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Lane Condition Q&A [21-40] [41-60] [61-80] [81-100] [101-120] Greg April 21, 2002 Cameron MO I prefer the lanes with a fresh shot( oiled with clean backends). i can then play a down and in shot between the 1st and 2nd arrow( sound familiar ?)and i'll carry real well till the oil is taken away. next move----which is better, move left and swing it with the same ball or stay put and use lesser aggressive ball ? Hi Greg, Normally I would move in (left) a bit with the same ball. But using a ball that goes straighter is another valid option. Particularly if the "moving left" option doesn't work. Good luck. Michael March 27, 2002 Richmond VA I've always heard that you should play your ball up against the oil. Is this really true? How can you tell where the oil is on the lanes.? Hi Michael, I would agree that you should play up against the oil or oil line if possible. The reason for this is if (for right a hander) you miss a bit right and there is less oil your ball will hook more and if you miss left and there is more oil your ball will hook less guiding your ball to the pocket. On a typical house shot it is usually easy to find the oil line because you can actually see it. If you walk to the foul line and look at the lane just beyond the foul line you should be able to see oil on the lane. Usually the oil makes the lane shinier. Normally you need to throw shots and see how your ball reacts to find the oil line. If when you move left and the ball doesn't hook as much then you probably moved into some oil. Also, if you move right and the ball hooks more then you have moved to the 'dry'. However this is sometimes hard to find on tougher lane conditions or lanes that have been bowled on for a long time. Typically the 'shot' or the place to play on the lanes will move left and that oil line will become less distinct. It will also move so that it isn't straight down the lane, but will go from left to right. Left handers should reverse everything I have written here. Different lane conditions can even have you messed up if you use some of these simple ideas. So you need to keep an open mind and watch other players who are scoring well. Edward March 8, 2002 Hi I am a fairly decent league bowler, 205 average, and am totally frustrated by the lane conditions at our local bowling center. For example, last night my ball showed only one line of oil on it after throwing the first practice ball, and after the first game, showed no oil at all. The week before the ball showed 6 lines of oil but disappeared totally after the middle of the second game. The alley managers assure me that they are putting down oil the same way each time, but I don't see how that is possible. Also they indicated that they are putting oil down to 40 feet. I was under the impression that oil should be put to 30 feet. Also they had no idea what pattern the oiling machine was putting down. Isn't there a way to tell what amount and where oil is being laid down? All in all very frustrating. I guess what I need to know is what distance should the oil be put to and how many units of oil should be put down? The lanes are synthetic. One final note. I noticed when a ball is released and hits the lane, the lane 'bounces'. Is this normal for lanes to do? It seems rather odd. Thanks for any help on this Edward Whittaker Hi Edward, It is strange that your local bowling center doesn't know how they oil the lane. That aside, one of the reasons that you would like the lanes to be oiled the same every time you bowl is that you would be able to play the lanes almost exactly the same way every time you bowl. However, that would be just a bit boring. And as you have found out, the lanes don't seem to be oiled the same way. Either they oil at a different time, strip the lanes differently (time) or maybe the machine they use doesn't oil the same from week to week. Being observant about the rings of oil helps, but more importantly watching where your ball goes and making the proper adjustments is better. I don't know the exact rules for lengths of oil, but I think that the lanes can be oiled from 24 feet (I am guessing) to 60 feet. Like I said I don't know the ABC specs on this, so if I am wrong, you can let me know, but please be gentle. The only way to really know how the lanes are oiled is to be a part of the lane maintenance procedure or watch them do it and/or have them explain it to you. You are correct in that it is very frustrating to bowl on conditions that you don't know. It can take many games of bowling before you are playing the lanes in the most optimum way. There are no rules that I know of that say your local bowling center has to oil the lanes the same way day after day, week after week. It would be nice if your local center supplied its bowlers with good detailed information on how they oiled the lanes. Fortunately for the pros on tour and in the regional tournament, the lane maintenance crew usually gives detailed information on how they oiled the lanes. And even though the lanes are done the same from day to day, many pros will swear that the lanes are different. One PBA's tournament director used to always say to let your ball be your guide. Good luck and pay attention. Dan January 29, 2002 Ashippun WI I am 26 years old and have been