The FOFC Bowling Thread - Page 2

PackerFanatic · 05-13-2009, 10:14 PM

And what tells you in that ball description the "hook potential" as you call it?

Pumpy Tudors · 05-13-2009, 10:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

Haha, how do you not know you are the captain?

I think I will definitely look into getting a new ball.

I didn't even know who my teammates were going to be until I walked in the building.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-13-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

And what tells you in that ball description the "hook potential" as you call it?

Nothing in the description does, but I looked up information on the ball at New Bowling Balls, Bowling Bags, Bowling Shoes, and Bowling Supplies at bowlingball.com. I also have a subscription to Bowling Ball Info: The best website for bowling ball information also, so I could dig up more detailed information, too.

Anyway, about bowlingball.com, it has something called the "Perfect Scale." Every ball on the site is rated on a scale of 1-300 to show its hook potential. This ball rates around a 50. My ball is rated over 200 for reference. Drilling a 50 as fingertip is OK, but if you can afford a ball with more hook potential, it would be worth it. As you improve, you can grow into the ball, rather than outgrowing it in a hurry. Just an idea, though.

PackerFanatic · 05-14-2009, 09:10 AM

What do you think of this one?

Brunswick Twisted Fury Bowling Balls $149.99 FREE SHIPPING Product ID: 5996 at bowlingball.com

Reviews look good on it too.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-14-2009, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

What do you think of this one?

Brunswick Twisted Fury Bowling Balls $149.99 FREE SHIPPING Product ID: 5996 at bowlingball.com

Reviews look good on it too.

I know the Twisted Fury is a very nice bowling ball, and it's definitely one that you would grow into. I just want to point out how that ball reacts, just in case it doesn't fit your current game. It can have a huge hook (217 is one of the highest Perfect Scale scores available, as no ball has even approached a 300 yet), but it works with an arc. So, assuming you're righthanded, you would need to start in the center of the lane or a little left of center and throw the ball right. It would then gradually hook back. Some other balls tend to be more of a "skid/snap" type, where they roll straight for 40-50 feet and then "snap" back into the pocket. The skid/snap is not a gradual hook at all. The Twisted Fury is not a skid/snap, however. I just wanted to point out the differences.

At the sale price of $90 on bowlingball.com, that Twisted Fury is a bargain. Count on spending maybe $30-$50 to get it drilled at your local pro shop, but it's definitely a great deal. Maybe see what your pro shop has on sale, too, as some shops include drilling with their prices.

Dr. Sak · 05-14-2009, 10:18 AM

It's amazing how Pumpy knows so much about balls.

dl5175 · 05-14-2009, 10:29 AM

Okay here it goes. A balls hook potential is relative to lane conditions. If a ball that has an aggressive cover is used on a lane with a short low volume pattern, the ball will run out of energy at the pins. I would strongly suggest you watch league bowling on the night you are going to bowl and see what type of balls are scoring. What you really should do is find the house pro usually a regional PBA member and talk to them about equipment. Most guys are always happy to share knowledge.

wahoomac · 05-14-2009, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alan T

Your bowling style is pretty close to mine it sounds like, and your left knee pain seems to be pretty similar to what I descried earlier in this thread.. plus I also use a 16-lb ball.. I guess that likely is not a coincidence?

Well, I am overweight, and that puts a lot of pressure on my left knee when I release. So I try bowling different ways (which doesn't help my consistency). Actually, my left knee didn't start hurting until the middle of the third game last night. At least I have all summer to rest it. We ended up sweeping all 4 points and moving up a position (to 9th out of 15 teams). I bowled a 169, 153, and a 201 to finish out. I was happy.

spleen1015 · 05-14-2009, 12:01 PM

I've had several surgeries on my sliding knee due to various things not bowling related. I went through a period where my knee would kill me while bowling after a while. I figured out changing my balance and where my weight was in relation to my balance had a big impact on my knee and the pain went away for the most part.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-14-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dl5175

Okay here it goes. A balls hook potential is relative to lane conditions. If a ball that has an aggressive cover is used on a lane with a short low volume pattern, the ball will run out of energy at the pins. I would strongly suggest you watch league bowling on the night you are going to bowl and see what type of balls are scoring. What you really should do is find the house pro usually a regional PBA member and talk to them about equipment. Most guys are always happy to share knowledge.

This is good advice. The lane conditions certainly affect the ball reaction.

