Bowlers, any bowlers?

[Vaquero]

Never been, but...
If I were this would be a fun one.

tapatalk_-1349603908.jpeg (53.36 KiB) Viewed 1844 times

RP

[Mistered]

I once bowled three hundred and won.

[JEBar]

haven't been in an alley in 50 some years but thinking back, I had some good times bowling in leagues and purely for recreation .... I well remember when the first colored bowling balls came on the scene but all of the ones I've ever owned were black .... my most colorful one had 3 white dots just above the finger holes .... who knows, I might walk into one just to look around and see how times have changed

[Mags]

rarely. when I do it's to be sociable with someone who does.

[markiver54]

I once bowled three hundred and won.

[Vaquero]

I once bowled three hundred and won.

I don't know if that is good or bad, but I have an idea.

RP

[Vaquero]

I once bowled three hundred and won.

Now I know I right Ed.

RP

[Mistered]

Kinda like how I golf - when asked I say I play in the 'low 80s'

If it's any warmer than that i don't play!

[Vaquero]

Kinda like how I golf - when asked I say I play in the 'low 80s'

If it's any warmer than that i don't play!

Pasture Pool another game I never played, but
man I worked fer a fella for about 10 yrs. he would'a rather played golf than eat.

RP

[dave77]

haven't been in an alley in 50 some years but thinking back, I had some good times bowling in leagues and purely for recreation .... I well remember when the first colored bowling balls came on the scene but all of the ones I've ever owned were black .... my most colorful one had 3 white dots just above the finger holes .... who knows, I might walk into one just to look around and see how times have changed

Major changes in bowling balls, with the coverstocks and weight blocks in the high end balls a high rev rate bowler can make a ball hook an incredible amount. Although he is exceptional, Jason Belmonte (one of the best pro bowlers has a rev rate of almost 600 rpm) under the right lane conditions he can throw the ball clear across the lane to almost the right gutter and when the ball hits the dry (usually the last 15-25 ft.) his ball will hook back to the pocket.

I wouldn't say league bowlers are any better than they used to be but with the new equipment on a house shot (most people don't realize that due to the way the lanes are oiled a league shot is much easier than a pro tour shot) one league I bowl on has several bowlers with 220+ averages, our best bowler is averaging 233 so far this year.

I'm just mediocre at best, used to be able to average mid 190s, now I'm in the low/mid 180's.

BTW, a drilled high end bowling ball is over $200 and over time they do lose some of their hook. Most of the pros are either getting their balls deeply discounted or free. A good TV tournament bowler will use many balls during a tournament, they're allowed 9 during qualifying and a unlimited number during match play, a top pro will be using all new balls at every tournament.

[JEBar]

info truly appreciated .... that's a different world than the one I knew ... I remember a couple of fellows who brought 2 bowling balls (usually one drilled regular and one fingertip) but almost all of the rest of us only carried one ....

[dave77]

I have 3 in my locker counting my 10 pin hammer spare ball (plastic, so it doesn't hook, that's probably what the photo in the first post is,there are many such novelty balls out there)

hammer.jpg (6.09 KiB) Viewed 1635 times

mine is not nearly so shiny as the photo, been using it for many years. Was told that one in very good condition can sell for $500.

They now make a set up so you can have one removable thumb hole that is interchangeable between balls, I've thought about getting it, not very expensive but not all pro shops are set up to install them.

[JEBar]

a separate ball designed not to hook for spares .. .. that I can understand and visualize .... a removable thumb hole that is interchangeable between balls, that I'd have to think about and sure can't visualize ..

[markiver54]

Have not bowled in many, many years. Guess there is a reason for that. Didn't do too bad when I did though. No offence intended, but it just doesn't do much for me.
I used to throw darts, competitively, and had some tournament wins.
Guys used to come in whatever establishment I was in and want to compete. They had their expensive tungsten, pretty flight dressed darts, ( which I own as well ), but maybe, I left them at home that night. I would say ok, and then proceed to beat them using bar supplied, plastic darts.
The reason I mention this, is that you can bowl or you can't.
Expensive golf clubs, do not improve your game. An expensive Q stick does not make you a pool shark. I think you know what I'm saying...I hope.
Hearing about newfangled bowling balls....good grief!!
Ya either got it or Ya don't.

[dave77]

The reason I mention this, is that you can bowl or you can't.
Expensive golf clubs, do not improve your game. An expensive Q stick does not make you a pool shark. I think you know what I'm saying...I hope.
Hearing about newfangled bowling balls....good grief!!
Ya either got it or Ya don't.

A good bowler (especially a pro) using old equipment cannot compete against a good bowler using new equipment. That was my point, bowler skills have not improved over the years but the new balls hit the pocket with so much more force because of the ball's rpm and angle of entry that the odds of getting a strike are greatly improved. Also the oil patterns the pros bowl on can vary greatly so if they know what they are doing they can adjust by using a different reacting ball. 30 years ago a 300 game was very rare, now they are fairly common place. For example there was a time years ago that the sponsor of a TV finals would give anyone who bowled a 300 on TV $100,000. Now if they do it at all the prize is $10,000

Imagine a good driver in a old pick-up racing a good driver in a Ferrari, who's going to win.

Also you can't compare the skill of a good pro bowler with a good league bowler. A pro on a difficult oil pattern can still average 210-220, put a good league bowler on the same pattern and he might be in the 150's.

[dave77]

a separate ball designed not to hook for spares .. .. that I can understand and visualize .... a removable thumb hole that is interchangeable between balls, that I'd have to think about and sure can't visualize ..

A lot of bowlers use tape in their thumb holes so they are a snug fit but not too snug. It can make a big difference for your release. Depending on the temperature/humidity/etc. your thumb size can change, I can go from using no tape to using several pieces. By having one interchangeable thumb hole you don't have to re-tape each ball's thumb hole.

https://ctdbowling.com/blogs/news/the-d ... ble-thumbs

[JEBar]

per Spock, fascinating .... I do remember fellows trying to use tape but as I recall they had a problem finding a tape that would work and yet be easy to remove without leaving a residue