| Lane Conditions | ||
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Lane Condition Q&A [1-20] [41-60] [61-80] [81-100] [101-120] Kirk March 18, 2003 Harrisonburg VA I bowl in a community recreation center with used wood lanes. As the oil breaks down, the shot becomes a reverse block.. dry in the center and slick outside the second arrow. How would you attack these conditions? Thank you for your time and congratulations on your great year! Kirk Lyman-Barner Hi Kirk, There are a couple of ways to play a 'reverse' block for right handers. One is to play very straight from an outside angle. The most common for players that hook the ball a bit is to play a deep inside angle of the 5th or 6th arrow. Since there are normally a lot more right handers than left handers, there is usually more oil on the left side of the lane even with the 'track' having moved inside. However, there becomes a point at which players can't play any more left on the lane and moving back outside is the alternative. It can be a very challenging and good practice for any player. Thanks and good luck. David February 24, 2003 Grants NM I recently moved to Grants New Mexico from Tucson AZ where I carried an avreage 215 - 222 in three diffrent houses since moving here my avreage is a 161 the lane conditions are very tuff there never the same the backends are never cleaned there very spotty.There's never been a 300 or a series higher than 660 in 35 years did sume research. My question is what can I do to figure out how to score I've tried hooking the ball I've flattened out my hand to play up the boards the shots just don't last long enough to score.The lanes just break down to quick.Can't go and practice because he dosen't oil the lanes during the day can't keep the ball from crossing over no matter what i do whith my release or the type of ball I use.It's sad.Wants I get fustrated i use a plastic ball straight to the pocket it's the only way i can score as long as I carry.So should I continue to use a plastic ball all the time.I'm worried it well mess up my game for tournament play around New Mexi! co.Suggestions please.Thanks fustrated fish Hi David, It is a shame when center owners don't give lane conditioning the attention they need. You might want to see who does bowl well there and ask them about the lane conditions. Averaging over 215 on easy house conditions doesn't mean that you will average over 190 on tough lanes. Using a plastic ball shouldn't hurt your game, and practicing on those tough lanes might even make you a better bowler. And when you get back to those other easy lane conditions you will think that they are even easier. You could ask the owner/manager about their oiling procedure, but try not to be confrontational. After all they are in charge, but they should also want to help their patrons get the most out of their bowling. I think tough lanes are good to practice on, but if there isn't any oil on the lanes then that makes it as ridiculous as the easy conditions most places use. Hang in there and good luck. Timothy February 7, 2003 Richmond VA I BOWL AND I HAVE A 201 IS IT HARD OUT THERE ? Hi Timothy, Yes. I crossed with a bowler at the Masters which was more difficult than the average tour condition and he has a 205 average in league and averaged a little over 160 in Reno. Bowl some regional tournaments as a non member to see how tough those are. The lanes are oiled using the same patterns, but the talent level is a bit lower than you will find on tour. Bret January 18, 2003 Centralia WA Hi Walter Ray, I recently join the PBA and have been bowling for about 34 years, but I just got done bowling the ABC Masters and found the lane conditions quite challenging, it seems that today's lane conditions require a great deal of accuracy and ball speed, could you help me out with the best way to play the conditions that are put out there, I used to rev the ball up quite a bit but I'm finding out that it's better to play the lanes alot straighter up and thinking about converting my style to cover less boards.Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bret Kostick Hi Bret, The lane conditions at the ABC Masters were a bit challenging for most people. I liked them, but a couple of years ago at the Masters I couldn't average 190! On tough lanes, throwing the ball straighter isn't such a bad idea, but sometimes hooking the ball on tough lanes will work better. The main thing is that a player needs to figure out how best for him/her to play the lanes. Not always an easy thing to do. I would practice at the toughest lanes around. If all the lanes are easy then play a part of the lane that isn't easy. Practice is your best tool for combating tough lanes. Good luck. Anthony January 26, 2003 Kent WA Hey Walter Ray I assume this has been asked before, but here we go. I am 36, and feel averaging 225+ for 10 years now I would give it a go at regionals. We have this traveling scratch tourney that I shoot monthly and average around 215-220 in them, making the cut usually an average of 1 of 2. The main thing I was wondering is watching you shoot on the show in Vegas, playing as deep as you were with a dull surfaced ball, did you shoot that line all week, and did you use a dull surfaced ball all week, and do