Because my budget only allowed me to have one strike ball, I had to pick something that I could learn to adjust based on changing lane conditions. My ball does tend to hook a little too much on a dry lane, which is what I often practice on. My league is on a freshly-oiled lane, so there are big adjustments that I need to make. Unfortunately, that's a downside of bowling on a budget. If the lanes are not slick enough or dry enough, I can't just change my ball. I need to change something else (ball speed, starting position, or target). It's challenging.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-21-2009, 04:05 PM

I feel like my league performance was a disaster last night. I mean, I'm not broken up over it or anything, but it sucks. I bowled 190-133-194. Sure, for the night, my average was 172 (and my winter league average was 173, so I'm on target), but damn, that 133 sucks.

There was an article in a recent USBC magazine about changing balls before the second game of league. If I remember correctly, it's because there is such a drastic change in the lane conditions from the start of game 1 to the start of game 2. By the time you get done with game 2, you figure it out and are back to normal on game 3. The article suggested switching to a ball that would compensate for the changes. Of course, as I mentioned in my last post, I don't have another ball to use. It really messed me up.

My problem was really that I could not fit the ball into the groove that the other bowlers had made. The opposing team really burned up the lane. The breakpoint was way too early for my shot. I tried to play on the outside near the gutter, but they pushed the oil out that way, and I couldn't make the ball come back. When I tried to move more inside, the ball didn't have enough "snap" to whip back into the pocket. Yes, it hooked, but it was a weak hook that hit the head pin too light. By the third game, I had made myself a nice little track in my preferred spot, and my wife and another of my teammates started using my line, too, so I was good again. We ended up ruining the other team's shot for game 3. Good stuff.

The bright side for my team is that we were getting 200 pins a game in handicap, and the opponents were only getting 49 pins. We ended up taking all the points. This is because the league was using last summer's averages for the players. Since I only averaged 155 last summer, I'm really getting more pins than I should be. The same for my wife. Her current average is up almost 20 pins from last summer. Next week, they will recalculate averages based on the first two weeks of this summer, so instead of bowling from a 155 average, I'll now be bowling from a 177 average. I'll need to stay away from any more of those 133 scores like I had last night. Ugh.

chinaski · 05-21-2009, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinaski

Oddly enough, I just got home from winning my first league championship! Ill post a picture when it hits the league website.

Victory!!! Im the dude with the glasses.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-21-2009, 04:12 PM

Very nice, chinaski! Congratulations! The big guy with the purple bowling ball looks like he wants to kiss me, though. I'm not sure how that makes me feel.

bbor · 05-21-2009, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Sak

It's amazing how Pumpy knows so much about balls.

No it's not

PackerFanatic · 05-21-2009, 04:26 PM

Love the shirts, chinaski

chinaski · 05-21-2009, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Very nice, chinaski! Congratulations! The big guy with the purple bowling ball looks like he wants to kiss me, though. I'm not sure how that makes me feel.

You and everyone else who knows him feels the same way lol.

The girl with the golden pin is his gf, she got that for rolling the highest ladies score of the year, 209. She managed to pull that off in the finals too!

chinaski · 05-21-2009, 04:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

Love the shirts, chinaski

The famous "Red Shirt"... this rec sports league covers bowling, kickball and dodgeball - when you win a championship, your team gets a red shirt. My first one, woot!

OldGiants · 05-21-2009, 08:17 PM

I've been bowling in the county teacher league for six years on my wife's team. We've been in the playoffs four straight years (the four quarterly winners roll off). Two years ago we won.

This year I thought we had the match won when myself and the other male on the team notched spares in the 10th to pull us back to -3 after being down over 200 at the start. We gave up a ton of handicap to a new team. This brought up the fourth bowlers on each team--my wife, whose grandad is in the Missouri Bowling Hall of Fame and whose dad chose a career at Bell Labs over the PBA tour (since he had a family to support).

The other team's last bowler was a woman in her first year of bowling. She had averaged 88 for the year, and had an 83 coming into the 10th (with no mark, of course.) So I liked our chances.

Her first ball came in slow and just off the head pin. For a moment, she had left the 4-6 split, essentially impossible to make. I started to high five my teammates. Then the 4 wobbled and slowly fell over sideways to knock over the 6. Strike. They are up 13, but a gutter ball is far from out of the question and my wife can still mark and we'd win.

She rolls another right down the middle. Slow ball, slow motion strike. +23--but my wife can double strike and win, but it looks bad. Her last ball is again right down the middle, and she gets 8. +31 and we're shut out becasue my wife isn't working on a mark either. We lose by 11.

So we wait for next year.

