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.