you usually use a dull surface for pattern B and what ever service you use on the other patterns, are they similar tho what you used before on that pattern? Thanks for any replies and good luck in the U.S Open Anthony Hi Anthony, I did play an inside line during the qualifying rounds of the Las Vegas tournament, but at the end of the rounds I would go to a reactive ball. The TV shows are usually on fresh oil with 1/2 hour of practice so it is kind of like a few games into the round. In the match games I tended to play a much more direct line between the 2nd and 3rd arrow. I decided to play an inside line on TV due to the other players who were bowling. Good luck in the regionals. Ken December 28, 2002 Harrison NJ Hi Walter Ray, I would like your thoughts on how soft lane conditions are affecting the sport. My situation is as such: I seldom practice and bowl league one night a week on a condition where you have to throw a very errant shot to miss the pocket. I've had half a dozen or so games in the past year where I struck in each of the first nine frames and can average over 200 in my sleep. However, I find myself ill-prepared for tournaments where they put down a tougher condition. There are no centers in my vicinity that put down a reasonably challenging shot for me to practice on. It's like trying to prepare for Pebble Beach when all you have are mini golf courses to play on. Did you encounter this type of situation back when you were still developing your game? Hi Ken, I don't think easy lane conditions are a good thing for bowling, but there are many people who thing that local lane conditions need to be easy. Fortunately there are many sport leagues developing across the country where averages will typically be 20 to 30 pins less than in the other leagues. I would look for those in your area or try to start one. The problem seems to be that many players want to average over 200 without practice and don't enjoy a challenge. I used to bowl many different tournaments in different houses when I started to become better. That helped me learn to bowl on lots of different conditions. When I practice now on a house shot (which I really don't like to do) I will bowl over a part of the lane which isn't 'easy' for me such as inside the 4th or 5th arrow or right off of the channel due to the shot being around the 2nd arrow. This will let you know when you make a bad shot. Good luck. Frank December 19, 2002 Seattle WA Walter Ray, Congratulations on an excellent 2002! I hope you're 2003 bowling is even better! I've noticed most tounaments and even many leagues are using a reverse block condition or a modified sport condition. Typically, the outside part of the lane is oily and the inside part is dry to extremely dry. In general, most higher average bowlers seem to play inside and swing in out to just before they hit the oil area. Personally, I prefer to play an extreme outside line and go straight up to the pocket. What would you recommend as "in general" the best line and best type of equipment to use (i.e. dull reactive; particle ball etc. Thank for offering this superb website and I look forward to hearing from you. Happy holidays to you and all your family! Frank Hi Frank, The reverse block is a not really a lane condition which is laid on the lane. Typically there is a touch more oil put on the lane in the middle compared to the outside, but the outsides of the lane are normally much smoother compared to the insides. These smoother parts will typically have a lower coefficient of friction which will cause the ball to skid or go straighter. Another contribution to this may be that the lanes are cleaned better in the middle part of the lane as opposed to the outer part of the lane. And then there is the lane play. Most players will play the middle part of the lane due to not getting a hook outside, this will create more hook in the middle part of the lane. It is hard to say exactly what the best line is on these difficult lane conditions, but normally an inside line is preferred by most pros. Some of the straighter players will opt for a line which is more outside and direct. It is most imperative no matter where you are playing the lane to make quality shots as a delivery a tiny bit off target may very well end up as a bad split. Until a shot has time to develop, which can happen, I would use a ball which is going to have a more gentle arc. Depending on the length of oil and how you throw the ball, you would want a shinier or duller ball. Good luck. Brad November 20, 2002 Long Prairie MN Walter Ray, I bowl at a small 8 lane house in central Minnesota. We have new owners and the lane conditions are really bad, I ussaully average 190 but this year I am struggling to hold a 170 average. Lets see if I can describe the condition, The outside the second arrow it is so oily that my Columbia Game just slides toward the gutter, inside of the second arrow to the other second arrow on the left side of the lane it is so dry that even my spare ball (Columbia Blue-dot) hooks about 5 to 9 boards. I have been doing everything I know how to be able to find something consistent. But I am getting so frustrated!! I am 27 years old and been bowling for 23 years I have won a lot of money at local tournaments in MN. I study the game all the time but now this has got me puzzled, PLEASE email me back if you have any suggestion. Thank you, Brad Schmidt Hi Brad, Unfortunately most bowling centers make the lanes way to easy. Possibly the new owners where you bowl are putting an even amount of oil across the lanes. Since most of the play is between the 2nd arrow on the right to the 3rd arrow on the left that part of the lane might not hold up the oil as long and will start to hook sooner. First off I would watch the top bowlers in your house and see how they are playing the lanes. 