Balls I've thrown with a 2.57 RG or greater:
- Brunswick Slingshot
- Track 300A
......that's it.
Similarities? Those are both entry-level balls with no power...good on dry conditions...as a starter ball. Does that mean they're "bad"? No. actually, for the $55 I paid for it...the Slingshot was a great ball...for $55. Many people loved the Slingshot...it had a nice little flare on the backend...it was decent. And, if I'm on burnt conditions...5-6 games into a tournament...the 300A does really well. Very controllable ball.
How you got a polished Honey Badger with a 2.57 RG to overhook....I have no idea.
What it "sounds" like to me...and please correct me if I am insinterpreting the facts...
A) You are a beginning level bowler...and as you've been improving...you have been learning about oil transition...and how to move left to keep your ball hitting the pocket.
B) You noticed, once you got far enough inside...with a bigger angle...your balls you were using wouldn't make the turn.
C) You (correctly) decided you needed a ball that was stronger on the backend...but wouldn't hook too soon on transitioned lanes.
D) You chose the Honey badger...because it was polished and Pearl and the advertisement said it goes long and has a good backend and the PSO was more than happy to sell it to you.
E) You tried it in open bowling...on burnt conditions...and it worked quite well.
F) On league night, instead of using it as a Ball #2/#3/#4...you used it as a Ball #1. I get it...anxious to give it a try. It doesn't make the turn. You move right, it hooks too much. You move in, it doesn't make the turn. By the time you switch to the more aggressive balls...the lanes had transitioned...and now those balls are hooking too much.
The GOOD thing...is that you...even as a newer bowler...kinda understood your ball motion and what was going on...at least enough to understand lateral movement and know when the balls you were using weren't doing what you wanted them to. That's far, far better than many new bowlers that have no idea what they are doing and simply switch balls cuz they left a split and don't know why...must be the ball.
The BAD thing...is you don't understand how the specs translate into ball movement...and you're not alone!! Amyers and I have been discussing this for a week...and we might BOTH be wrong...and Rob will come in here and give you his theories...and your PSO has his theories...and the majority of PBA pros don't "really" understand the specs...thats why they have ball reps to explain all that mumbo jumbo. If we ever got MWhite or Iceman back in this discussion...Whoa BOy!! You get Rob and MWhite and Iceman...and Aslan...all taking nonsense back and forth about the secret world of bowling ball specifications...now THATs some terrifying reading!! Many an evening have been ruined when those superpowers have collided!!
My THEORY...is that what you experienced when you moved in (pre-Badger purchase) was burnout. What is burnout? I dunno...I mean, I do...but it's hard to explain...just essentially it means the ball experiences too much friction to early and loses it's 'saved power'.
To FIGHT burnout...one who follows Aslan's ramblings...would ball DOWN...stay on the same line (or close depending on equipment)...now the ball goes longer on the burnt/transitioned lanes...saves up energy...you get a better backend reaction.
Those two steps are great. Maybe you get a ball #3...even weaker...goes even longer...etc... Most league nights aren't 8 hours long...lanes usually don't transition that much over 3 games with 3-5 bowlers per team (but they CAN).
The "skid/flip" discussion...is about inserting a Ball #3...between Ball #2 and Ball #4...that is meant to deal with "carrydown". Some (Rob et al) will claim carrydown is a figment of older bowler's imaginations. He (Rob) is not crazy....he has some very convincing, analytical evidence supporting his case. Others will swear that carrydown is a problem and point toward the resurgence of urethane as one of the reasons why. Most...like me...and Amyers...will generally be in the middle. Carrydown 'can' exist...but it's not near the issue it was in the 1960s-1980s. The "skid/flip" ball has the length of a Ball #4...but the snap of a Ball #1. These balls are harder to control...but they can be very effective at managing a transitioned lane where carrydown has pushed some oil towards your breakpoint.
I do not believe the Badger Pearl is a good "skid/flip" candidate...because it has too high of an RG, too low a differential, and is generally a weaker ball (per PerfectScale rating). It doesn't mean it wouldn't be a good Ball #4 or even a Ball #2...depending on your physical game and the lane conditions you bowl on. But, I've yet to see a ball with a 2.57RG, < 0.047 differential, and sub-200 PerfectScale value that was a good Ball #1 or Ball #2...not on synthetic lanes with a typical, fresh THS....at >13mph and average revs.
If you're a 2-hander, thumbless, bowl at < 9mph, or bowl on wood lanes...then I may stand corrected...but I've watched my Track 300A on fresh conditions at 14mph with low-moderate revs...and whoa boy...better put the bumpers up if I try to play anything but up and in.
My 2 cents...or 2 pesos...however the experts want to value them.
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