Still, it is great for the league when newbies can win it all.

As to style, I'm a big slow hook most of the time with my 35-year old Dick Webber ball. My team mate bowls like Fred Flintstone, big run-up and rifles it in straight but angled. Its all or split, with the pins flying around for their lives. The other woman on the team throws a backup ball, but did have the highest average of all women two years ago.

He's one of several math-science teachers who are deeply into ball physics this season. One guy holds the ball two handed and twists it out for an amazing hook. He sends the ball from the far left towards the 10 pin and then hopes it won't go back across to the left gutter.

For the last night we play 'No-tap' for prizes. No-tap means 9's count as strikes, so there are some pretty high scores. I've had 266 doing this. Well this science teacher goes nuts with 9's and has all strikes coming into the 10th. Now he gets his three 'real' strikes, the scoreboard goes nuts flashing 300 and its cheers all around.

With his handicap, it was a 341. Try to beat that.

So bowl for fun, everybody.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-21-2009, 11:14 PM

My winter league did no-tap at the end of the season. I bowled a pair of 278s. Each of those games had 11 strikes and an 8-spare. I was disappointed because I just screwed up my shot on the ones I missed. I can handle bad luck. Bad bowling is unacceptable.

hoosierdude · 05-22-2009, 01:56 PM

The one thing I was locally at least, is that pro shops would have some older balls drilled in a generic fingertip and semi-fingertip grip, and let folks try it. For those wanting to move up to the next level, the 'Net is a great place to garner info, but, knowing whether you are a stroker, tweener, or cranker is beyond most people's reach.

I don't think I have the wrist strength and legs to be a cranker any more, so, I believe I am either a tweener or stroker bowler. But, trying to pair those kind of bowling terms with balls that would be best is almost an ongoing long research period for that term paper in college...

What made you make your decision to go with what you bowl with normally and why?

dl5175 · 05-22-2009, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I feel like my league performance was a disaster last night. I mean, I'm not broken up over it or anything, but it sucks. I bowled 190-133-194. Sure, for the night, my average was 172 (and my winter league average was 173, so I'm on target), but damn, that 133 sucks.

There was an article in a recent USBC magazine about changing balls before the second game of league. If I remember correctly, it's because there is such a drastic change in the lane conditions from the start of game 1 to the start of game 2. By the time you get done with game 2, you figure it out and are back to normal on game 3. The article suggested switching to a ball that would compensate for the changes. Of course, as I mentioned in my last post, I don't have another ball to use. It really messed me up.

My problem was really that I could not fit the ball into the groove that the other bowlers had made. The opposing team really burned up the lane. The breakpoint was way too early for my shot. I tried to play on the outside near the gutter, but they pushed the oil out that way, and I couldn't make the ball come back. When I tried to move more inside, the ball didn't have enough "snap" to whip back into the pocket. Yes, it hooked, but it was a weak hook that hit the head pin too light. By the third game, I had made myself a nice little track in my preferred spot, and my wife and another of my teammates started using my line, too, so I was good again. We ended up ruining the other team's shot for game 3. Good stuff.

The bright side for my team is that we were getting 200 pins a game in handicap, and the opponents were only getting 49 pins. We ended up taking all the points. This is because the league was using last summer's averages for the players. Since I only averaged 155 last summer, I'm really getting more pins than I should be. The same for my wife. Her current average is up almost 20 pins from last summer. Next week, they will recalculate averages based on the first two weeks of this summer, so instead of bowling from a 155 average, I'll now be bowling from a 177 average. I'll need to stay away from any more of those 133 scores like I had last night. Ugh.

Transition cost me a few checks, or my poor descisions did. What I did learn is straighter is greater during those 6 or 7 shots. Just try to get 9 and pickup your spare you'll see those 130's turn to 190's. In my first National PBA event I shot 300 in game 2 and followed it with a 156 and 279.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-23-2009, 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosierdude

What made you make your decision to go with what you bowl with normally and why?

I asked the guy at the pro shop for advice. That's it, really.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-27-2009, 11:38 PM

I want to light myself on fire.

116-197-141

On the bright side, my team swept again, so we're still undefeated on the season. In the first game, I went up knowing that I needed 16 pins in the 10th frame to win the game for us. I left the 10 pin after my first ball and wanted to cry. I managed to cover the spare, though, and then I nailed a strike on the last ball to make 20 pins when I needed 16. That was the most satisfying 116 I've ever bowled, even though it was 62 pins below my average. I really need to work on my mental game some more.