2nd, if you do bowl in a lot of tournaments (especially handicap) you will actually be doing yourself a favor by learning to bowl on tough lane conditions and getting a bit more handicap (without sandbagging) than if you were to bowl in an easy house. Hang in there and take it as a challenge. Paul November 17, 2002 Green Bay WI I have been bowling on the sport condition for about a year and a half. It seems to be a very equipment sensitive condition for me. I have been humbled by the difficulty of making precise shots with very little room for error.On a house shot, 215 to 220 is the norm. But on the sport shot I can't get past 195. The prefered shot seems to burn up by the middle of the 2nd game. Then I'm faced with a dry in,wet outside shot. Then when I move left I get a early reaction.I have tried up the boards, but not much reaction from that angle as well.Would You consider a reactive ball drilled to go long a option when the middle is reacting early. Hi Paul, You have found what most other top bowlers have found. That league conditions help a players average by about 20 pins, sometimes even more. It sounds like you are right handed and when the track starts to hook, you almost always have to move left to find a bit more oil. This can be a bit more complicated if you throw the ball straighter as all of the crankers are playing left of you and burning up the oil left of where you are playing. But you still need to get a little left and most importantly make great shots! I would tend to go to a reactive ball when I am forced to play an inside line, but I have bowled well using particle balls from the inside as well. Good luck. Greg November 17, 2002 Waverly NY How many different lane paterns are there and how do you know what ball to use for that paticular lane condition? Hi Greg, There are an infinite amount of different oil patterns, but the tour has 5 that they use currently with subtle differences in amounts of oil used. Sometimes I will use a ball because I am comfortable with it and like the way it reacts on most conditions. But the same pattern on 2 different houses can give different ball reactions due to the surfaces. Sometimes I don't pick the right ball or throw the ball well enough. Most players will blame the ball first. But it can't always be the ball. David November 17, 2002 Trenton MI Hi Mr. Williams, I am 15 years old and carry a 217 average in one league while, in another league (a traveling league), I only carry a 194. This is because the traveling league is always flooding the lanes with oil. I am a stroker, similar to your style, and whenever I get on heavy oil, my ball slides down the lane and I usually get no carry (I leave tons of 10 and 7 pins and sometimes 8-10 splits). I was wondering if you could provide a solution to my problem. You seem to adjust especially well to these slick conditions. One problem I may have is that my revoltion rate is low, but I do not know how to fix that without getting out of control. My equipment is as follows: Ebonite Predator (Sanded) Storm El-Nino Wrath (Not sanded or polished) Storm Erase-It (Polished) Hi David, I also am not a big fan of super oily lanes, but sometimes making better shots will show up just fine on those conditions. Bowling on a travel league will hopefully help your game by exposing you to a large number of oil patterns. This assumes that the houses put out varying conditions week to week. They may be using a variation of a sport pattern which will be tougher to score on. I am not familiar with the balls you have listed. But either a sanded reactive or sanded particle ball would be a ball recommendation. Learning how to put a few more revs might come in handy someday. Hooking the ball is a matter of getting the right leverage at the line. The timing is different and obviously the release is different. My problem is that my wrist tends to stay stiff during release while the high rev guys tend to break their wrist back at the point of release to go along with their cupped wrist right before release. I also lose control when I try to really hook the ball, which is why I normally try to play a moderate hook. Keep working on it. Peewee November 8, 2002 Mtn. View CA Walter Ray, am a fan of yours and followed your career from when you use to bowl in the bay area. I remember watching you bowl in the Western Regionals in the old bowling houses around here. My main question or information I would like to know is how do hit tournament conditions? What is your target and how do you line up? I'm a league bowler, in a scratch league. My average is 220, but when I try a tournament I can't seem to score as well. I can't seem to have area like the other bowlers