bowling since I was five. Right handed with average ball speed at 19mph and high revs. I bowl once a week on a pretty soft condition (seems to be the norm these days). Even though I have alot of revs I like to play inside at 20 with a swing to 15. Currently I am averaging 226 (inflated average from soft condition). I recently bowled in a tournament where the oil pattern was a reverse christmas tree pattern. Through the heads it was very dry and then through the middle of the lane there was heavy oil from gutter to gutter. My ball would rev up early and then flatten out. The backends were pretty good but my ball just didn't have enough to finish hard through the pins. I tried playing up 5 with a polished blue Hammer and was light with it. Then I made an extreme move and moved to the 5th arrow with a dull black 2001 Hammer. Had some success shooting 190 and 195 but still having problems getting the ball through the heads. F! ocused in on getting forward roll early to get the ball down the lanes and cut down the revs by not cupping the wrist as much. Any suggestions for this type of condition or maybe types of equipment that would be good for this conditon? Best wishes for continued success to you and Paige and thank you for a wonderful website that you have provided for all of your bowling and horseshoe fans. Hi Dan, I always here my fellow pros complain about the lanes hooking so early out on tour. I guess because I don't put the revs that they do, but if they would use a ball which isn't as aggressive that would help a lot of there problems. It is hard to believe that a lane is actually oiled so that the heads have less oil than the mid lane, but I it might appear that way with some lane surfaces. You might want to get a shiny 3 piece urethane or reactive ball to help with getting the ball down the lane. Most players who hook the ball a lot feel more comfortable playing inside and that sounds like a good place to try on this pattern. I would watch some of the players who happen to be bowling well and seeing what it is they are doing and try to play the lanes in a similar manner. Good luck and it sounds like a good condition to practice on. Anthony January 29, 2002 Grafton OH Could you tell me what a reverse block lane condition is and how a right handed bowler should play it? Thank You Hi Anthony, A true reverse block is oil on the outsides of the lane and less oil in the middle of the lane. In reality this doesn't happen (except on very rare occasions) on fresh oil. However since lanes get most of their play in the center of the lane, the friction of the surface of the lane will typically be a bit higher in the center of the lane than the outsides. A reverse block will happen after many games if the lanes are oiled in a fairly even pattern. Normally the lanes will play the best on an extreme inside line for a right hander. But the shot won't develop inside for quite awhile so patience is sometimes necessary. Doug January 23, 2002 Minneapolis MN Hi Walter Ray! I have been a fan of yours for many years since coming home from junior leagues Saturday mornings and watching the ABC shows until now. 2 questions for you- I seem to get very down on myself after a bad league night of low scores. What is the lowest game in recent memory you can remember rolling, and how, if you could, did you start the next game with a clean head and score high? What is your largest 2 game improvement, and how did you do it? Also, you obviously love the sport or you wouldn't do it, but do you ever bowl for "fun"? If your non-bowling friends are in town and want to go out for a night of "glow-bowling" do you go and grab a ball off the rack, or do you bowl strictly on a professional level? Hi Doug, A couple of weeks ago I bowled a 139. It was my last game of the block so I was done for the tournament. I also get a bit depressed when I don't bowl well. What is kind of sad is that I am usually a bit sad at the end of every tournament unless I win. Usually though my 'sadness' isn't that much. But when you compete like I do, you always want to do better (unless you win). My low game on tour is a 128 about 10 to 13 years ago. When I was first on tour I had a 132 and came back with a 279 in the same block, but I don't think that it was the next game. I don't do much 'fun' bowling, but I do still enjoy to bowl. Probably the most 'fun' I have bowling is in the Pro-Ams when some of the amateurs get me going. The problem is that we (the pros) are trying to bowl well for the amateurs, but have fun at the same time. Of course I tend to have more fun when I bowl well. Scott January 17, 2002 Seattle WA What is the difference between the long oil and the current sport condition being used on tour right now? Hi Scott, I am not sure I understand your question. The PBA oils to 35 to 40 feet with lots of oil. I realize that some places may oil a bit longer than that, but they are probably not putting as much oil on the outsides of the lane. If you would really like to know more details on the lane conditions used on tour you could go to Kegel's website which I believe is www.Kegel.net (I AM NOT ONLINE WHEN WRITING THIS SO I CAN'T CHECK IT OUT). Dan December 4, 2001 Windsor ON Canada Hey Mr.Williams I am from Windsor Ont. Canada and I am a huge fan of yours and Pete Weber's. Lets see I