Glengoyne · 05-28-2009, 02:39 PM

I missed this earlier. My wife and I started bowling a little over a year back, although she took several months off. My average crept up from 120 to the mid 140s. I've been picking up my consistency a bit, and am hoping that I average over 150 in our summer league.

I'm currently using a 15 lb Brunswick Maxx Zone. The lanes we bowl on are very heavilly oiled, so it seems to be an appropriate ball for me. It is making the ten pin hard to pick up for me.

All time, my highest series is a 513, with a high game of 237. I'm simply brutally inconsistent...and throw at least one first ball in the gutter every night.

If we're making league reports here...We did very well the first two weeks of summer league, winning seven of eight games. The third week, we gave up over 100 pins in handicap, and just couldn't overcome the deficit. We were mildly under our average the first game (128 for me), and just barely lost. The last two games a couple of them with threw a 211 and then a pair of 150-160 games. We couldn't keep pace with those scores and their handicap, so we lost all four games.

We're not used to losing that badly, as we are just coming off a great run in our fall/spring league where we managed a second place finish.

Pumpy Tudors · 05-28-2009, 02:42 PM

By all means, feel free to use this thread to make league reports. It is the FOFC bowling thread, after all.

dl5175 · 05-30-2009, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I want to light myself on fire.

116-197-141

On the bright side, my team swept again, so we're still undefeated on the season. In the first game, I went up knowing that I needed 16 pins in the 10th frame to win the game for us. I left the 10 pin after my first ball and wanted to cry. I managed to cover the spare, though, and then I nailed a strike on the last ball to make 20 pins when I needed 16. That was the most satisfying 116 I've ever bowled, even though it was 62 pins below my average. I really need to work on my mental game some more.

Nice clutch bowling, you were there for your team!

Pumpy Tudors · 06-03-2009, 10:42 PM

Nice night for me tonight. 207-143-231. A solid 581 series gets my season average up to 175. Unfortunately, my team lost two games, so we're no longer undefeated. Still, summer league is all about improvement, and I'm getting there.

Neuqua · 06-04-2009, 03:05 AM

I've never been a good bowler (goal is to reach 100) but somehow on Monday night I pulled off a 130-180-155..

Those three might be my highest scores ever, and I was really intoxicated so I have no idea how that happened.

Pumpy Tudors · 06-04-2009, 11:49 AM

It's pretty amazing how good some people are at bowling once they're drunk. I don't know what it is. Sometimes, I feel like I should start drinking while bowling. Maybe then I won't crap out a 116 like I did a week ago!

Glengoyne · 06-19-2009, 02:36 AM

Been a while without an update. I'm learning something new all of the time. I finished my last league on a roll, averaging 150 over the last several weeks. That carried over into the first week of Summer league....Then I started being really really inconsistent. I bowled an 84 two nights ago. five splits.

My ball simply wasn't hooking as I'd grown accustomed to it doing. It was very frustrating, and I started changing things. All kinds of things, everything...I even hurt my wrist by over cocking my hand in my delivery. A bowler on the team we were bowling, he carries about a 210 average, pulled me aside. He told me, that my ball was inundated with oil, and told me to take it to the pro-shop to have them extract the oil. He said that my ball with my release should have been really breaking, and that he'd seen this before.

I took it into the pro-shop, and they said they could put it into a machine that would do something to pull the oil out of it. Two to six hours they said. Not only that, but they told me that with the finish my ball has, that I should have this done every 40-50 games.

Who'd have thunk it. I'm really interested to see how it handles when I get it back.

Pumpy Tudors · 06-19-2009, 01:32 PM

Glengoyne, I have heard that it is important to get the oil extracted. I have never done it with mine, but I'm thinking about it. As much as I bowl, 40 games could be done in 3 weeks. I'm not sure I want to pay the pro shop $20 every 3 weeks, but I'm cheap sometimes. Now, I am in no position to recommend what I'm about to say, but I have read of a homebrew method to extract oil from a bowling ball:

Put some hot water into a bucket, add a few drops of dishwashing detergent, and then place the ball in the bucket for about 20 minutes. Take the ball out, wipe the oil off the ball with a towel, empty the bucket, and repeat the process. Keep doing it until the ball comes out of the bucket with little to no oil on it.

Again, I can't recommend it because you can damage the ball if it's not done right.I started the process on a bowling ball that I no longer use, and it certainly was getting some of the oil out. I'm not sure if I'm gutsy enough to try it on my current ball, though. If you want the oil out of the ball, it's certainly best to let the pro shop do it for you. I would take mine to the pro shop, but I am planning to get a new ball within the next 3 months anyway, so I'm not that concerned about it.