do. My main targeting is at the spots before the arrows. I think maybe my drilling is keeping my bowling balls from getting the extra turn or power I need to carry some shots. I've been bowling since I was 16, am now 47. I'm always buying books and magazines on bowling, but I have yet to see a book about how pros line up and their targeting system. Are you planning on making a book? To away from bowling for one second, I know a person who shot horseshoes with you. His name is Mark Howe. Do you remember him? Don't worry, he says nice things about you and that you are better than him. I know this was longer than you use to, but I would like to pick up my game a little more. Thanks for your time. Good luck in the upcoming season. Hi Peewee, The problem with most league conditions is that they are too easy. So even though a 220 average is pretty good it can be 20 pins below what some of the other top bowlers are. I target at the arrows or a couple of feet in front of them depending on how I feel or am 'looking' at the lane. I try to pay close attention to where I put my feet and the board that I am trying to hit. Most players, even pros, seem to hit about 2 boards left (right handers) of where they are aiming. In order to make good adjustments you need to be able to know when you make a good or bad shot. You also need to watch other players to see how they are playing the lanes. Experience will help you to learn how to make the proper adjustments, but even good players are learning new ways to make adjustments. Someday I may write a book and or do a video, but I am not working on one at this moment. I have played against Rick Howe from Massachusetts, but I don't remember a Mark Howe. I have played against many different players over the years though. George November 5, 2002 Port St. Lucie FL Hi, my name is George.My question is if you are bowling on a really oily pair what kind of ball would you use.Track,Storm,etc Hi George, It depends on what type of oil pattern was applied to the lanes. So I can't really so what ball I would use. In some cases I would use a dull particle ball and in other cases I would use a reactive ball (shiny or dull). Scott October 28, 2002 Seattle WA Why is it during a regional or national tour stop their is typically an out of bounds right while the shot continues to migrate to the deep inside lines? Hi Scott, Compared to a typical league shot the lanes can seem like there is an out of bounds. I don't think there is a true out of bounds, but since there isn't free hook to the right most bowlers are uncomfortable playing an outside line. A shot will almost always migrate inside since there will always be oil in the middle and on the left side of the lane (due to fewer left handers). Sometimes when the shot gets to far left the right handers will move way right to that out of bounds area. Hiroto September 3, 2002 Niigata Japan Hi Walter Ray, Thank you for coming to Nagaoka, Japan, in August before your two tournaments here. I was in the same box at Game 1 and enjoyed your bowling very much. Since then I am trying to roll strong. Just one question. How do you change your tactics for a wood lane when you are on a synthetic lane? Hi Hiroto, I am glad you enjoyed us bowling with you. I enjoyed the exhibitions and tournaments in Japan. I think how the lanes are oiled is a bigger influence on how to play lanes than whether they are wood or synthetic. I really don't change my tactics on playing lanes based solely on the surface of the lanes. You need to pay attention on how the ball reacts on different parts of the lanes. Also watch and see how those players who are bowling well around you are playing the lanes, that can tell you a lot. When practicing on lanes you are unfamiliar with, play as many different lines as possible to get a good feel for how the lanes are oiled. Good luck. Alan August 31, 2002 Tallahassee FL Dear Mr. Williams, I am a strong supporter of the Sport Bowling program and hope to see it flourish. We have a sport league in Tallahassee on the campus of Florida State University. We will soon be starting our second season. While the long term success and popularity of Sport Bowling is unknown at this time I am very interested as to your opinion of the program (i.e., whether you believe sport conditions more strongly emphasize the bowling skills of repeatability, versatility, accuracy, and power, what you view as strengths and weaknesses of the program, etc.). Locally, I have heard several complaints. For example, some left-handed bowlers have said the shot doesn't finish for them & that right-handed bowlers may have an advantage because the lane dries up for them by the end of league & allows them to hook the ball somewhat more than the lefties. I asked the people at Sport Bowling and they said that nationwide statistics showed that left handed averages for games 1, 2 and 3 remained the same, whereas right handed averages went down on sport conditions (which seems to clearly show that this is a disadvantage to most right handers not an advantage - but still I hear some complaints). I've also heard one of our top local ABC officials say the sport bowling is simply a gimmick to "sell bowling balls" (but when I point out that sport bowling members comprise