Last yr I bowled 2 leagues at the same house, play anywhere from standing at 12-18 board and break point is 4-7 boards (right hander). I bowled in a tourny couple months ago and was forced to play a way different shot. Stand 30-35 board and aim for 5-8 board. I found out more of the other local houses I was play this way. My main house just happens to be the floodest of them all.

So for summer I'm playing at my normal house, and a new house. Same shot at the main house. But I'm getting rather inconsistant playing across the lanes. At the second house, I can play 25-30 board, air around the 5-7 board and hope it carries. If dryer in the middle, I have to stand to the 35 bd. If I shorten the speed or over rev I will go through the head but 90% of the time will go brook. I tend to leave lots of back row pins like this. I try playing closer inside (same footing but throw to 13-15board) seems to work great on pocket shots, but doesn't give me room for error. If i miss by a board to the left it will go brook or through the head and leave nasty stuff to pick up.

Is this normal to have two houses completly different? How should I go about being consistant at the second house. My goal with this is to learn to play across the lanes so when/if I play in tournys I know what to do.

"is this normal to have two houses completly different? How should I go about being consistant at the second house. My goal with this is to learn to play across the lanes so when/if I play in tournys I know what to do."

jsigone, absolutely, houses are different. My normal house is a flood plane. Across the Association of 13 houses, it has the lowest averages for the past 2 years. It is a 39 foot tapered, 32 unit shot.

Another house I bowl in uses a 40 foot blocked shot with reverse application over the first 15 feet, and buffed to the pin deck. They use 24 units of a heavier viscosity oil which lasts longer, too.

You should be able to ask the front desk to tell you what oil pattern they use. That should help you figure it out quicker. This is not a secret, but few ever ask.

At 95% of the houses around me, I would just get a dumbfounded look from anyone working the counter, including center managers. Oh the wonders of corporate centers that don't care for real bowling, thus rarely hire anyone that knows about real bowling.

As for the original post, its not uncommon at all to have different patterns and have to play different lines at different houses. Even using the same pattern they can play differently due to viscosity of the oil used, the lane surface and so on. Most of the centers in my area are AMF, use similar patterns, have similar lane surfaces and play similar, but not exactly the same.

Its good to see you try to use new lines, some people want to stand here, throw there no matter what the lane condition is.

This is absolutely normal.

Plus if you are "lucky" enough to find a really inconsistent house you might have to look for a different shot every week.

Erin

The second house I play, I've been there for about 5 weeks now, still lost because I'm not sure what is "normal" shot there. All 5 weeks have been different. One of those weeks I was locked out a shot completly, no matter what I did I couldn't control my ball. Shot a spare game of 170-180's through the night.

I have an idea of how to play it but having hard time to figure out how to get more carry to string more strikes together. Just seems like a big fight to make my 200 average there. I leave solid 8 and 9 pins more then solid 10's these days. Today I received some sanding pads and ball cleaner (never used any before) from [Banned-URL] So we'll see how it fairs out with what I did to the balls. I'll let you guys know how it went tonight!!

I like that some houses differ so much. It forces you to get away from playing one area over and over just because it works. My local lanes have been consistent as of late but usually they are consistently inconsistent. It frustrates you but it makes you better on easier conditions.

There two house within 5 minutes from me that differ like that. One that i bowl league in and is my normal house - is usually has a lot more oil and im comfortable cause i know most of the time where the shot is, however, this year the shots been different - so i had to learn more this year to be versitile. Then there other house which is wood surface vs synthetic surface in my other house and they oil less frequent and dont seem to put much oil down. That house i been to for just to practice on different surface and different shot. Im usually have to play very deep in that house or have to keep my ball speed up to keep it online.

today wasn't so pretty...first 3 balls in practice was brook. Stood 27, aim 5 but never got out that far. Changed to my Gforce Evo, same mark was able to hit pocket but a lil high. I was still a lil lost by the time the game started. Aim out to the 5, carry, carry, split, carry, brook, brook. Moved 29 board, same mark 4-5 board. Man that was a narrow shot. Struck when I stayed in those two boards, but went brook if I'm on the 6-7 boarde. Hit real light when I flung it to the 3 board, thought it was gonna gutter. Game ended at 170 eek.

Took a risk and brought out my Storm trama ER, was going brook in warm ups so I didn't know how it was gonna go. Sand 29, aim 10-12 to play inside. Carry was solid thoughout the game on this line and more wiggle room to play with speed and revs. Game ends 219, better. Third game was same as the 2nd, I missed my mark to the left a few times and came over to brook. One struck, other left a 6,10 so wasn't bad. Finished up with 226 on that one.

