Is there a house that you just can't beat?

[Podunkparte]

I have 3 alleys pretty near me that I used to bowl at all the time for High School leagues. I bowl a league at 1 and just threw a 681 series Friday. The only one with open lanes today was one of the others, a Brunswick house that seems to pride itself on being pretty pro-style. They have PBA Experience leagues there.

Anyway, I went there today to throw a few games and couldn't believe how much my ball didn't work. Seriously, it wouldn't move on the lane. I throw a 16lb Storm X Factor Trifecta and I moved right to throw right down the second arrow and the ball still wouldn't turn into the pocket. It's not the ball or my approach. I've been doing this long enough to know that. I don't know, it was just so frustrating knowing that I'm usually a pretty good bowler yet I can't figure out why my equipment won't work here but fine everywhere else.

Couple that with a $4/game price and a machine that kept breaking down and it was a pretty awful day of bowling.

Any ideas on why these lanes don't work? I really don't think it was extreme oil conditions or anything to do with my equipment.

[mrbill]

It might be the oil or just that you where trying to hard and throwing it to hard...
I bowl almost every day and I still put up as my name on the score board as "Slow Walk"
I also use a 16lb jigsaw - ICON300 - Quantum.
And if I don't keep reminding myself to slow it down I have no chance of h00king the ball...
Good luck podunk and I hope this helps a bit....

[Podunkparte]

Thanks for the input. I also sometimes have the problem with speeding myself up, but today I slowed it way down and just cranked to see if I could get any reaction out of it and still nothing.

I'm thinking maybe the oil was just spread down the lane passed the 2/3 line. I'm also bathing my ball now for the first time ever and I have a lot of oil coming out. I'm planning on throwing 2 or 3 more games there tomorrow to see how much of a difference there is after the cleaning.

I have had success at this house before, but I just don't feel like I can consistently perform there as well as other houses. I'll update with what I see tomorrow.

Thanks again.

[Jord_84]

I don't usually have problems bowing in other houses. I bowled on wood lanes all through high school....and we used to joke that because the lanes were never the same, we were THE best team when it came to making adjustments. We were used to having to move.

My house upgraded to synthetic lanes my senior year. But since our mechanics are bone-heads and can't seem to ever put the same pattern down for leagues.....I'm still awesome at making adjustments.

edit* unless I get on lanes people have used for open bowling. The carry down screws with my hook big time.
That could have been the case for you.

[Stormed1]

It could also be the lane surface. Being a Brunswick center it may have the latest Pro-Anvilane which is a much harder surface and therefore will not have as much friction down lane. This will result in much less reaction down lane with older equipment

[Podunkparte]

Ok well I think I got the mystery at least partially solved. Here are the 5 games I bowled today:

215
217
220
245
234

My faith is restored!

[Paralipsis]

Haha, sounds like what happened to me. Borrowed my friends 14lb Ebonite The One and I managed to break three lanes. Well, the lanes decided to quit on me. First one, a pin managed to jam the pinsetter. The second, just decided to quit. And the third, well, even the management doesn't know what happened. I'm used to this ball as I use it on a semi-regular basis, and it wasn't breaking the way I was used to. I absolutely murdered my already terrible bowling score. Currently sitting at a 108.5. But, that's just practice rounds where I'm bowling with my dumb, this isn't serious, friends. Oh, and don't forget the fact, that the lane conditions were nearly 24 hours old and had 80+ kids from school bowling on them throughout the day.