new to the sport and forums need advice

[Hawkeye_90]

Hey guys I have just started bowling again in college . I bowled in high school with house balls probably averaged around 120-130. I am looking to get into bowling. What are some good entry level shoes and prices and good entry level balls? Do I want to start with a reactive ball right away? What is a good price for an entry level reactive ball? The local lane is medium oil. Any advice or you can give is most appreciated. Sorry for the 20 questions, I am just really excited about it.

btw I donno if height and weight make a difference in balls but if it does I am about 6ft 3in and about 240lbs. I am also left handed.

[Unclesalty]

YES you want a reactive ball right from the start. you won't regret it. Good entry balls would be, Columbia Burst or Freeze,or Brunswick Slingshot. Make sure you get it direct from your local Pro Shop Guy (Always support you local Pro Shop) You'll get better service and more time and attention. Hand fitting is key and needs to be done right. The Pro Shop Guy is your friend. Yes internet balls appear cheaper but they don't include drilling and fitting, inserts or thumb slugs and tips. Long story short, you'll get more from your PSG then you will online.

Good luck and keep knockin' em down!

[Hawkeye_90]

Is it better to buy the shoes first (I'm looking to at a pair for 40 bucks from the proshop made by etonics) or is it better to get the ball? At the moment I can only get one or the other because of the pocket book of a college student.

[Hawkeye_90]

How do you determine weight of the ball? Do you just take the weight of the house ball you normally use or do you decrease or increase that number for example I use about a 14 in house ball is that what I want in reactor?

[Unclesalty]

Wow, Ball or Shoes? Thats tough. The ball will help your game 10 fold while shoes will eliminate the rental fee. So I guess it's up to you. Either way, you will eventually want a pair of shoes that slide on one shoe and not on both ie. more expensive shoes.

ball weight is usually determined to be 10% of your body weight. Since they don't have 24lbs balls you would do well with a 16lbs. General rule is if you can hold it in a cupped wrist at your side for 10 seconds then the weight is ok.
Don't be too worried about going up in weight from 14#house ball to 16#. getting a ball drilled for your hand will make a huge difference as to how heavy it feels.
If you are planing to hook the ball then definitely get fingertip inserts. They really help.

[ffemtreed]

Most male adults usually play with a 15lb ball anymore, it used to be 16lb but more and more people are finding you can be more sucessful with a 15lb ball, as far I know most of the pros are dropping to a 15lb ball as well.

If money is short I would go with the shoes since they will save you money every time you go bowling. Use that savings to save up an get a reactive ball. Hang out at the bowling alley and make some friends, a lot of times people have old balls they will be willing to sell you cheap and then all you have to do is get it re drilled. In the pro shops where I live its usually more cost effective to buy an entry level new ball though since most shops include the drilling in the price of the ball. Also check out to see if there are any of last years models still on the shelf in the pro shop, they are usually willing to negotiate the price on those since they want to make room for the new balls.

Don't worry about brand for your first ball, all the name brands make good balls and there aren't really any bad balls out there. Once you get into your groove and style you can then look for a ball that complements your style.

[J Anderson]

Hey guys I have just started bowling again in college . I bowled in high school with house balls probably averaged around 120-130. I am looking to get into bowling. What are some good entry level shoes and prices and good entry level balls? Do I want to start with a reactive ball right away? What is a good price for an entry level reactive ball? The local lane is medium oil. Any advice or you can give is most appreciated. Sorry for the 20 questions, I am just really excited about it.

btw I donno if height and weight make a difference in balls but if it does I am about 6ft 3in and about 240lbs. I am also left handed.

I would start with the shoes since you will save the cost of the shoes in ten to fifteen weeks of not renting shoes and even the cheapest should last several years. While you save up for an entry level reactive resin ball you can work on your timing and arm swing. You want to get the basics down to the point that you do not have to think once your feet start moving.
You do need to get a reactive resin ball as soon as you can afford it. A symmetric core would be best as you will be able to tell right away if you have thrown it right.
Height and weight don't really matter, although with your size you should be throwing at least 14#. And even at 14# you might have a tendency to try and over muscle the ball.

[Hawkeye_90]

I talked with the local pro and he is willing to sell me the shoes etonics and the brunswick slingshot drilling and fingertip grips included. He is also going to give me a 10% discount giving me the ball and the shoes for 129.50. That's a good deal right?

[J Anderson]

I talked with the local pro and he is willing to sell me the shoes etonics and the brunswick slingshot drilling and fingertip grips included. He is also going to give me a 10% discount giving me the ball and the shoes for 129.50. That's a good deal right?

Seems like a very good deal to me, But the I live on the "Gold Coast" of Connecticut. Here a plug & re-drill is $50+tax, and a used reactive resin ball is about $80 including the drilling and grips.

[Unclesalty]

with that ball and those shoes for the price you should get a single ball bag too. At least thats the deal in this area of Cal.
I really think you are going to love that ball, nothing but good things is what i hear about it.