Series 615
Still felt like I had to fight for it, but overall pleased from the [censored] 1st game and that I pulled above averge a lil overall. Shot a 664 last night at my main house.

Might suggest an open mind and trying things you normally wouldn't like throwing like a stroker. Now that's a drastic and big change but something like that might lead to an AH-HA moment. Take different hand positions, higher ball position anything that might be out of the ordinary for you and give it a whirl.

Personally, I think when you feel like you're fighting the lanes your mental game is starting to crumble or has crumbled. You need that same kind of confidence you have at your house. Sure your scores are going to be worse but that's becasue the shot is different it happens. You have to roll with the punches until you find that moment where you go, "I got it," and now you are in control. You are attacking the lanes. That is the one of the things that I see happen to bowlers that go to bowl in a house that isn't "their" house. They lack that confidence and control because they are somewhat out of their element, but instead of blaming themselves they blame the lanes or the approaches or the racks for being a little different.

I would say keep an open mind and no worries it'll come. Tinkering is always a good thing.

It took me about three months to adjust to my current house.

My previous house sounds a bit like your new house...the lanes were old there, and the one and two boards were bone dry. My inside shot, I used a Doom which skids a bit, and I would go from 37 to 17 to the 4 or 5, which gave me enough room inside that the ball would break at 6 or 7 on a slight miss and still hold the pocket. If I missed outside, I could usually feel it coming and pull up a bit, and the lane would hold it and often steer it back for a light hit. I could also take my plastic ball and throw it hard across the 8 to the 5 and get a similar effect, where it would hold on the inside and recover on the outside.

My current lanes seem to have a bit more oil than the other, and there's also an OOB area 40 feet and down, which had me dumping the ball inside for splits on inside shots and throwing my 3-6 spares in the gutter. I can still throw the old 37-17-5 if I back up (less angle) and add speed, but I'll have room to miss for less than a game, and it's really only effective when we have carrydown. I do have a really old arcing ball that I can throw straighter, 37 up-18-6, and when I miss inside it holds through some kind of internal alchemy, but I only have the strength to throw it properly for one game.

After a second full wax-job, I'm finally able to use my Liberator on an outside line; the plastic ball doesn't carry in this house unless we suck a lot of oil off the Track. With the Liberator, I aim for more of an angle (arrows at 9, break at 4) and the first few times I miss outside, there's a short dry area that will bring it back. Put it all together, and I show up with a magazine of balls, but have barely enough shots in them to last four games.

I used to throw the Track, too, but I don't seem to have the equipment for it any longer. It looks like that will be my next bowling purchase, after I get a storage rack for the house, anyway.

yah you're right about the mental game, when I'm rolling it out there and hoping it carrys and doesn't punch the head I have no confidence on what's gonna happen. I never seem to have a problem hitting light unless I'm off the mark 2+ boards. I feel the lanes are tight, maybe I'm over reving the ball like I normally do at my main flood house.

I just got my stimulus check last week, so I'm trying to do HW on what two balls I want to order. I need a heavy oil ball for when they open the flood gates at my main house. Debating on what to do for a med oil ball. I have a No Mercy but the thumb cracked over the weekend while in my trunk. My Trama ER is a great handmedown free ball with cracks forming around the front finger holes. Great ball, had my best scores with it, but it's life might be coming to an end with those cracks. I plan to join a scratch league next winter at another new house, so I want a better bag to go in there with. That house is simular to the one I'm struggling with now.

On my short list
Storm Dimension (heavy)
BW Bite (Heavy)
Storm Jolt Partical (med)
Rota Grip Mystic (med)

Also thinking of getting 2 of the Dimensions or Bites and polish up one for a longer shot.

You would be better off learning to alter your axis rotation, if the ball is over/undering on you like that, the best thing you can do is reduce your side rotation and go more up the back of the ball to get the ball to read the lane sooner and not snap as hard on the back and lose a little more energy that way you don't leave so many back row pins.

As far as new balls go I would buy one heavy oil ball like the dimension, then buy two midrange balls like the mystic and drill one pin over the fingers and one pin under the fingers. polish the pin over the fingers ball and keep the pin under the fingers around 2000 dull, this will give you two different reactions on medium heavy to medium light oil, on which you are most likely to need two different reactions.

In heavy oil you have one basic reaction, the ball will go long and either snap hard or battle carry down to the pocket and two different balls will not help here, you will need to learn to alter your release and speed and you can do that with one ball.

