Hello,

I just got back into bowling after a couple of years away.

I am averaging a 192 over my first 30 games this year and could easily be up in the mid 220's if I could just carry a few more strikes.

I currently use a Brunswick Monster Bruiser, Monster Slayr and a Viz-A-Ball. This used to be a decent lineup that I could work with on most lane conditions I'm used to seeing.

I have looked into Visionary Bowling and their Ogre line. Looks good to me, I am looking for a set of balls for Heavy, Medium and Dry lane conditoins. I throw the ball at a medium speed and meduim rev rate. I also like to thorw fairly straight and like to play in between the 15 and 5 boards. I am looking for balls and setups that I can achive this no matter what the condition.

Thanks!

Ohio Golf Pro

I'm afraid to say that you have to play the condition that's out there and not try and make the line you like to play work even if it isn't there. If everything outside 15 is burned up, no matter how much you want to play there, you're not going to have a lot of luck no matter what you throw. Throwing something really weak usually isn't the best option because on top of the midlane being burnt up, you also have carry down, while a very weak ball will get down the lane better, it will also skid in the carry down and your carry will be bad. You can't force a line that isn't there.

Now about carry in general - Bad carry is caused by a couple things, namely bad entry angle and the ball not being in a roll when it hits the pocket.

If the ball gets down the lane to far before it hooks, it's going to come in behind the headpin and not carry. If the ball hooks to early and then rolls out or hooks out, you're going to get tapped. If the ball hooks to late and isn't in a position to drive through the pocket, you're going to get tapped.

You can correct this by changing lines or balls, depending on the situation. I used to see a lot of people get really frustrated because they hit the pocket shot after shot and didn't carry. Just hitting the pocket isn't enough. You need to hit the pocket in the right way.

Now as far as equipment, you can really go with just about any ball manufacturer. They all have equipment for the full range of conditions.

You May want to try the new line of Columbia balls out there. Resergance (Heavy- oil), Rival (oily-Med), & Wrath High Flush (Med-Light).

Welcome to the site.

I am going to agree with Lefty, you need to play what's there. Sometimes there just won't be a shot between 5 & 15. Do your Bruiser & Slayr have a ton of games on them? Maybe just a tuneup is all that's needed.

Welcome to the community Ohio Golf Pro. I'm going to agree with Lefty and Jeff about playing what the lanes give you. I used to try to play the lanes the same way no matter what center I was in, it didn't work. I used to like to play 15 swinging it out, sometimes it didn't come back, others it took off. I learned to be able to play different lines even though I'm not too comfortable going outside of 5 right now. Some conditions you just won't be able to play that area no matter what ball and layout you have.

As for the Ogre Series from Visionary, I have the Purple Ogre Pearl and love it, and know of one other person with it who likes it. I know of a couple of people with the Orange Ogre and they like it. I don't know of anyone with the SS Ogre yet. I've been thinking about it, but I want to try different manufactures for different reactions.

Welcome Ohiogolfpro. My theory was to get a specific ball for what I wanted it to do, regardless of the Mfgr. I studied the balls that rolled early and selected one based on data and questioning people who owned one. Same with those that carry. If I wanted a less aggressive ball, I watched who was using what, and decided. But, as others have said, most every Mfgr has the full width of balls in their various lines.

Welcome Ohiogolfpro. it sounds like if you pick up 1-2 more spares a game you could get into the 215 range. Are you good at picking up spares? Keep a month long log on what spares you miss and that will tell you what you need to work on when you practice.
If there is someone in your league that rolls the ball close to where you roll and close to your ball speed and has a higher average, at least in the 210 range then see what they are rolling. That may give you a good start of what to get.
Put up a video of yourself it maybe something in your swing that we could help with.

Generally when I have carry problems its not because of the ball I'm throwing but something I'm doing at release. Usually its because I go a little to fast and don't generate the power to carry the 10 or drive through the 8.

I can always tell if its my approach/release or my ball or line. If I throw a good shot and everything's reacting the right way and I leave a solid 10 or 8 then I know my ball is deflecting a little too much and I'm going too fast to generate the right amount of power. If my approach and release are good and the ball overhooks or underhooks I know its my line and that I need to adjust that.

The jump from 190 to 200+ is very difficult and IMO usually a result of one of two things.

1. you get into trouble leaving unmakables, especially when lanes transition

2. you cannot put enough strikes together to make up for the occasional open.

Its easy to say get all your spares. But as I work in the local association office, I dispense the awards. And we have a clean set award. So far this entire year, I have not given even one out! So its not that easy. Generally most 200+ bowlers will miss an occasional spare or get a split or two in a set.

The big difference at that level is stringing strikes. This requires a good release and timing but also the ability to get "in the zone" where you are repeating shots. And unfortunately that is not easy to learn. Mostly it comse with experience and practice. After bowling only 30 games, I would say that you do not have the practice to learn how to string strikes. Plus you have to be very careful when you do practice. Are you striking from power and pins flying or because you are consistently solid in the pocket? There's a sequence in which the pins are supposed to fall. And if you can get your strikes to fall in that order then you will up your strike percentage and therefore average (providing you are still getting nearly all your spares). Also noticing where your ball is going off the back of the pin deck, what board is it? You should always be spliting the 8 and 9 pin. Its easy to say you need more strikes but you need quality strikes too.

So if you want to get real serious about getting over the 200 mark I would start logging more time on the lanes and keeping a log so you can find out what's keeping you below 200. Right now all you have told us is you are not there and want to be there. And you have carry issues. Are your first two games the best and then you bomb on the last? Or vis versa? Are your spares 9 counts or 6 counts? Are you leaving splits? Do you leave the wash out? or the 2,8, 10 (always a lovely leave)? If so you are coming in too low to the pocket. A good coach could help you and in this case a coach that is well over 200 average themselves. So that they can help you learn how to string strikes, what the difference is between strikes, what it feels like, how to get into the zone and stay there. There is undeniable benefit from being well coached by a certified coach and higher level bowler. Especially since you are almost there. Now there could be some simple technical problems with your game that when fixed could contribute to more leverage and more power with accuracy. Like establishing balance and posting a finish. Since we haven't seen you bowl its impossible to tell.

But I can tell you right now that if you are NOT balanced and posting a finish, learning to do so could easily add 10 pins to your average.

Erin

Here's one thing I want to add to my previous post, and I've said something similar in another post on a different topic.

Ball type is important, but its my personal opinion that people put too much stock into the type of ball they throw, and that a good strong release can make up for a weak ball much more than a strong ball can make up for a weak or poor release. To me the ball can only be as good as the person throwing it. If the person is consistant and has a good approach with a good, clean, strong release then the ball will do what the person wants it to do; however if the person is inconsistant and their release is different every time then the ball won't help them. Having a different ball for different conditions is always good, but knowing how the ball will react because you're consistantly throwing the same shot will allow you to make better adjustments and you won't need to cycle through your bag so much to find the right ball except in the most extreme cases.

Another thing having a consistant release allows you to do is make adjustments to your release to generate more or less hook and ball speed as needed. Sometimes on very dry lanes the best approch is to take your strongest ball and throw it with a flat release to keep the revs down and let the ball work itself down the lane, and vice-versa for very wet lanes. This isn't always the case and its something you have to figure out yourself as you're warming up, but I've had to do that a few times so far this season already.