The funny thing is, in that picture it looks like Walter Ray is the one wanting his picture taken with someone famous.

Thanks Marko for the information. I'm not sure if I will make it up there before the singles matches on Thursday, but I plan to look you up when I get there. I feel that there will be a huge crowd attending the singles matches, hope I will be able to get in. Now, I've just got to figure out how to find the place (lol). Good luck in the tournament and again, thanks.

Pattayabowler

Infernocal,

I finally saw the light yesterday. You know, I bought these new balls while vacationing back in the states and brought them back to Thailand with me. Two of my balls, the Legends Conquerer and Black Pearl are both particle load balls. I have yet to have much success with either of these balls at the house where I normally bowl. I thought it was just me, having read rave reviews on the web. The house that I normally use is AMF equiped. I've always felt that they were very stingy with oil, but after yesterday my suspicions have been confirmed.
I decided to visit a different house in another town 35 minutes away for the first time yesterday. This is a small house, only 16 lanes, but is a Brunswick house instead of AMF. As usual, I started with my Conquerer and behold, I got the kind of movement that I had expected to get with this ball from the onset. The ball was only good for one game then it stopped moving and I had to put it away. I then switched to the Black Pearl, but it wasn't much better. The Black Pearl had a strong backend hook, but it displayed too much over/under making it difficult to control. I think it would have rolled well had I started with it instead of the Conquerer. I think that the Conquerer had already pushed too much oil out of the Track. I tried moving more inside; that's when I experience varying over/under reactions. Finally, I switched to my Lane Masters Sure Strike and wow; this ball had a strong, but controlled hook allowing me to roll a 190, 201 and 222, good scores for me. The difference from what I have been used to is that this house put down enough oil to allow my balls to retain their energy, even the Conquerer. I always thought I had a big problem with making revs, but after bowling at this house, I feel much more confident concerning my stroke.
Bottom line, I saw the light. No matter how hard and how many times I try, I'm not going to make my balls do something that aren't compatible with the lane conditions. I paid a lot of money for my particle loaded balls and want to roll them, but now I am convinced, if the conditions aren't right, leave them in the bag or go search for a different house that offers the right conditions for these balls. For my house shot, even the Sure Stike is a little too strong for the lack of oil conditions. My best ball for this house was actually my Brunswick Punisher (reactive pearl), but it now has a crack running 360 degrees around the ball. Any way, I just wanted to tell you that your point hit home. I had seen it before, but never experienced it so vastly as I did yesterday. After my outting yesterday, it will remain in my thoughts.

Pattayabowler

Wow, you mean your dilemma was as simple as matching the ball to lane condition? I always said, the Conqueror loves oil. That is why I had mine drilled the way I did, and play through the center oil with it. It goes where others can't. And, on a heavy oil shot, it outhooks the Cell. It was my best ball on PBA patterns. Never gave a thought to your lane condition as a problem. I know we've talked. But, that never entered my mind.

Wow, you mean your dilemma was as simple as matching the ball to lane condition? I always said, the Conqueror loves oil. That is why I had mine drilled the way I did, and play through the center oil with it. It goes where others can't. And, on a heavy oil shot, it outhooks the Cell. It was my best ball on PBA patterns. Never gave a thought to your lane condition as a problem. I know we've talked. But, that never entered my mind.

I'm glad to see you got a chance to actually experience the difference if reaction by matching the ball and condition. I know its hard to own a ball and rarely be able to use it and want to use it. Most of us have been there. I've had many balls I've rarely thrown because I just couldn't find a condition they worked on.

Dennis,

The Conquerer is my first really heavy oil ball so I didn't know exactly what to expect. I think that one of the hardest things for us newby's to read is lane condition. I asked around at my bowling house and got many conflicting opinions as to the oil condition on the lanes. What's odd, after I would roll my Conquerer I would look for the oil rings, but could hardly, if not at all, see the rings, but when I roll my Black Pearl, it is covered with oil rings, easily seen due to it's black coverstock, but so is my Sure Strike and my Maxim spare ball to a certain extent. I just assumed that the lanes were well oiled. When I bowled at the new house several days ago, my Conquerer came back from the ball return with oil similar, but not quite as much as my other balls. The main thing I noticed between the two houses is that I am capable of generating much higher revs with the Conquerer and able to avoid the early rollout I get at my normal house resulting in a much sharper turn at the break point. I bowled at the same center yesterday, but the Conquerer was not quite so effective; I think that the lanes may have been broken down a little by previous bowlers as I arrived at a later time. I tried to roll my Sure Strike first, but there was too much oil resulting in a little too much skid and late break. After one game with the Conquerer, I went back to the Sure Strike and it performed well for the rest of the session. I guess the Conquerer worked well to push or absorb the excess oil, opening up my line for the Sure Strike.

Pattayadavid

Different people read the conditions differently. What might be light oil to me could be like heavy to you and medium to Dennis. There are some guidelines that some of the magazines follow when they do their reviews. The volume of oil isn't the only thing to take into consideration, there is also the length of the pattern that needs to be factored in when choosing the ball to use. There is also the surface of the lanes. The oil rings you see on the ball just let you know you crossed oil not the amount of it.

Even if you know the volume and length, the only true way to know what ball you need to use is to try each ball from several lines.

The trial and error use of balls could cause you lost frames in leagues. That's why you have to know your balls and what they can do under different conditions. One thing to note is that most people talk about changing lane conditions, and don't take into account the bowler. A straight bowler will see things completely different than one with 400 revs. Knowing what you do is most important.

I know that my Conqueror searches out oil and performs best on it. It is, however, sensitive to carrydown. That's when I switch to my Terminator which crosses oil spread with ease.

I know neither ball absorbs oil like others I have had.

My Conqueror gave me my highest game over the Summer on the PBA Shark pattern, and the highest series on another night.

I'm talking about before scoring starts. What a ball does on any given day on different surfaces and conditions varies. Even if you know how one ball reacts in relation to others on various conditions does not necessarily translate into making the right decision for that day.

Like you said the bowler needs to be taken into consideration. There have been times when things just didn't seem the same from previous outings. Sometimes its just the way I feel, or how the release feels, or the speed of the approach. These difference can affect the way a ball reacts on that day and a different ball that might be thought of as weaker might react more and hit better.