Blog - Bowling Education — Pro Shops

Bowl Expo is a industry trade show event. Even though consumers are not allowed, it is an opportunity for us, as a pro shop, to bring back valuable information to you. This week allowed us to throw or watch people throw the new balls from Brunswick, Radical, DV8, 900 Global, Storm, Roto Grip, Ebonite, Hammer, Columbia and Track. After watching different styles of bowlers and reviewing videos of the balls, here is what we saw and what we think about the new products. You’ll first note that each ball is labeled by its ball motion; either Straight, Traction, Continuous or...

Today, let’s talk about interchangeable thumb systems. It is almost universally agreed that having interchangeable thumbs is yet another way to improve your game through consistency. They offer the ability to have the same feel in every ball, and the ability to have multiple sizes of thumb holes eliminating most tape use. There are three major brands available today: Turbo Switch Grip, Ultimate and Vise. Let’s take a closer look at these options. Turbo Switch Grip General Switch Grips are a 3-piece assembly (outer sleeve, inner sleeve, and slug/insert). They only allow the use of a 1-1/4” or 1-3/8” slug/insert....

Tuesday was the annual Industry Showcase.  We were able to throw almost all new and upcoming releases from Brunswick, Radical, DV8, Storm, Rotogrip, 900 Global, Hammer, Track, Columbia 300 and Ebonite.  These were the only companies allowed at the showcase.  During the showcase, we had the same tester throw all of the balls.  Here are the specs on our tester: Right-handed Ball Speed: 18.5 Rev Rate: 400 Axis Rotation: 45 degrees Axis Tilt: 10 degrees We used his feedback, the information released by the manufacturers, as well as what we saw on the lanes from other bowlers to come up...

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...

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...