My high school just joined the conference that runs around here and I have noticed that the lane conditions are totally different from the lane conditions I am used to experiencing during my weekly league and other tournaments. All of the houses oil the lanes fresh before we bowl and it is a very long and thick application. Pretty much the only way to play the lanes is to aim straight because there is no friction on the lanes at all - the ball just skates through the oil all the way to the pins, at least with the ball I'm using. There is a little friction on the backends of course but not much...have any of you experienced this type of lane condition before? I have seen the best players from my school drop 20-30 pins compared to their other league averages because the oil pattern is nothing we've really dealt with before. As for me, I have been having difficulty but I got my ball sanded and reconditioned and it helped it get through the oil a little better last week...I use a Titanium Messenger red/blue and it isn't the greatest for oil, but that's all I have to work with for the time being. Any suggestions? Thank you very much!

It's hard to say what the exact reasoning is behind the oil pattern they are using, but many times a pattern is chosen to tame the crankers and force accuracy in the shot.

A tougher pattern is much better to learn on, and it levels the playing field between high rpm pin splatter, and straight or regular hook bowlers. It is a little disheartening to have your average go down, but in the long run it will go up. After learning to strike on tough conditions, you will tear the house up on a blocked lane.

It is also disheartening to play against someone who just heaves the ball with 400 to 600 rpm and gets a strike without any real skill. So in the long run the tougher lane will be a better experience.

Coach04 makes an excellent point. The condition you are describing could be a "sport shot".

The Sport Condition is all about learning to bowl on flat lane conditioner with the bowler's skill in modifying ball speed, playing different parts of the lane and choosing the right equipment is truly put to the test.

I work with bowlers that can play a blocked lane condition (house shot) up the boards from the first, second, third or fourth arrows. Then they "belly" the ball across 15 or 20 with little effort. Put them on the sport shot and they must work to find the line, but because they have practiced the different lines, they don't panic and feel better about making big changes to the find the line to the pocket.

What's my point?

Good question.

Practice playing different parts of the lane. Stand on 12 and shoot at 5, stand on 17 and shoot at 10, stand on 22 and shoot at 15 (playing up the boards). Then move to 30 and see if you can find the pocket across 20.

Make sure you aren't a "one shot" competitor that only wins on one condition. If you practice different lines, you will find yourself smiling when someone complains about lane conditions because you will know how to handle it.


I hope this helps.

Thank you very much for all the help - the lanes are tough but at least I'm learning something out of it instead of playing the same line over and over again. It is actually pretty interesting to play at different angles and see how many ways are possible to get to the pocket; it's just the heavy oil conditions that I struggle with...but I will keep your tips in mind! Thanks again!