less than 1% of bowlers & that there are no "magic balls" for sport conditions, etc., - this goes in one ear and out the other). Anyway, it is very frustrating to hear things like this & I would be interested in your opinion on "Sport Bowling". Appreciate any comments. Sincerely, Alan Thompson Hi Alan, I definitely think that the Sport Bowling programs need to a big part of bowling. A true Sport lane condition is very difficult and demanding which I think will encourage more accuracy. If you want to improve I would recommend practicing on the most demanding condition possible. However, most people like to strike a lot. Even I like to strike a lot, but when I practice I would rather bowl on a very difficult condition so that I can tell how poorly I am throwing the ball. If I were to practice on an easy house condition I won't know how bad of a shot I made if the ball still goes to pocket due to the oil helping it. It sounds like your local ABC officials would rather bowl on the easier house conditions which is too bad. I don't think there will ever will be a near perfect lane condition so no matter what is out there someone will not be happy. Bowling is more of a sport of how you are doing relative compared to every one else. A 215 average might be good enough to win on a Sport condition and not cash on a house shot. Good luck in your bowling. Dale August 27, 2002 Apple Valley MN What's the easiest way to find your line during warm-up before league play begins, speed is always critical, please forward the answers, you know Walter I am a left hander but we have problems with the lanes also, hope to average 220+ this year, take care and best wishes to Paige and you. dale Lipovsky Hi Dale, We missed you at the world tournament this year, but I am sure that we will see you next year. In league they usually oil the lanes in a similar pattern from week to week so you should have a pretty good idea as to where to play. That is where I would start. Start with a game that is more comfortable with you, speed and rotation. After a couple of shots to loosen up I would make adjustments based on where the ball was going. The other thing is to pay attention to whether you are making good shots or not when making adjustments. It sounds like you ought to try some PBA regional tournaments just to see how you do. Good luck and see you on the courts if I don't see you at the lanes some day. Shane July 16, 2002 Springdale AR Hello, I'm bowling in a sanctioned sport league this summer and I'm having problems with the shorter patterns (36 and 38 ft patterns). The lanes are oiled with 36 units in the center and 18 units on the outer parts, and have screaming backends once you clear the oil. My problem is that every ball I own is overreacting once it clears the oil and hits the dryboards. My weakest ball is a battle zone cannon, and with my release (I throw the ball just over 17mph, average around 375 rpms, and can pretty much change my axis rotation as needed from 10 degrees up to about 60 degrees) I can't even keep it on the right side of the headpin on the short patterns. By the end of the first game all my mental approach is focused on is trying to get the ball further outside at the breakpoint so that I have room for the ball to come back without going brooklyn. Tonight for example I ended laying my ball down on the 28th board, going out to the 4-5 board at 46-48ft' and hoping that the ball wouldn't dive back through the headpin too hard. So, my question is, what do you do to combat short sport patterns. In all aspects, mentally, equiptment choice, etc?? I've considered looking for an older urethane ball to throw on the shorter shots, but I'm not sure whether or not that would be beneficial to me either. I would appreciate any information you could provide as to what would be a good mental approach, and equiptment selecting approach for the short sport conditions. Thanks for your time, good luck in your game!!! Shane Carey Hi Shane, I think you had the right idea. A ball with a less aggressive cover or a 3 piece reactive ball would be a good idea. Before the newer balls and all of the oil they use now a days, those older balls worked pretty well. Good luck and stay with that Sport Condition. Siddik May 13, 2002 Bombay Hi Walter, What exactly does one mean by heavy/medium oil conditions? Does it mean more length of oil or concentration of the oil? I recently returned to Bombay, and they use oil spray and a mop to oil the lanes!!! I'm not sure how much oil should be sprayed on the lanes and to what length. I mean, these guys at the alley are courteous enough to oil the lanes as per my demands. There is no way we can replicate a pattern because there isn't any lane machine. I need some guidelines from you as to how I should get these lanes oiled. Oh! It was so nice back there in the US. Awaiting your reply. Thanks, Sid Hi Sid, Your best bet would be to contact the Kegel company and see what suggestions they have for you. Try http://www.kegel.net . They have been in charge of the lanes for the tour for the last 5 years. I would concentrate on varying the amounts of oil and trying to put out a pattern that is very even from left to right. Good luck. Lane Condition Q&A [1-20] [41-60] [61-80] [81-100] [101-120] | ||