am 36 years old and have been bowling actively for about 25 year (I started late what can I say) my wife and I both started in the junior ranks and have continued every since and to this day we now run a Mixed League on Friday Night. My 5 Year old daughter is now bowling in the same junior league my wife and i started in and this is her second year. First I would like to say if you really want a challenge come bowl with us some Friday Night you won't find any dryer condition anywhere else. Now my question I am a very much up and in bowler like i have seen you bowl many times. I have and use a Blue Hammer and carry about 170 average not great but I am happy with it. My question is what type of ball would you recommend on such dry conditions? And like i said if you are ever in this neck of the woods please come join us for a night of bowling you would get your moneys worth!!! Dan Dalrymple Hi Dan, I don't get up to Windsor very often, but thanks for the invite. Depending on how dry the lanes are, I would use either a shiny reactive ball, a 3 piece reactive ball, a urethane or plastic ball. I think it is great that your family enjoys bowling. And keep having fun. Sometimes those tough lane conditions will make a better bowler out of you. Justin November 27, 2001 Albany OR Hey Walter How's it going? I have a hard time finding my mark when i first start off bowling. It takes me about a game to get dialed in. Then after that i am fine. But when our high school bowling team goes to a tournament we only bowl one game then we start bowling baker games. So most of the time my first game is really bad when i need to be doing good. My question is what can help to be able to get dialed in to the lane conditions quicker? Hope you can help. Thanx Sincerely, Justin Brown Hi Justin, You need to watch where the other players are playing the lanes and how your ball relates to theirs. Otherwise you need to pay attention to if you threw a good shot and where the ball went. Typically if your ball ends up left of your desired pocket you need to move left and if it ends up right then you need to move right. Baker games where you only get 2 shots a game is tough to get lined up on each lane, but since the lanes should be somewhat close you should be able to get an idea and hope the lanes are similar. Good luck. Jose Brazil Comments: Hi Paige, i would like than Walter read this mail. Sorry my bad english. Thank you. Hi Walter, I'm brazilian and I have 19 years old. I began bowl with 14 years old, watching you playing against Norm Duke in PBA Harrisburg Open televised by ESPN International in 1996. Was the first bowling tournament than i saw. I had fortunate because was a great tournament. In the first match you made 288. Ten strikes in a row and missed a single pin. The only time than I saw you make this. I thank incredible the curve of your ball and Norm's ball and I said: "I will learn to make this." From that moment I began study bowling. Watch the tournaments, read all about bowling on the internet and search the Brazilian bowlers. Five years later, I'm a "bowling fanatic". Here in Brazil, we have very few bowling followers and is too difficult get bowling information. In July, in Sao Paulo, we had the WTBA Roving Program. Sid Allen and Craig Woodhouse stayed here a week. Was a great start and a big class. In all the country we have 600 registered bowlers. This is too few to a big country like the Brazil. The Sao Paulo federation is using a strategy in the lanes conditions to try attract more players. They are using blocked lanes (dry in the outside and heavy oil in the middle). That strategy promote a big room to a big mistakes. The averages up nearly 30 pins. All the bowlers are very happy. Is good to attract more players, but is bad for the technique. What do you think about that? How do you think than should be a lane conditions? Walter, I'm your fan and I hope meet you one day. You is my favorite bowler. I'm waiting your answer. Thank you. One more time, sorry my bad english. With best wishes (I found this sentence in a dictionary) Jose Renato Hi Jose, Regarding the spare that I missed in that 288 game. I believe that I left a 2 pin on my 11th shot. Since I had another game to bowl I was more interested in making sure that I was lined up so I threw my shot at the 2 pin as if I was going for the pocket. Many of the pros do that when they want to try a different line or ball especially in some of the matches that we are in these days. I am disappointed in many of the bowling centers across the country (and other places) where they are making the lanes easy. High scores are definitely fun, but they aren't as much fun when everybody is doing them also. Bowling, like many sports, is a sport of how you do compared to everyone else or relative scores. I personally like to practice on tough lane conditions as I feel that tells me how I am throwing the ball. If the lanes are really easy and you can throw a bad shot and hit the pocket you are rewarded for that poor shot. But on a tough lane condition if you make a bad shot it shows up and you know that you shouldn't do that. Good luck and keep practicing. Jackie Oct, 2001 West Chester PA Comments: I had the honor of bowling with you quite a few years ago in a pro-am in Rochester NY. You were the only pro that night