on 7 pins in league and made all of them in practice too so I have made my last 19 or 20 pins in a row so hoping to keep that going.

200, 198, 169 (567)

[boatman37]

Another tough night. We did win all 3 so that was good but pretty sure this Altered Reality needs freshened up. Have about 35 games on it and had a few pocket hits tonight with 8 and 9 counts. Had a pocket 7-10, pocket 9, last frame of the night threw it the same as I had been and could have swore it was my spare ball. Never hooked at all. Guy next to me has an AR also and agreed it was very weird to see that ball not hook. Didn't even make it back to the head pin.
Had made about 23 7 pins in a row including practice until tonight. Went 2/3 tonight. Spare game has been much better but can't strike.

We just started the last 3rd and took all 3 so we are at least tied for 1st right now...lol