I understand what DD is going through, the house I bowled the PBAX last summer had the same [censored] machine that oiled the outside 5 boards from the pin deck back which makes playing the shorter patterns next to impossible.

That being said I was winning games with 170s, 160s and even 130s, if it wasn't over 100 degrees in there every week I wouldn't have quit, but my knees couldn't take it. Whether it was a real pba pattern or not, that is what was there and it was still fun trying to figure it out and do my best to score on it.

I learned a lot and improved my spare game immensely.

To add to what GP said, you also aren't going to get the gutters stripped well with one stripping. The strippers strip more in the middle of the lane than they do on the gutter and it will take several runs of the machine to get the back ends on the gutter clean on the shorter patterns. This is why it takes the PBA days to get the shot to where they want it to be.

I think its safe to say that not EVERYONE is adversely effected by bowling a Sport or PBA league. But its possible for it to happen when you are not mentally prepared and don't have the tools in your game to make alterations depending on your ball reaction. And in this game, it seems that a lot of people can get to the 200+ level and really not be all that knowledgeable about the game. Not as much as they could be. So its not that they don't want to bowl on a challenging condition but that its going to take more effort to prepare yourself to handle these types of lane conditions then folks are willing to put in.

I think that once you bowl on such a condition it becomes clear to you that you are not as knowledgable (I'm not going to say good) as you need to be to handle those conditions. But for most bowlers they do not want this game to be a brutal struggle every time they step onto the lanes.

Erin

I agree with Erin in part on this. What these conditions do is expose the holes, and a good number of these holes are a lack of knowledge. Someone might not know how to adjust properly. Someone might not understand how to read ball reaction on a flatter oil pattern. Someone might not know how to play the gutter or "be nice" to the ball or a slew of other things.

What I find very disheartening is that entirely to many people are more concerned about looking worse or not as knowledgeable as they thought they were instead of using the opportunity to actually learn.

Being able to bowl on sport conditions is a fantastic opportunity to really work on your physical and mental game.

I think this is the biggest reason many of the "better" bowlers won't even try a harder condition, or even bowl in a center other than their main house, Ego. Its why many sport leagues didn't do well and why USBC decided to try the PBAX Leagues. It appeals to the ego of many bowlers to try what the Pros bowl on. Then they find out its not that easy and want nothing to do with it. After how messed up my game has become doing one of these leagues wasn't an option, but I was considering them at the beginning of the year.



It is a good opportunity, but not when a person is only given a little pamphlet about it for information, at least average Joe Bowler. The way Dennis has described a couple of PBAX leagues in his area being ran sounds like a great idea.

This sport is indeed more a thinking person's game. Most people do not want to think all night about the many possibilities of optimally getting to the pocket (assuming their physical game is somewhat decent).

Especially on the shorter patterns. The longer patterns favor those who prefer to do less work than usual. Sometimes I wish people can feel the feeling of making a logical thinking adjustment, execute, and watch the ball take care of business. I really like that feeling.

I am going to say one more thing and I am finished with the subject. I have been around bowling for 30+ years. DO NOT Insult my intelligence with some of these remarks. I worked in the business for years, so I am well aware of how weather affects lanes, how lane machines work, how the particular machine in question operates, and how to remedy the problem with the machine.

This particular proprietor wishes to ignore my claims and talk down to me like I just started bowling last week, and that is his problem and he will not get any more business from me after this league is over. I made a commitment to bowl, and THAT is the only reason I will be finishing the league out.

You can read into this whatever you want, I cannot control that. I do however know when I am struggling due to lack of Execution and when I am struggling because the lanes are unplayable. Shooting 160 and winning proves nothing. Playing on this [censored] proves nothing, about anybody and their skill level.

So far, Coach Jim and Dennis seem to be the only ones who "get it"

DD, you can't be the only one bowling who feels this way. What do the other bowlers say about the condition?

The only reason I say this is because, I often sub on a Fri Nite Social league. It's a nite out for a lot of neighbors, and friends, bowl, a few drinks and have some laughs. Well, one Friday, the lanes were just unplayable because of too much oil on the lanes. This was noticed first by the better bowlers, who in masse, no matter what they tried to do, couldn't bowl.

The bowlers finally demanded that the Pres approach the House Mgr and complain. He first shrugged it off. But, when threatened to have a 24 team league leave the House, he responded.

Apologized to all for a machine breakdown, that they forced an admission of, refunded their nightly lane fees. Gave them each another night of bowling free, with a pizza for each team, and a pitcher of either beer or coke.

But, it wasn't til the Pres became very forceful, that they got the ackknowledgement they were looking for.

Just a post script. Last year, I bowled in an advertised, Sport League. I knew some bowlers in it and they all praised the competition level. The lowest allowable average was to be a previous year sanctioned 185 regular. Well, before the year started, the House had some empty lanes, and strongly suggested that this league increase by four teams. We had a waiting list of a few bowlers, so the House said they would fill in the rest. They did with sub standard average people for this league. In the first few weeks, some teams had a vacancy, including ours. The House again, said they would fill them, and they did with former cosmic kids who never bowled league in their life.

To say the least, the chemistry of the league changed entirely. It wasn't as competitive as it was billed. And, then we found out that they were not going to sanction the league as a Sport League. Well, this disturbed me. But, as you say, I made a commitment to finish and I did. At the end I immediately informed my captain that I wasn't returning to the league for the next year.

Well, since I am an Officer of another league in the same House, I attended a pre Fall Season meeting of all officers in all leagues in this House. It was there that I found out that the "Sport League" lost 9 of the 14 teams from the previous year. It appears I wasn't the only one perturbed. My thought was that if the entire league, officers and others, voiced their disapproval to the House at the time, things might have been changed. But, that didn't happen. Not wanting to cause waves, I just lasted it out, then left.

I would do it differently today.

Just for the record, I shot just over 600 for 4 last night. One of the pairs was atrocious. We were on the Viper and if you got the ball inside 13 at the breakpoint, it took off like someone kicked it. If you got it out it never finished. I ended up playing up the ditch with my most aggressive ball, watching it hook less than it does on the Scorpion.

After we were done I went back to that pair and worked on how to combat that condition. I ended up standing on 10, pointing it at the pocket, keeping my pinky and index finger in and watching the ball flip over right at the pocket. I left pickable spares and could carry.


And you know what? I felt good about being able to work on something new.