Bikedad, everyone uses the 2007/2008 Fall/Winter thread since a server crash in November I think, and they asked us not to use the older threads.

This past Sunday was a disaster for the team. We just could not fire on all cylinders at the same time to win. Individually, everyone had great moments. I ended with a 637 series: 187/226/224, the handicap of the team we played was too high to come back from with our off play. Better luck in 2 weeks.

Thanks Infernocal, I guess I missed that one. Shame.. this has been a great thread with a bunch of regulars just doing a quick report on their bowling, good or bad.
I shall go and find out where everyone went.

Cheers,
Allan

Allan, good to hear from you. Hope all is well. Seems your sagas with oil machines is never ending. Some nights, it's tough enough to fight yourself, but tougher to fight a machine.

And, don't worry, I have you on my "watch list" so I will find your posts.

Thanks Dennis.
Yeah.. it has been a bit disheartening after starting the season so well and making some solid improvements in my game, only to have to resort to "chucking" the ball down the lane to try to reach the pocket. Thank God my spare shooting has been good lately, otherwise I would be struggling to break 100 each game

Interestingly, I practiced on a house lane before league and that had been trashed by Joe Public all day but it was infinitely better (and had more oil on it) than the league lanes we got. There was a solid shot available from several different areas of the lane. Makes you wonder just what the actual pattern is that we are getting!

Cheers,
Allan

From what it sounds like on other posts it sounds like you are bowling on a top hat lane condition where the oil is in the middle and very dry outside, this shot can be very difficult until the edge of the oil has been broken down a bit, like the open play lanes you described in this post. Sometimes this shot plays better from deep inside with maximum side rotation and slower ball speed, and just let it go out to the dry on the outside and bounce back toward the pocket.

If I am wrong let me know what happens if you try playing the lane this way. I will take another stab at helping you figure it out from what you report back.

Wow CoachJim.. you following me around???

The shot you mention is, in fact, the very shot that those who struggled with the original pattern are now finding so successful. They struggled because they tried to play that shot when it wasn't there... there was no dry outside for them to bounce off of. Those of us who normally bowl in or near the Track area were able to live there and move a little further inside as the Track got trashed up. It wasn't an easy pattern but rewarded accuracy and a consistent release and ball speed. Suited me and a few others but not the "Big Guns" it seems.

I have tried the "throw it to the gutter" approach but I can never get the ball to come back far enough from the dry. I think the axis of rotation and little tilt is what is holding me back from being able to use this lane condition, so I have tried to bowl from well inside and keep the ball in the oil as long as possible so that when it reaches the dry, it will set on a predictable path with plenty of energy to drive through. When it works, it is great but the line fades away far too quickly to be able to profit from it. Consequently, I wind up tramping all over the approaches (and don't get me started on THAT subject) looking for a way to the pocket and relying heavily on spares to keep my scores in the reasonable area.

Once again, thanks very much for your input and I will give this a try next week. Getting big side rotation is what I was trying to get away from when I changed my release LOL so I might have to "unlearn" myself to get it back.

Cheers,
Allan

I forwarded this article along to my dad and bowling buddy, who have a hard time staying behind the ball - they both kind of suitcase it. Not saying that's what you do, but, when my dad tried this in practice yesterday, he went from playing his normal shot around or just right of second arrow, to inside of 3rd arrow.

http://www.bowlingknowledge.info/images/stories/slowinskiapr08.pdf

All he did was try to keep his hand inside the ball until it got to his ankle, and he was able to get that bounce of the dry that he's never had before.

Might be something to try.

Joe Slowinski's book, "The Bowler Reference System" is also a good source of info as to how to adjust to lane conditions:
http://www.bowlingsbookstore.com/catbkins2.html?mgiToken=469E761633810B71C#Bowler%20Reference%20System

cgeorg, thanks for that article, very informative and it confirms exactly the type of release that I have been working to achieve. My rev rate has improved quite a bit and it doesn't require too much effort.

CoachJim, I have been able to get a little more information about the lane pattern we are supposed to be getting:
length is supposed to be 39 feet, 6:1 and from 5 to 5. The machine is a wick machine, only a few months old but already giving trouble (poor maintenance) so the program may say that is what is being put down on the lane but the reality is nowhere near that. I understand that there is supposed to be 24 mils of oil used and we know for sure that we are probably only getting less than half that amount. The pattern is Top Hat.

I will be practicing on Sunday, so will try out the various suggestions you have made, even though it will be on the House Pattern and fresh. It will give me an idea if I am in the ballpark or not.

Cheers,
Allan