Blog - Bowling Education — Bowling

A couple years ago, I averaged 237 in a league. People often asked me for tips to having a high league average. Obviously there are a lot of factors that play into scoring. Most importantly -- the lane condition. What bowling ball or balls should you have in your arsenal for league bowling? Most league lane patterns or house shots are built to help you get your ball to the pocket. This is because there is typically a high concentration of oil in the middle of the lane and less oil outside. As bowlers, we tend to use aggressive bowling...

For the pro shops out there, this blog of Creating the Difference will compare two different layouts in various core shapes for a specific style of player to see which hooks more – a 3.5 pin from the axis or a 5.5 pin from the axis. In this test, we will examine the performance effect of these layouts as well as the mass property changes through drilling. To begin, here is some information about the bowler used in this test: Left-handed League average 247 High Series 899 Rev Rate 450 RPM Ball Speed 21.16 MPH Axis Rotation 45 degrees Axis...

Urethane was the popular coverstock choice in the 80’s.  It hooked earlier than polyester coverstocks and was more durable. That technology began to fade once Reactive Resin bowling balls became popular in the 90’s.  Reactive Resin was longer and more angular, it wasn’t as durable, but that was the price you paid for the added performance.  The truth is, reactive resin balls are actually urethane based with a liquid additive called plasticizer.  This additive gives the ball the ability to absorb and it changes the texture of the coverstock.  Reactive Resin technology hasn’t changed much in the last 20 years...

The explanation given in this blog is valid for 95% of bowlers. However, there are always exceptions to the rule. For this blog, we will stick to the majority of bowlers who will be reading it. If you feel that you are in the other 5%, check out this video to learn more about ball motion. The above pictures are of the exact same ball with two different layouts.  The colors indicate the numerical impact that drilling has on the core shape. As you put holes in a bowling ball, the colors shift based on the size and depth of...

  We get many questions about lane patterns. Let me preface this by saying there are many, many patterns and as technology advances, there will be more to come. This is a general overview of how to read a lane graph, and how play the specific pattern called the Detroit Cup. The blue graph above is the shape and length of the pattern from the foul line to the head pin from an overhead perspective. The shape of the pattern is similar to a Christmas tree. This is a common shape for many patterns today. The red and green graph...