The only time you will need two different reactions on a heavy oil ball is when you see heavy oil on two different lengths, otherwise you will have two balls sitting in your bag that you can't use because there isn't enough oil.

well I'm only thinking of getting two balls. But you bring up another option of getting two med balls and drill those different to get a better spread of lane conditions. If I do that I still have to fill in a Heavy oil problem. Do you know of anyone that has sanded the pearl off a Gforce EVO or the Storm Trama ER to 1000-2000 grit for the heavy oil nights I'd be happy to do that and order two mystics. I see lots of oil about once a month so far in both leagues.

I'm gonna head out with the guys on Friday for practice, I tend to have a hand tilt inwards abou 20-25* when I start my back swing, I'll try to not tilt it in so much to see if I can get it to slide more up front and not so snappy in the back.

Don't buy a Pearl anything and sand it and expect it to act like a dull ball. Ball companies have spent millions of dollars deciding what cover should go with what core etc....... Do not try to make opposites work.

If you don't see heavy oil too often then takeing the Trauma to 1000 or so should be fine. But these days, balls have a short life span and your Trauma can be considered a senior citizen.

But one the best pieces of advise I ever got from a higher average bowler was to get two of the same ball and drill them up differently. For example, one for lengtht and one for arc and control. Then of course you'd need to bowl with both and get very comfortable with how many boards different they were in reaction, so that when you go from ball to ball its not a guess. And I guess that's what I can best emphasize....."changing balls is not a guess", or act of desperation.

Erin

My trauma er is now a dry lane ball. It doesn't handle high viscosity oil very well, if your place uses the modern lane oils then sanding it will not help much unless you go to 360 or 180 grit.

I didn't say you wouldn't need a new heavy oil ball I just said you would only need one of them. You would be better off buying a heavy oil ball if you have a need for one and use your others to fill in the medium conditions and replace them with other medium oil balls as needed.

This is perfect advice. Having 2 balls that have the same amount of hook but on different parts of the lane is great to have. Right now my Paradigm and my Speical Agent hook the same amount, just at different spots on the lane. I did this years ago when Track came out with the Flare. First one, I drilled it for late reaction. Second one for nice even arc. I loved both of those balls.

If I had the $ right now, I would do the same thing with a Cell. I already have one that is early/arcing. I would love to have one for late movement.

What's the difference between 2 of the same ball drilled differently or a dull and polished version of the same ball?

I thought the cover finish would do this as well?

It will make a difference in where the balls hooks. Say 2000 polish as opposed to 2000 abralon. But, there will be more of a significant difference if you have them drilled differently.

I have seen people with a Fury (dull) and a polished Fury, drilled the same. Their thought is that there is a difference in length that they looked for.

Isn't there a polished Cell now that accomplishes the same?

I saw recently that the Roto-Grip guy (roger?) said there will not be a polished Cell...

I have seen this a lot of places - why would they release a polished Cell, when you can polish it yourself? Or do people mean pearl?

I don't follow the Cell much. But, I thought I read where there was to be a polished one too.

Anyhow, the Fury example still holds.

No polished Cell. Truthfully with the success of the Cell, they would be dumb to release another similar ball. I think that people are just polishing the current one. Because of the colors, it may look a lot different when polished up.

If you look at the core of the Cell, it looks very similar to the core of the new Dimension. I would like to see them side by side and see what the differences would be on the lane. The numbers look similar but I wonder what they would come out to on the lane.

OK, found it. It is called the Strike Cell. 1500 grit polished, hybrid reactive cover stock, same internal block.

I believe that is an international release.

Why put out the same ball in the same market, only changing the surface preparation? That's why we have spinners.

It's also a different cover stock.

They seem to have
- Cell, US, Solid Reactive Cytoplasmic
- Hybrid Cell, Int., Hybrid Reactive Cytoplasmic
- Strike Cell, Int., Hybrid Reactive Cytoplasmic

The last 2 are not available to us, and appear to be identical, other than coverstock.

Wish I had looked on here earlier but oh well. I ordered a Dimension for oily stuff, and also got a Track Kinetec to repalce the Trama I have for a med oil shot.

So in the bag will be a Gforce Evo, Dimension, Kinetec, plastic spare ball. Hope this will be enough to help win the fight on the new house

the kinetic should do you fine. its suppose to have the same kind of reaction as a black widow, but i have the kinetic energy and that ball is mean. i holds its on with my twisted fury. so your kinetic should be fine. the kinetic is one of my next balls along with a buzz bomb. . ( just want to try it )

I thought about that ball too, but wanted more length in the ball. The reviews I read bout the KE ball was more mid range with strong back. I never had a black widow, but if the regular kinetic rolls like the No Mercy I should be happy. Are Track balls high maintence like hammers?

