I've been going to the same person to get all my equipment drilled. At a King of the Hill about 40 mins away I talked with another ball driller. One of my friends went to him and he had his ball pretty quick and about 20 bucks cheaper. I love my ball driller but he sometimes is a little slow at getting things done b/c he loves to talk. I usually dont rush him, but sometimes you dont wanna have to wait a few days to have something ready. I do plan on trying this other guy out, but my pro-shop owner will know I got something somewhere else. He cant be mad, but should I hint towards matching the price or will that seem out of line?

How long have you been going to your current Pro Shop?

I understand your loyalty to your current Pro Shop guy, but sometimes you have to make decisions that are tough. There's a guy in my area who I hear is pretty good and a lot of people go to him, but I've also heard that he takes forever to drill one ball. To top it off, he opens and closes at weird hours, like 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., which means most people are working, etc. And he doesn't open on weekends...honestly, I don't know when he actually does any drilling because I bowl in the house where his shop is located and rarely do I see him there.

The shop where I get my equipment drilled has great hours, open on weekends and they do fast and good work. I've taken 4 balls in there at one time and they've been done within two hours. I've been going to this shop for 6 of the 8 yrs I've been bowling because the guys in there know my game as well and know how I need my equipment set up to get the maximum effectiveness out of it.

There's issues with fast drilling. If you drill too fast you risk cracking around the holes and bridge in the future.

We take our time drilling. Because me are very sure that our pitches are correct, or span measurements are correct and the bits don't get so hot that you risk cracking.


But we don't have days wait for drilling either. Guess we are not as busy as your driller. I don't know of any local driller that is days wait for drilling a ball. Or maybe we just use our time more effectively.

Erin

I've rarely seen it take days to get a ball drilled, maybe one day if the shop is busy the day you go in there or its toward the end of the night/day. Now it could take a few days to get the ball at the shop sometimes.

As for the price, even in the various pro shops around me I see big price differences. Sometimes the cheaper shops aren't quite as skilled or do as good of work. Sometimes the more expensive shops aren't that good and looking to make as much money as possible. One around me is expensive and they have messed up something on any ball I have had them do work on, including just putting in finger inserts. You would also have to weigh in the cost of gas to drive those 80 minutes round trip to get the ball. If you get one when you head there for a tournament its not too bad, two birds with one stone deal. A Pro Shop shouldn't have an issue with you getting equipment somewhere else because sometimes you need it when you at a tournament or out of town. You could mention the cheaper price to your current driller and who knows he might give you a break, it maybe only $10 per a ball.

I'm currently thinking of using another Pro Shop. My current one works out of his basement and sometimes it can be difficult to get something done. He lives right up the street from one center, which has a pretty cheap Pro Shop but sometimes I'm just not sure about that place. There is one that is actually closer but sometimes the prices seem a little steep but they are the only Pro Shop that has ever told me they want to watch someone bowl before they drill something up for them. They also have a CATS system so I think they might do coaching as well. I'll be talking to them in the next few weeks when I'm ready to do my changes.

I had to change to a different Pro Shop. The guy that I had been going to wasn't getting my measurments right. The guy that I'm with now gets everything right, is cheaper, and even lets me watch sometimes.

Thanks for the replies. Erin, its not that the other guy drills balls fast, he will do the work sooner. My current Pro Shop owner does have plenty of work, but he also loses plenty b/c sometimes it takes too long to get a ball drilled. We know its not always good to play favorites, but if you know I bowl in a few leagues and have a ball come in on Tuesday. I would hope to be able to have it by the next evening, or maybe even Thursday. I usually have to wait until Saturday. His main problem is he has the gift to gab. If someone starts a conversation, thats it, he wont get any work done. He's a nice guy, but I'm thinking about giving the other person a try, atleast I'll have an option now.

I went in my Pro Shop last night, as it is in the same House as our final night. Agian, there were people waiting to be fitted. Two workers handled them all in an hour or so. And, they all walked out with a new ball. Same day service seems to be routine.
And, I saw each worker take each customer on the lanes, watch the bowler and tweek the balls before they left. They take an interest in every customer.

As for price, my guy will match any price that he knows is legitimate. He even matched an internet 'ball only' price, with a complete drilled price.

I rarely have trouble with a price issue there, since my prices have been under posted numbers by $20-30 for every ball.

I changed proshops before. The First one i use to use i changed cause they could get my thumb right. Now the one i use now is pretty good. I usually have a ball done with in a hour or two. Like Dennis i have relationship with my driller and he usually give me discount. I recently bought a bowling bag and gave me it at cost - what he paid for it without any markup cause i mentioned i saw on the internet for cheaper.

If you like the guy and you're happy with his work--except that he takes too long to get your ball done--then why not just tell him? ("Hey Joe, listen, I really need this ball ready by tonight. You're the best but if you can't fit it in, I'm gonna have to go somewhere else"). Give him a chance to redeem himself. If a couple of his regular customers do this, he should get the message.