In a letter to proprietors AMF enclosed the following statistics to help make their point that AMFlites Pins and AMF/HPL Lanes are higher scoring than the rest.

It's very interesting to see the stats in this light but also brings up the question of how much the lane conditions contributed to the variation of the scoring from year to year.

Click on to enlarge:
<img src=\"http://www.bowlingf...if\">



Note: We have not independently reviewed these stats.

What do you think is the reason for the high scores?

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I'm not a math major, so I won't get into the significance (or perhaps lack thereof) of the numbers, although since the scores seem lower every year ABC is in Reno (same lanes/mostly the same pins), I'm wondering if that throws off the data.

This is where I ask the obvious question: "Where is ABC/WIBC and why are lanes and pins that are significantly different than the rest of the lane beds ok?"

If ABC is promoting Sport Bowling, why are they allowing another company to basically promote the opposite?

What bothers me most, however, is the comfort with which AMF panders to the "high scores" argument. There is an independent center in my neck of the woods that has had synthetics installed since at least 5 years ago, and they're still bragging about their HPL Lanes. And I've wondered how many people think "AMF HPL Lanes, Bob Learn shot a zip code, and now so will I." Of course if AMF is pushing that down their throats.

Many people originally said they wouldn't bowl there FOR that reason, and now people just don't bowl there. Fact is, that oil patterns (or lack thereof) will mess with bowlers or benefit them more than the lanes themselves.

Very interesting. I never thought of the actual lanes contributing to the scoring. I always believed the pins and lane conditioning pattern controlled it all.

I think the ABC/WIBC should investigate this thoroughly and if necessary ban these things from being installed from there on.

I don't believe it's the lanes. I think it's the OIL.