Ameteur, didn't your house hand out the oil pattern and explain it? They also should have had a sheet recommending how to play the lanes.

Some PBA leagues have a local pro wither bowl in the league or be in attendance to help bowlers play the lanes. Believe me, it's not as much fun just being thrown into it. Ask, the manager, he may have the data.

Here is a link.

http://www.pba.com/resources/oilpatterns/laneconditions.asp?ID=5

Ameteur, didn't your house hand out the oil pattern and explain it? They also should have had a sheet recommending how to play the lanes.

Some PBA leagues have a local pro wither bowl in the league or be in attendance to help bowlers play the lanes. Believe me, it's not as much fun just being thrown into it. Ask, the manager, he may have the data.

Here is a link.

http://www.pba.com/resources/oilpatterns/laneconditions.asp?ID=5

What is going on? Almost every other post of mine doubles up.

Believe me, I am not trying to pad post counts.

The actual PBA Experience League at the local Brunswick is having a practice day this Wednesday and there are suppose to be some pros there. I'm just wondering who exactly. I know Danny Wiseman is good friends with the Pro Shop owners there, then there is Edward VanDaniker and then some others. I hope its not going to just be the Pro Shop guys, but some bowlers with lots of experience on the patterns.

Actually, those times that I've bowled on these patterns have been in practice. This Summer will be my first time doing a PBAX League and it starts this Tuesday, and I'm really excited. So, I'll have to see how they do things in the league.

From what I remember about last year, no pro came to the bowling center. As for sheets on how to play the conditions, there were just brochures that give basic descriptions about each pattern but I don't think anything about exactly how to play them.

After last Summer, where everyone had to have a PBAX league, this year, there are only 2 Houses in our entire Association running one. Both will have full leagues. Not just a token number of bowlers, as our House last Summer only had 6, 3-man teams.
This year, our House only had 12 sign up, and they cancelled it.

But, one House has the league run by Dave Traber, and the other has a few local Pros bowling in the league and helping bowlers with the patterns. This approach has proven more successful. The Traber league had 2, 300 games rolled last year. Don't know the pattern. Traber also had an 800 recorded.

The shorter the pattern, the farther out your break point needs to be. It's not that there's more oil outside 6 or 7. It's that you need to get the ball farther away from the pocket so that it doesn't go through the beak or cross over. The pattern is really set up to play at the first arrow and out. The ball will hook to early if to play a break point inside of that.

I did not see a single person, other than the lane man, try a shot outside 5 the first 2 weeks. People cross 12 and think they are playing outside. It is funny to see them fishing - they get a strike on one ball, throw the same line the next and get a 7 count. They see me playing up 4, or 3, or bouncing it off 1. They ask if I will be playing where I am all night. They ask if I am worried I will toss a gutter ball, or OMG IT GOT TO THE 1 BOARD. They see the success, but none of them has even tried heading outside.

I will find a way to play out there on every pattern. Maybe not the shark, but until that point, there's no reason to move in. Let them start out playing 5th arrow and screw their shot up. I'll take their money.

The USBC magazine that just came out had the pros tips for each pattern from the highest avg pro on that pattern. WRW was high on scorpion, at 240. 240. Again, a 240 average. He plays it up 2, 3, or 4. He said he plays every pattern outside.

Side note to whoever was talking about starting inside 4th arrow on the shark, PDW was high average, certainly no slacker when it comes to revs or backend movement, and he said he starts at 2nd arrow.

It's not a house shot, people.

Well bowling went fairly terrible as I expected it to... The kiddo was a bit below average, and not in a learning mood that's for sure. He shot a 95 the first game followed by my 190. The second game he shot a 98, and then I'm all over the place trying to get something to work along with pain and shoot a 137. Way to many splits, I guess I should have gone to my spare ball as the lanes were burnt up before we even started practice... We won all three so I guess we'll take it.

Well its been a while since I've posted, but I've got a little bit of time right now so I'm posting

Just started my first ever PBA experience league last night on the Viper pattern. I started using my NSane LevRG, standing on 20-21 and throwing at 11 with moderate success, but couldn't get a good feel with the ball. Was hitting within a board of my mark but I couldn't get anything to work properly, finished Game 1 with a 149. Second game I switched to my Neptune, a much longer ball, and moved out to standing on 16-17 and throwing at 7 and was much more consistant. Left a few splits but was able to get most of my spares for a 202. Third game I started the same as second game and strung the first 5, missed one spare in the game and shot 220. Fourth game I started same spot as second and third, but the bruise on my ring figer really started to get to me and I lost my power behind my shot and couldn't get a consistant read on the lane.

All in all though, a great experience and I met up with some old friends I used to bowl with growing up, one of which turns out held the highest PBA experience average in the country for about half the fall/winter season.