So when I was at home in Fredericksburg I bowled at an AMF house I worked at. Over winter break (3 weeks) I was averaging 180 with one 200+ game pretty much every session. My Storm X-Factor Vertigo would actually hook.

Tonight I'm at college and I go bowling. The equipment is all Brunswick and I bowl and my ball barely hooks at all. The lanes are dripping with oil and I have no clue what to do. The pins also seem to create much more pin action. Do centers oil heavy when they have specials and a lot of traffic to protect the lanes, or is this likely how they always oil the lanes you think? Also, would a Storm T-Road Pearl hook more overall you think?

First of all, what is oily is up for personal interpretation. And without knowing exactly what pattern and how many units of oil the house was putting out its tough to say if it was just oilier then you are used to, or just a flood anyone could swim in. A popular magazine, Bowling This Month, tests the new balls on heavy, medium and dry lanes. Their heavy oil condition is 55 units of oil I can tell you that that is considered medium in our neck of the woods and the heaviest house puts out 80 units in the middle, in a typical top hat house condition. Also the length the oil is applied has a lot to do with how much hook a ball can generate. For example, recently a popular online store put up a video for a new ball (Hammer Bite), but the length of the patter was about 28 to 25 feet. This is extremely short and anything is going to hook like crazy in such a short pattern. Most house patterns around here are 55 units+ and 40 feet.

Bottom line is that you are used to one condition and have questions about adjusting. That's good. Because you cannot force the lane to play the way you want it to. You have to deal with what's out there. One thing you have to get out of your head is that more then likely, an equipment change will not let you stay in your comfort place from your familiar house and just move over ot the new house.

So you hit oil. Couple things to do is move outside. So if you are targetting the 10 board. try moving your feet and target 2 boards to the outside (towards the gutter). If that doesn't work, repeat the process. Do so until you are playing around 4 or 5 board. Most house shots are not outside 4 or 5. So if you are playing 15 board, then you know you will need to move outside. Move in parallel moves with feet and target until you get some desired reaction from the ball. This doesn't just mean striking but that the ball is moving off the pin deck at the proper angle and location with enough power to carry the 10 pins. You can then tweak the move for striking.

Some other things to do when faced with heavy oil is to hold the ball lower in your stance, thus slowing down your ball speed. Now if you try this without the change in stance, you will find it very difficult to repeat the desired lower speed. You can also move up on the approach a couple feet. YES a couple feet. That will make your steps shorter and should slow your ball speed down too. Most people start too far back on the approach. Also if you are targetting the arrows for your primary target, you can change that to the dots in front of the arrows. That will cause you to set down the ball earlier and create an earlier roll. When an earlier roll is established your get more hook and more mid lane read.

To learn these changes takes time and experience. And it also helps if you have a coach that can guide you through them in person. I can still remember my shock at my first "impression" of heavy lanes. To this day, I still have not seen lanes as heavily oiled as they were for that State Tournament. But that's been years ago and now I'm more prepared for such. Then I wasn't. So don't be too hard on yourself. You are used to a certain condition (everyone is) and this is only the first shock of many to come in your bowling life.

And keep in mind that what you might consider oily is barely medium to others. You just have to learn some more skills and keep your strengths tucked away for now. Because is sounds that you, like me, will be much stronger on dry conditions when others struggle.

Erin

What line did you play at your old house and what line did you have to play at the new one?

I played pretty much straight up the second arrow at my old house. At the new house I had to throw much more directly at the pocket as my ball would not hook as much. I normally stand with the right side of my left foot on the middle dot, and I had to move about 5 boards right to get anything done last night. I will also admit I wasn't bowling my best, as I bowled at 1030 pm last night on about 4 hours of sleep, which is extremely unusual for me. However, I do know the lane conditions are very very different, so I will definitely be trying to adjust next time i go there. Different atmospheres are so weird haha.

Yeah I try to bowl at different alley's just to keep up with different lane conditions, lanes breaking down, very oily lanes, etc... My coach has told me to do so to help me advance my game, and be able to adjust to different conditions. I'm stubborn and will always try to revert to the outside boards. Then I start playing with the 1 board and sometimes that gets me in the ditch...

Well my experience with AMF houses is that they tend to have a little less oil out, or a shorter pattern. Was this other house a Brunswick house, or just one that used all Brunswick equipment? The closest Brunswick around me, which I bowl a league in has a good amount of oil. This house is also known as a house that inflates your scores. Even some of the higher rev bowlers move out some here. The AMF house I bowl league in I usually have to start at the third arrow and swing it out while at the Brunswick house I rarely move inside of the second arrow, at least right now. Next season will be a different story. I've sometimes had to play up first arrow or even point it slightly to the pocket. Most centers normally don't change their patterns for specials. I find most of the time you might be lucky if they oil them that day if there are not going to be any leagues in there, or at least wait until an hour or so before leagues.

The normal problem I will have with a new house is the lack of oil that I am familiar with. Most of my problem comes from the fact that my arsenal is built for oil, and I don't carry the right equipment. Hense, I struggle trying to make something work that some other equipment would make short work of. I just can't carry everything.

I can adapt somewhat. But a different ball lineup would make it easier.

Question: Are you bowling in College at bowling center on campus? I was just thinking maybe they laid down a sport shot for your college team to practice on or something before hand?

Bowling off campus, and I now work there at the front counter. The GM is a pro, averages around 220, and says they use a lot of lane conditioner. I have a good idea he knows what he's talking about.

Congrats on getting the job you wanted, you will need a new ball if there is that much oil, the tornado is a dry lane ball. I look forward to working with you this summer.