that spoke to and encouraged us. I've been cheering you on ever since. I've been watching the men's and women's tour on ESPN and all the discussion of the sport condition. Somehow I am not sure what the difference is. Is it just a different way to apply the oil, or does it also have to do with the type of oil? Do they use this only in Pro Tournament Play? I haven't heard any talk of it at the local lanes on which I bowl. Also, what is all this macho hype on the lanes? Intimidation is now the name of the game? I don't think so. Thank you for continuing to be yourself. Good luck on the rest of the tour. Jackie Jurinich Walter Ray Replies: I am sure glad that you enjoyed yourself in the pro-am Jackie. Thank you for your kind words and your support. The sport condition is an oil pattern, rather than a type of oil. The oil is much more evenly distributed across the lane from left to right. There is much less oil in the center of the lane than on most "house shots". Since the high concentration of oil in the middle isn't there to guide the ball to the pocket, the sport condition is more difficult. There are houses that are offering sport condition leagues. The better bowlers are usually attracted to them since it is a more demanding condition and they have to make better shots to score well. If you want to be a better bowler I would suggest you seek out a place to play on the sport condition. Some players are naturally more demonstrative than others. The players are being encouraged to "let it out" on the show...and some of them are really "going for it". Dominic Aurora Il Comments: Walter Ray, I am a past winner. I just want to tell you I LOVE the prize. Thank you very much. I read in your report From Peoria, That Kegel does the lane conditioning. Who decides what pattern of oil goes down? Is it a random thing or is there a set rotation of what pattern gets put down? Good luck this season! Thanks again, Dominic Partipilo Hi Dominic, I am glad that you liked the prize. I don't know who decides exact what patterns is used for each tournament. I would image that it is a group decision by those at Kegel which would probably include whoever is working at the tournament sites. But that is a guess. As you may have noticed, the tour has been using sport patterns this swing. That tends to put a premium on shot making. Charles Redondo Beach CA Comments: Please answer this. I'm going to drop the answer on Gable House (I know their alleys stink!) in Torrance Calif. My Zip Code (You didn't ask for it, unless that's what "URL" means) is 90277. Question: When you hit the pins aren't they supposed to fall over rather than sliding around on their bottoms and refusing to go down? I've had 2-4-5 spares turn into 2-4-10 splits! Too tough! They look up at the ceiling when they see me coming. I'm not nuts! I tell you! Hi Charles, The problem may be that the pin decks have oil on them. They may need to clean the pin decks really well for the pins to stop sliding so much. But occasionally the pins will still slide around and not fall over. I have even seen pins stand up (not very often) after being knocked down. If pins are moving more than several inches I would suspect oil on the pin decks or something to reduce friction. Roy July 3 St. Louis MO Comments: Hello Walter, I would like to take this moment to say you are one of the best. I have plenty of questions if you have a moment. What is your preferred angle to the pocket? Most people have seen you play down and in but I understand you can play other angles. Why is the sport shot that the tour is now using more difficult as compared to the old tour condition? Having bowling in a few regionals PBA conditions can be a monster. How long do you plan to continue to tour? Do you make you ball choices or is a ball rep? My preferred angle to the pocket is from the right corner, but I have thrown plenty of strikes from a deep inside line. I am not sure that the lane condition that the PBA tour has been using this year or last year is considered a sport shot. There were a couple of years where the lanes were very high scoring on tour. Last year and this year Kegel seems to be putting out a more demanding lane condition which would be comparable to the sport shot. This might be an effort to control the modern bowling balls. I plan to continue touring as long as I can be competitive. I usually make my own ball choices, but when the ball reps were on tour they would make suggestions which I would sometimes listen to. I am by nature a very stubborn person (ask my wife) and don't always listen to my ball reps. Chuck Redondo Beach CA Comments: On Monday and Friday my wife and I bowl at Gable House in Torrance Califodnia in Senior Leagues. We are 75 and 76. we (Dorfs) were bowling the first place team, and late in the second game, I was beginning to get the ball to straighten out by following through looser, when I felt a sharp pain in my ankle, a place where I never have a problem. It was the tenth frame. I couldn't walk. On the next ball I shuffled to the foul line, dumped the ball off to the right, and it round-housed back to the head pin for a strike! We won that game by two. With that same never before tried approach and hook delivery we took three games and total pins and are now tied for first place. Question: How can