Here's my story from this week's league play. My team won the first two games fairly handily. In those games, I bowled 201 and 232. In the last game, but team had to come from behind to have a shot at winning. I went into the final frame needing 29 pins to tie and 30 to win. I got strikes on the first two shots, so that left the game in my hands. My score for the game was 192 at this point. I focused a little too hard on just keeping the ball on the lane, so I rolled it slower than usual. That caused the ball to hook too far and I missed the pocket. I only managed a 7 count, leaving the 3-6-10. My score was 199, and my team lost by 2 pins.

Still, it was my best series of the season, and my average is now up to 178. I just wish I could have that last shot back.

Glengoyne · 06-19-2009, 02:05 PM

I'll have to say the difference in the ball's reaction changed rather dramatically. (I'm talking about prior to the oil extraction) I'm attributing that change to the oil it was retaining. I went from throwing a ball that "caught" the lane, and started rolling fairly early, to throwing a ball that was sliding all of the way down the alley and through the pins. When that happens, there is little to no pin action.

I think I'm actually going to have this done to my previous ball as well, because its response deteriorated in a very similar fashion. That is actually what led me to buy the new ball. The folks in the pro shop said that a lot of people describe exactly what I did. They assume they've started doing something wrong, and start adjusting, when all along the ball is the real variable in the equation.

I'll bowl a series once I pick up the ball today, and report back here with what I find.

Glengoyne · 06-21-2009, 04:00 AM

Oh I picked up the ball this afternoon, with my wife, who by the way was the one who actually dropped the ball off at the pro shop for me. Now that she comes here and reads the forum...frankly more than I do now adays...I have to be much more careful when I edit her out of a story. Who'd have thunk this was a story where she wanted to get full credit for polishing my balls.

In any case. We, the two of us picked up the ball today, and it seems to be right back where I liked it. I put up a series just a few pins shy of a 150 average, which is 25 pins over my average over the past month. It doesn't seem like much, but I really felt like I was in control again.

Pumpy Tudors · 06-21-2009, 04:09 AM

That's awesome news. I think when your ball has a more consistent reaction, you will have more control. The ball does what you expect, it does it consistently, and your scores go up. Great job!

I am recovering from a week in which I bowled 40 games. I have never bowled that much in a week before, and my back in paying for it. I will be fine for Wednesday night's league play, but I definitely need some rest before then. I know some people who bowl that much on a regular basis, and I am now in awe of them!

OldGiants · 06-21-2009, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

That's awesome news. I think when your ball has a more consistent reaction, you will have more control. The ball does what you expect, it does it consistently, and your scores go up. Great job!

I am recovering from a week in which I bowled 40 games. I have never bowled that much in a week before, and my back in paying for it. I will be fine for Wednesday night's league play, but I definitely need some rest before then. I know some people who bowl that much on a regular basis, and I am now in awe of them!

Who says bowlers aren't athletes?

PackerFanatic · 08-21-2009, 11:53 PM

Very excited for the bowling season to start up again in only two short weeks! Had our captains meeting tonight and got to bowl some free games afterward. Bowled 8 games (yikes!) after not bowling since last April, so I definitely needed the practice. Safe to say my arm is going to not like me this weekend, but it was worth it. Averaged a 144 in my games (well over my ending season average) and topped out at a 181 - best part is, that was my last game, when my arm was dead. I was trying all sorts of different throws, and I might have figured one out that will help me out greatly. Not a TON of spin, but a lot more than I have ever put on a ball, and it's working well so far, so I am excited to try it with a fresh arm in a league game. Can't wait to get rolling again

Pumpy Tudors · 08-22-2009, 12:00 AM

I can't imagine going two weeks without bowling, much less four months. I would be an absolute wreck. I just finished up my summer league with a 169 average. My team finished in 3rd place out of 13 teams. We ended the season with a no-tap tournament, and I finished in 4th place on the men's side. I'm not sure how many bowlers we had, but I think it was about 25. So it was a nice end to the season. Winter league officially kicks off for me on the Friday after Labor Day, so I have some time to practice. I'm looking forward to it!

Fidatelo · 08-22-2009, 12:07 AM

Serious Pumpy posts always through me for a loop. They read the same as many of the joke ones for the first 2 or 3 sentences, and then I find myself waiting for the story to take the turn towards hilarity. Finally, when it doesn't happen, I find I need to re-read the entire post so that I can evaluate it on its proper merits.

