How weather affects the lanes

[Duke Harding]

Bowlers are accustomed to paying attention to their ball's surface, the lane surface, and the various oils that are used. Very little is written about how changes in climate also impact our bowling: ball surface, the lanes, lane oil, the pins, and our bodies.

Many things can happen with each change in the weather. I'll try to explain some of the more common ones, why they occur, and how they can vary with each bowler.

Pin reaction

Las Vegas draws a lot of tournament bowlers from all over the world, plus I do a lot of traveling in the U.S. and abroad, so it's an opportunity for me to discuss bowlers' experiences in many different climates and locales.

One of the most common discussions is about the way the pins fall differently here in the desert's "thin air", due to the lack of humidity.

Here are some things you expect to find when you move between high humidity and low humidity:

Air is thinner in higher altitudes and the pins have the tendency to jump up in the air as you hit the pocket.

My advice: Use softer arcing equipment to keep the pins grounded a little more. When you use a ball in thin air that jumps too hard on the back end, it brings down the percentage of carrying the corner pins.

When air is thicker it has more humidity. Pins in this environment have a tendency to do just the opposite of what they do in thinner air. They tend to lie down more on the deck. This allows a more snapping ball reaction, as opposed to an arcing reaction, and you have a better carry percentage.

Lane oil

There are many more varieties and brands of lane oil available these days than there were just a few years ago. Lane oil can be affected by the different climates and changes in weather. How the oil is stored makes the characteristics vary.
Proper storage of oil between uses is a very important detail and one that most proprietors adhere to, with very good reason. Oil that is stored at different temperatures, such as hot one time and cold another, will adhere to the lane differently. When oil is stored in a cool place it can be applied to the lane with a more consistent pattern. When oil is stored at warm temperatures it has a tendency to smear more on the lane when it is applied, creating an inconsistent oil pattern from lane to lane.

The time delay between lane oiling and bowling is very important. The majority of today's modern lane oils require a "gel" time to be able to set up properly on the lane. The gel time allows the oil to go from a "loose liquid" into a more firm "bonding" with the lane surface. When oil has time to sit properly on the lane it will create a more consistent oil pattern and for a longer period of time. On the other hand, when bowlers use lanes just after they have been oiled, the oil pattern has a tendency to break down very quickly and the oil will smear.

Lane surface

The temperature of the lane oil is just as important as the temperature of the lane surface itself. The leader in understanding temperature of the lanes surface and many other aspects of lane surface is Kegel. Their research has made the bowling industry aware of the importance of lane surface temperature during pre and post bowling.

Here are a few things to look for when bowling on oiled cool and warm lanes:

• The cooler the lane surface is when oiled, the more the oil has a chance to bond onto the lane properly. When oil is applied to a cooler lane surface, the oil is kept from migrating, due to the disruption of heat. An oil pattern applied to the cooler lane surface will be truer to the intended lane pattern characteristics.

[onefrombills]

this is something people dont understand as too why lanes 1+2 might be a bit dryer than 11-12 on a hot summmer day