this much change in bowling style be justified? I was lucky in that I could no longer throw the ball to a spot, so I just flipped it out. If I live to 100, I'll never understand Bowling! Hi Chuck, Part of your answer probably comes about from the oil procedure they use at Gable House. I don't bowl there, but if it is like 90% of the houses in the U.S., then there is what bowlers refer to as an easy house condition where the oil is mainly applied to the center of the lanes. When you 'dumped' the ball to the right it would have hit the 'dry' part of the lane and hooked back left. That is part of the reason why league bowlers across the country average so high. The PBA tour puts oil on the entire part of the lane left to right with a slightly higher concentration in the middle. The oil is also tappered in down the lane similar to a Christmas tree unlike the league condition which has more of the Abe Lincoln top hat look to it. But you are right when you say that bowling has some interesting and misunderstood qualities. Dave Liverpool England Comments: Hey Walter,I am 20 years old, from England and have been bowling for around 8 years, and am totally into it. I currently average in the region of 204, over here where the conditions can be rubbish at times (although you have to put up with it!!!) Any way, I have been watching you for many years, since my coach showed me a tape of you and some of your fellow pro's, since then I have built myself on hitting consistent spares, and adjusting quickly, especially to changing conditions, as I know you guys can adjust from a light pocket shot to a screamer in a shot, so I thank you for showing me that knowledge indirectly!!! But the reason I am writing is that one day I hope to come over to the US and become a pro, but at the minute I know that my average is not good enough, and that I am not really consistent enough yet, but I just want to ask what you think it takes to make it as a pro, and what the conditions are like, as I have heard that the lanemen tend to take better care of the lanes, !and that many leagues can 'choose' their shot, so maybe the averages over there may be a bit higher due to that, is this true? Thanks for your time, and I hope you have another successful seaon, and I hope in a few years I may be playing against you!!! Hi Dave, League conditions tend to be very easy over here in the states. There are probably a thousand guys who average higher in their league than what I do on tour (about 215 this year). But the lane conditions on tour tend to be tougher than most league conditions where averages might be inflated as much as 50 pins by the conditions they bowl on. I think it would be an advantage learning to bowl on difficult lane conditions as accuracy is necessary for great bowling. I would bowl as many tournaments (local) as you can and compete against the best so that you can see how you compare against the best in your area. When you are one of the best in your area then if you do decide to try the tour you will be better prepared. Remember that the tour has the best players from a lot of different areas and most of these guys are great. Geoff Gahanna OH Comments: Hi Walter just wanted to say that I really like your website. I see where you have been bowling in pba regionals and doing good, my question is do some regionals put up a condition as tough as some regular pba conditions or is there some forgiveness in the regionals? Also wanted to say that I am a big fan of yours and when you make tv you are the man. Hi Geoff, I would have to say that as a general rule the lane conditions in a PBA regional are slightly easier than on the PBA tour. However in the southern region, the Kegel company who does the lanes for tour does the lanes for regionals. I have definitely scored better in the regionals this year compared to the tour. I think that I have been bowling a little bit better in them also. Hopefully I will continue to do this when the tour starts up again in the fall. Danny Searcy AR Comments: Walter, I am picking up the sport (bowling) again, after a 9-year hiatus. I understand the game has changed a lot over the years, and I am hoping you can give me a quick summary of the most pertinent changes that have occurred. I throw a ball similar to yours, in that it is not a huge hook and that I keepthe speed moderate, trying to keep the ball in play in the pocket. When I was bowling previously I primarily used an Ebonite Nitro(?) and the Nail,keeping an average in the high 190's with 1 300 game (unsanctioned, unfortunately - the league treasurer absconded with the sanction fees - how's that for a "fish story"?)Thank you for any general advice you can give pertaining to appropriate equipment, etc. Danny Most of the bowling balls out now a days will hook circles around your old stuff. You might want to pick up one of the new balls (preferably a Hammer ball) to deal with the amount of oil that is put on the lane. Basically most houses are oiled with a 10 to 10 shot. This means that they put oil on the lane between the 10th board on the right and the 10th board on the left. Not every house does this exactly, but many do some sort of variation on this. So if you play the lanes so that you are crossing this oil line, you should find some room for error. Basically the still simple rules