Pumpy Tudors · 08-22-2009, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Serious Pumpy posts always through me for a loop. They read the same as many of the joke ones for the first 2 or 3 sentences, and then I find myself waiting for the story to take the turn towards hilarity. Finally, when it doesn't happen, I find I need to re-read the entire post so that I can evaluate it on its proper merits.

I am levels upon levels, baby.

mtolson · 08-22-2009, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

I can't imagine going two weeks without bowling, much less four months. I would be an absolute wreck. I just finished up my summer league with a 169 average. My team finished in 3rd place out of 13 teams. We ended the season with a no-tap tournament, and I finished in 4th place on the men's side. I'm not sure how many bowlers we had, but I think it was about 25. So it was a nice end to the season. Winter league officially kicks off for me on the Friday after Labor Day, so I have some time to practice. I'm looking forward to it!

I couldn't imagine what I would do without bowling. I am the director of the youth program where I am at and actively bowl in a couple leagues. This past year I had surgery to correct a problem I had been having for about 3 or 4 years that got to the point it prevented me from even bowling. When I first found out I had to stop bowling my wife said I looked like I was going to cry. I spend so much time in the bowling alley its like home away from home. I started back this summer and finished with 203 and 199 averages. I am at about 85% so I have a little way to go to get to where I want to be but I am soo looking forward to being able to bowl a 39 week schedule without pain !!!!!!! I can't wait to be able to bowl in a couple of regionals this fall. I am still searching for my first 300 game so my daughter will leave stop harassing me !!!

Alan T · 08-22-2009, 05:58 AM

Wow that is cool!

My bowling league card came in last week, we're starting back up September 10th. I'm sure I will be awful, but it will be fun!

lungs · 08-22-2009, 08:30 AM

Next week is my last week of softball, then the focus shifts to bowling. Too bad my season doesn't start until October

Alan T · 08-22-2009, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lungs

Next week is my last week of softball, then the focus shifts to bowling. Too bad my season doesn't start until October

Mine are scheduled almost perfectly. Softball playoffs are August 29th, Bowling starts September 10th. On the other side of the season, they overlap just slightly with softball starting in April and Bowling finishing in May, but no one other than my wife minds that

wahoomac · 09-04-2009, 02:00 PM

Well, we're 3 weeks into our fall season, and I am doing better than last season. I got my fingertip ball redrilled before the season (week 1) and this last Wednesday had one of my better (and most consistent) series. I had a 179, 172, and a 178 (finished up the last game with 5 straight strikes, but only got a 178 because I missed two one-pin spares and had some weird splits). I'm still working on my pickups with the fingertip ball, since it curves a heck of a lot more than my last ball. One thing that I wasn't very happy with this week, I left the 5-7-10 split, twice. I don't think I had left that one once in the last 10 years and to have it twice in one night was a little much.

PackerFanatic · 09-04-2009, 03:57 PM

The 5-7-10 is always so weird...it's like "how the HELL does that happen?!"

My league starts tonight and I could not be more amped. I really want to get a new ball, but just don't have the ching right now, so I am making the most with it. It isn't the best ball in the world, and I really should have gotten it fingertip drilled (instead of full-finger) but I am dealing. As I said earlier, I bowled the last two weeks and felt really good about some of my new tweaks. Let's rock!!

hoosierdude · 09-04-2009, 04:18 PM

Has anyone picked up the Brunswick Siege ball, and if so, what did they think of it? I also wonder what kind of ball a guy should get being a stroker bowler instead of a tweener or cranker?

Any ideas? (Would love to join a league this year, but, it might be out of the question this fall)

Anyone else bowling this weekend? Special rates this weekend to "get out the bowlers" etc.

Fidatelo · 09-04-2009, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoosierdude

Has anyone picked up the Brunswick Siege ball, and if so, what did they think of it? I also wonder what kind of ball a guy should get being a stroker bowler instead of a tweener or cranker?

This sounds like it should be posted on some kind of kinky sex toy board or something.

hoosierdude · 09-04-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

This sounds like it should be posted on some kind of kinky sex toy board or something.

You know I hated even typing that for the SAME reason.

