Bowling Info 101 » Bowling Balls

How to maintain your Bowling Balls

Jim Newell — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 22:50:45 +0000

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If you are an avid bowler, you more than likely have at least 2 bowling balls and possibly more. Premium bowling balls can cost more than $200.00 dollars add your shoes, bowling bag, and other accessories, and your 2 ball bag may be worth upwards of $600.00. There are still bowlers who, when they leave the lanes throw their bag in the trunk and leave it there until the next time they bowl.

This is not only not good for the bowling balls, it does not allow you to properly maintain your equipment. At the very least, if you are in a cold climate, your fingers will be very cold until the ball warms up. In extreme cold conditions a can actually occur, bowling balls have been known to crack. In a warm climate tape in finger holes can melt, this will be very sticky, and hard to clean out.

My routine has been to keep my bowling equipment in the house or at least a heated garage. Each time, before I bowl I clean the surface of my bowling ball with either rubbing alcoholor a commercially available ball cleaning fluid. If the ball has a dull surface, I will wash it in warm water using “dutch cleanser” and a “scotch brite pad” the abrasives in the cleanser will actually restore the dull finish and allow the ball to react to the lanes as it is supposed to. If the ball has a shined finish, I will use the product recommended by the ball manufacturer to refinish the ball, in a pinch you can use the wax machine at the bowling lanes to refinish or shine your ball, however continuing to use these machines will, over time allow wax to build up and adversly effect ball performance. With all of my bowling balls I will check the grip, and if I use tape, I will replace with new tape so I’m sure I have the proper grip.

Properly maintaining your bowling balls, allows them to react to the lane conditions as they are intended and as you expect them too. You should bowl better and your expensive equipment will last longer.

Bowling Ball Weight…How Heavy is Right for You?

Jim Newell — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 13:48:21 +0000

If you suffer from shoulder pain, back pain, arm pain, wrist pain or any other pain consistently after bowling maybe you should look at your bowling ball for the cure.Ten pin bowling balls are available by weight in, 1 pound increments, from about 6 pounds up to the maximum of 16 pounds. Beginning or younger bowlers usually start with a lighter weight ball, and as their skill increases, or as they grow they move to a heavier ball. Many bowlers get to a ball weight that they feel is their maximum weight and stay there for many years.

Many mature male bowlers, I would even say most, use a 16 pound ball. For many of them this is the correct weight for them, and for just as many it is probably too heavy. Male ego being what it is prevents them from thinking of changing to a lower weight.

There is a myth among bowlers that by changing to a lighter weight ball they will not be as effective at carrying the corner pins, or they will not bowl as many strikes. At some lighter weights this may be true; however that weight is much lighter than most bowlers think. In reality a properly delivered 12 pound ball is as effective as a properly thrown 16 pound ball.

Most bowlers are not aware of the intense exertion a heavy bowling ball can put on their joints, many of them, are afraid to change to a lower weight. And they are not aware of how much less pain they will have, and how much better they may bowl, using a lower weight ball.

Using myself as an example, I have been bowling competitively in leagues and tournaments for more that forty years with an average of between 185 and 205. For most of that time I used a 16 pound ball. A few years ago I noticed that after league bowling my shoulder would hurt for a couple of days afterward, sometimes to the point that I could not perform normal household chores. Of course I bought into that myth about not being able to carry as many strikes, and having one of those aforementioned male egos, I suffered for more than a year before thinking of changing.

Then there is also the cost of changing that needs to be considered. I had about 6 or 7 bowling balls, and a couple of favorites all were 16 pounds, I toyed with the thought of buying only one lighter ball, but felt that this would not really help as I knew I would need to change balls as lane conditions dictated. I bite the bullet and bought 4 new 15 pound balls, and gave away all of my 16 pounders, even the favorites.

And what was the outcome of this experiment? My average has remained about what it was, and even a little higher, I have no more trouble with corner pins than before and still carry my share of strikes, some of my team mates would say more than my share. And I have no shoulder pain, even after a 6 or more game tournament, and to my wife’s delight I no longer get out of the household chores.

Since I changed to the lower weight a few of my team mates have also done so, one even went from 16 pounds down to 14 and he is bowling better than he ever did.

My advice, if you are experiencing pain from bowling, ditch the myth and the ego, go down at least one pound in weight and enjoy bowling more.

The Evolution of the Bowling Ball – From House Ball to Your Strike Making Rocket

Jim Newell — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 21:43:29 +0000

By Jim Newell

Bowling balls have really come a long way, from the round stones that may have been thrown at pin like stones by the caveman, and most assuredly be the ancient Egyptians, to the “resin particle cover stocks” with unimaginable weight block shapes that are driving up averages today.

The Dutch introduced a game similar to what we play today to America during the colonial period. This game evolved into the game of “nine pin” which became a very popular gambling game, the authorities of the time eventually banned the sport of “nine Pin”. In order to skirt the ban on “nine Pin” it is popularly believed that a tenth pin was added to the deck, thus the game we know as “ten pin bowling”. The ball used for these games and up to the very early 20th century was made of a very dense hardwood, lignum vitae. In 1905 the first rubber ball, named the “Evertrue” was introduced, about this time the 16-pound maximum weight limit was imposed. Then in 1914 the “Mineralite” ball was introduced by the Brunswick Corporation, then a maker of billiards balls, and was successfully promoted, touting its “mysterious rubber compound”. These types of bowling ball, and variations of it, were the mainstays until about the 1970’s.

During the early 1970’s polyester/plastic bowling balls were introduced. The characteristics of these bowling balls are low production costs, which allows lower costs for bowlers buying their own equipment, durability, many color or design choices. The disadvantages are that these balls do not “grip” the lane very well and usually go very straight, however the tendency to go straight does make them very popular as a spare ball, and many are used today just for that purpose. Most bowling centers have a selection of house balls for the patrons to use, most of those balls are either hard rubber or polyester bowling balls.

In 1981 Ebonite developed the technology to produce a polyurethane cover stock, however this was a higher cost process, and Ebonite, fearing that the bowler would not pay the estimated $80 sale price, sold the manufacturing rights to AMF. The result was the production of the AMF “Angle”, and the modern era of bowling balls was born. This new cover stock allowed more friction or “grip on the lane, resulting in a ball that was more controllable, predictable, smoother roll, and was easy to hook or curve into the strike pocket. The cover stock was also “adjustable” as to how aggressive the hook or curve was, by varying how it was finished, need less hook, polish the ball, need more
hook, sand the surface. The “urethane balls are durable, last a long time, require less maintenance and still perform well, especially on “dry” lane conditions.

The 1990’s saw the introduction of the “reactive resin cover stock” bowling ball, and the stampede to higher scoring began. This group of cover stocks have a sort of “tackiness” that seems to grip the lane, this allows for greatly increased hook potential, and a ball that seems to deliver more energy and hitting power to a larger strike pocket. These bowling balls won’t bowl for you, however they will make a good bowler a lot better. You no longer have to be exactly precise, but rather bowl in an area.

Building on the huge success of reactive resin cover stocks are the newer “particle reactive resin cover stocks” which are even more aggressive on the lanes.

To take advantage of these new high tech bowling balls you need to check out the pro shop at your bowling center, or find out where the good bowlers in your area buy their equipment, you need to buy from someone who really knows how to fit a ball to you and your particular style of play, and then drill that ball to match.