on moving apply. If you miss the pocket left move left if you miss the pocket right then move right. Of course if you throw a bad shot you need to make a judgement on whether on not to make an adjustment. Yvon March, 2001 Ottawa Ontario Comments: Hi Walter, I've been bowling 5 pin for twenty some years and have started bowling 10 pin four years ago. That is when I started watching the PBA to try to learn the game. You have been a good role model for me, because of my 5 pin background I am more comfortable with a straighter shot than a big hook. I've since learned to swing the ball more and can now play several lines according to the conditions. I still lack the experience to determine which line to play on a given day, it sometimes takes me too long to figure it out. Do you have a certain routine you use to determine what line you're going to start with when you walk in to a different bowling? Have you ever tried 5 pin? I imagine you would be good at it since it requires a lot more accuracy than 10 pin and you are one of the best spare picker on tour. Do you think you'll play long enough to have a chance to catch up to Earl Anthony for the most wins? If not, do you think anybody could ever surpass him? Good Luck Yvon Sauve www.OttawaBowling.com Hi Yvon, Depending on the lane condition you are playing on, it may be easy or difficult to figure out where you should be playing on the lanes. Normally easier lane conditions make it more obvious as to where to play the lanes. However sometimes a different ball which would go straighter or hook more might be the better move and that is a more difficult situation. Normally if the ball ends up right of where you want it (in the pocket I hope) then you would want to move your feet and target right and you would move left if the ball ends up left or your desired target at the pins. Depending on how much the ball is left or right and if you through a good shot or not should influence how much you want to move. On the PBA conditions or other tough conditions those moves don't always work because there isn't always more hook on the outsides of the lanes. This is a case of where experience helps a lot. Most places I bowl are at the PBA tournaments and I try throwing the ball over several different areas to get a feel for how the lanes might play. Also, at most of the PBA tournaments in which Kegel oils the lanes, they put up graphs of the oil pattern which can give you ideas on how the lanes might play (this doesn't always work as there are more things influencing the reaction than oil). I haven't bowled 5 pin. But one of the best horseshoe pitchers ever was Elmer Hohl and I understand that he was an excellent 5 pin bowler. I do plan on bowling on tour for at least a few more years. I don't know if I will be able to reach the number of wins which Earl Anthony has, but even if I do it would be in quite a few more tournaments played than Earl did. You should never say never so someone will probably get to that number of 42 titles. It would be nice if I did it first. Randy Carrington ND Hey Walter, it appears to me the pba lane man is favoring the left handers. Last week in NY 3 out of the top 5 were lefties, and now this week after the first round of qualifing in NC the top 7 are lefties. What happened to the fair and equitable shot for everyone? Did Brunswick decide to reduce there pba staffers with you, Jaros, and Aulby no longer using there equipment. Randy Hi Randy, The Kegel company based out of Florida has took it upon themselves to oil the lanes for the PBA tour and some regional tournaments. It isn't an exact science even though the bowlers wish that it was. The left side of the lane isn't played on as much as the right side. Two things happen with that. One, the left side doesn't get worn as much and two, during tournaments the oil will stay on the left side of the lane longer. Sometimes that is good for the left-handers and sometimes it is bad. It also depends on how and how much oil is put on the lane. On one surface a certain pattern may be better for the lefties and on another it may favor the righties. The thing for each bowler is to figure out the best way for him (or her) to score. Brunswick had a major shift in their marketing. One of those was to cut back considerably on the pro staff. So they let go most of their staff except for Johnny Petraglia (he had another year on his contract), Parker Bohn III, and Chris Barnes. I think that they also kept a few of the senior players such as Dave Soutar, and Dave Davis at reduced rates. So I guess Faball needs to be the ball company of choice, right! Ladd New York City New York Hello Walter Ray, just wondering why the Tarheel lane condition was so difficult for most right handers? What particular advantage did the lefties have that might not have been present in previous tournaments? ThanX, Ladd Pobuba Hi Ladd, I am not sure that I can adequately answer your question. For some reason the pattern they used at the Tarheel Open seemed to give an advantage to the left handers. Also, the tournament at Daly City used a similar pattern so maybe there is something inherent with the pattern. It didn't look like there should be anything in the pattern that would create an advantage for the left handers, but apparently there was. I don't really know. | ||