PackerFanatic · 09-08-2009, 09:14 AM

Didn't have as good of an opening week as I would have liked (I think the beer might have contributed to that towards the end...) but my team ended up 7 - 0, so definitely a good way to start the season

Pumpy Tudors · 09-08-2009, 10:53 AM

I want a Brunswick Siege so badly, but I can't justify the cost right now. I will have to wait until my birthday in a couple of months. I may get a different ball, though. I will need to visit the pro shop and find out if the Siege is really the best one for me.

hoosierdude, I'm not sure what you should do as a stroker. I'm a stroker myself, and I use an Ebonite Complete NV. There are things that I love about it, but I really shouldn't be using it when the lanes are dry. I can't stay in the pocket at all. The problem is that I don't have another ball, so I just have to live with it.

My league doesn't start until this Friday. I'm bowling in a sanctioned league for the first time, so I'm looking forward to having my scores officially recognized by the USBC. I intend to enter a local tournament in February, and having a sanctioned average will be incredibly useful. I'm very excited!

05-14-2009, 09:10 AM	#54
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	What do you think of this one? Brunswick Twisted Fury Bowling Balls $149.99 FREE SHIPPING Product ID: 5996 at bowlingball.com Reviews look good on it too. __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

05-21-2009, 04:05 PM	#61
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I feel like my league performance was a disaster last night. I mean, I'm not broken up over it or anything, but it sucks. I bowled 190-133-194. Sure, for the night, my average was 172 (and my winter league average was 173, so I'm on target), but damn, that 133 sucks. There was an article in a recent USBC magazine about changing balls before the second game of league. If I remember correctly, it's because there is such a drastic change in the lane conditions from the start of game 1 to the start of game 2. By the time you get done with game 2, you figure it out and are back to normal on game 3. The article suggested switching to a ball that would compensate for the changes. Of course, as I mentioned in my last post, I don't have another ball to use. It really messed me up. My problem was really that I could not fit the ball into the groove that the other bowlers had made. The opposing team really burned up the lane. The breakpoint was way too early for my shot. I tried to play on the outside near the gutter, but they pushed the oil out that way, and I couldn't make the ball come back. When I tried to move more inside, the ball didn't have enough "snap" to whip back into the pocket. Yes, it hooked, but it was a weak hook that hit the head pin too light. By the third game, I had made myself a nice little track in my preferred spot, and my wife and another of my teammates started using my line, too, so I was good again. We ended up ruining the other team's shot for game 3. Good stuff. The bright side for my team is that we were getting 200 pins a game in handicap, and the opponents were only getting 49 pins. We ended up taking all the points. This is because the league was using last summer's averages for the players. Since I only averaged 155 last summer, I'm really getting more pins than I should be. The same for my wife. Her current average is up almost 20 pins from last summer. Next week, they will recalculate averages based on the first two weeks of this summer, so instead of bowling from a 155 average, I'll now be bowling from a 177 average. I'll need to stay away from any more of those 133 scores like I had last night. Ugh. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

05-21-2009, 04:12 PM	#63
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	Very nice, chinaski! Congratulations! The big guy with the purple bowling ball looks like he wants to kiss me, though. I'm not sure how that makes me feel. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

05-21-2009, 04:26 PM	#65
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	Love the shirts, chinaski __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

05-21-2009, 08:17 PM	#68
OldGiants College Benchwarmer Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Location, Location, Location	I've been bowling in the county teacher league for six years on my wife's team. We've been in the playoffs four straight years (the four quarterly winners roll off). Two years ago we won. This year I thought we had the match won when myself and the other male on the team notched spares in the 10th to pull us back to -3 after being down over 200 at the start. We gave up a ton of handicap to a new team. This brought up the fourth bowlers on each team--my wife, whose grandad is in the Missouri Bowling Hall of Fame and whose dad chose a career at Bell Labs over the PBA tour (since he had a family to support). The other team's last bowler was a woman in her first year of bowling. She had averaged 88 for the year, and had an 83 coming into the 10th (with no mark, of course.) So I liked our chances. Her first ball came in slow and just off the head pin. For a moment, she had left the 4-6 split, essentially impossible to make. I started to high five my teammates. Then the 4 wobbled and slowly fell over sideways to knock over the 6. Strike. They are up 13, but a gutter ball is far from out of the question and my wife can still mark and we'd win. She rolls another right down the middle. Slow ball, slow motion strike. +23--but my wife can double strike and win, but it looks bad. Her last ball is again right down the middle, and she gets 8. +31 and we're shut out becasue my wife isn't working on a mark either. We lose by 11. So we wait for next year. Still, it is great for the league when newbies can win it all. As to style, I'm a big slow hook most of the time with my 35-year old Dick Webber ball. My team mate bowls like Fred Flintstone, big run-up and rifles it in straight but angled. Its all or split, with the pins flying around for their lives. The other woman on the team throws a backup ball, but did have the highest average of all women two years ago. He's one of several math-science teachers who are deeply into ball physics this season. One guy holds the ball two handed and twists it out for an amazing hook. He sends the ball from the far left towards the 10 pin and then hopes it won't go back across to the left gutter. For the last night we play 'No-tap' for prizes. No-tap means 9's count as strikes, so there are some pretty high scores. I've had 266 doing this. Well this science teacher goes nuts with 9's and has all strikes coming into the 10th. Now he gets his three 'real' strikes, the scoreboard goes nuts flashing 300 and its cheers all around. With his handicap, it was a 341. Try to beat that. So bowl for fun, everybody. __________________ "The case of Great Britain is the most astonishing in this matter of inequality of rights in world soccer championships. The way they explained it to me as a child, God is one but He's three: Father, Son and Holy Ghost. I could never understand it. And I still don't understand why Great Britain is one but she's four....while [others] continue to be no more than one despite the diverse nationalities that make them up." Eduardo Galeano, SOCCER IN SUN AND SHADOW