All modern equipment is high maintenance. They soak oil and need it extracted and periodically need surface work done to them, even if its taking it back to the OOB condition or just changing the surface. Dull solids may just need done sooner than polished or pearls.

I think what jsigone is asking Cal, is if the Kinetic requires as much maintainence as the BW balls because the BW balls have a tendency to die out fast. He wants to know if the Kinetic requires baking every month to a month in a half to retain its reaction.

Like I said, pretty much any ball is like that, dull balls need more, like several of the balls in the BW Line, with the BW Pearl needing it less as it doesn't absorb the oil as quickly as the Solid or Bite. My answer gave him the basic information needed to make that determination himself. I'm not sure what the cover of the Kinetic is, if its pearl, or a polished solid it would need similar the the BW Pearl, and if its a unpolished it will need more.

i never knew my No Mercy needed to be maintained. That ball was AWESOME when i got it new. Rolled 750-775's for about 6 weeks solid before it took a big dive. I never understood why until recently. I just put it away and took it out ever now and then when my Trama would have a hard time. I held a 253ish average for that time. I got marriaged in that time frame last yr and the other team was pissed at my 241 blind HAHA. I had planned to resurface it and use the cleaner I got but before all the cleaner came off the fed ex truck, the ball cracked at the thumb hole.

So now I KNOW. Clean those darn balls after use. How often are you guys draining the oil out? I have a thermal chamber at work we use for testing computers at temps. There are 6 of us at work that bowl on leagues together and I introduced them to baking the balls. My buddy just got the BW Bite and told him it's high maintainence and he should get the cleaner too, so he ordered some. He also has the No Mercy and No Mercy Beat n.

I rarely extract the oil. Occasionally my equipment might be in the truck if I think its going to be cutting it close to make it to bowling after work, or if I think I'm going to be able to hit up a center near the jobsite so the sun will heat it up some and some oil would come out. Outside of that I've only purposely did it once. Most of my equipment, or at least the 14 lb arsenal that I need to find away to get rid or, was polished, pearl or both and rarely absorb much oil. I could leave it in the sun, or heat it up and hardly get anything out of them. I had dull equipment but they were rarely needed, so rarely used and I didn't need to worry about getting oil out of them.

I used to sit my BW Solid out in the sunlight once a week and let the sunlight do all the work and I'd rotate the ball about every 5-7 minutes to try and avoid the flat spots. But now that it is sharing playing time with my Cell it's about once every three or four weeks.

I'd say if it's a particular spongy ball I'd go every 1-2 weeks with the sunlight. But like you said you have a thermal chamber that you can use at work so maybe, no definately wait a bit longer because you can get higher temps than I can. I'd say use it when you notice the ball's reaction starting to go bake it. And definately try to keep a close eye on the balls and the temperatures so that the balls don't crack. Lastly you might want to find something like dowel rods to put the balls on so they don't develop that flat spot I was talking about.

It does depend on usage. If you use it almost every time you bowl. About 20-25 games for dull solids, and 35-40 games for others. At around 35-40 you might want to sand a dull ball back to OOB, or whatever surface you are using on it. A polished ball just a coat of polish at around 50 games will usually go a long way to keeping a consistent reaction.

I'm sure others will have different amounts they prefer.

I bowl two league nights + one practice night (4-6 games), so roughly 10-12 games per week after all the league warm ups add in there as well.

When I used the chamber, I set the balls on a large PVC ring to keep them elevated off the rack. I've only used it a couple times so far.

jsigone, clean your ball every use with a ball cleaner, or a degreasing solution. The reaction will last longer. When you notice your dull ball keeping a sheen, it's time to deep clean it.

Every ball will require deep cleaning at a different rate, depending on oil absorption and cleaning routine.

That PVC ring can make an indentation into the ball surface if the ball gets too hot. Depending on where that indentation is at it could affect ball reaction, plus according to USBC rules any indentations/grooves other than the ball and company info is illegal. So keep a watch that there is indentations form the PVC ring.

thanks for the heads up on the rings, I'll make something else then, maybe outa dense packing foam.

Today I practiced at a new house, was floddy with snappy back. Simular to my main house. I sanded the Trama to 2000 abralone and worked great. Threw the ball like I normally do and rolled some pretty good games. 5 practice games, 214 was the lowest and 242 was the highest.