05-14-2009, 10:18 AM	#56
Dr. Sak Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Stuck in Yinzerville, PA	It's amazing how Pumpy knows so much about balls.

05-14-2009, 10:29 AM	#57
dl5175 n00b Join Date: May 2005	Okay here it goes. A balls hook potential is relative to lane conditions. If a ball that has an aggressive cover is used on a lane with a short low volume pattern, the ball will run out of energy at the pins. I would strongly suggest you watch league bowling on the night you are going to bowl and see what type of balls are scoring. What you really should do is find the house pro usually a regional PBA member and talk to them about equipment. Most guys are always happy to share knowledge.

05-14-2009, 12:01 PM	#59
spleen1015 Coordinator Join Date: Sep 2003	I've had several surgeries on my sliding knee due to various things not bowling related. I went through a period where my knee would kill me while bowling after a while. I figured out changing my balance and where my weight was in relation to my balance had a big impact on my knee and the pain went away for the most part.

05-21-2009, 11:14 PM	#69
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	My winter league did no-tap at the end of the season. I bowled a pair of 278s. Each of those games had 11 strikes and an 8-spare. I was disappointed because I just screwed up my shot on the ones I missed. I can handle bad luck. Bad bowling is unacceptable. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

05-22-2009, 01:56 PM	#70
hoosierdude High School Varsity Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Indiana	The one thing I was locally at least, is that pro shops would have some older balls drilled in a generic fingertip and semi-fingertip grip, and let folks try it. For those wanting to move up to the next level, the 'Net is a great place to garner info, but, knowing whether you are a stroker, tweener, or cranker is beyond most people's reach. I don't think I have the wrist strength and legs to be a cranker any more, so, I believe I am either a tweener or stroker bowler. But, trying to pair those kind of bowling terms with balls that would be best is almost an ongoing long research period for that term paper in college... What made you make your decision to go with what you bowl with normally and why? __________________ TC Dale "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud - Sophocles"

05-27-2009, 11:38 PM	#73
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I want to light myself on fire. 116-197-141 On the bright side, my team swept again, so we're still undefeated on the season. In the first game, I went up knowing that I needed 16 pins in the 10th frame to win the game for us. I left the 10 pin after my first ball and wanted to cry. I managed to cover the spare, though, and then I nailed a strike on the last ball to make 20 pins when I needed 16. That was the most satisfying 116 I've ever bowled, even though it was 62 pins below my average. I really need to work on my mental game some more. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

05-28-2009, 02:39 PM	#74
Glengoyne Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Fresno, CA	I missed this earlier. My wife and I started bowling a little over a year back, although she took several months off. My average crept up from 120 to the mid 140s. I've been picking up my consistency a bit, and am hoping that I average over 150 in our summer league. I'm currently using a 15 lb Brunswick Maxx Zone. The lanes we bowl on are very heavilly oiled, so it seems to be an appropriate ball for me. It is making the ten pin hard to pick up for me. All time, my highest series is a 513, with a high game of 237. I'm simply brutally inconsistent...and throw at least one first ball in the gutter every night. If we're making league reports here...We did very well the first two weeks of summer league, winning seven of eight games. The third week, we gave up over 100 pins in handicap, and just couldn't overcome the deficit. We were mildly under our average the first game (128 for me), and just barely lost. The last two games a couple of them with threw a 211 and then a pair of 150-160 games. We couldn't keep pace with those scores and their handicap, so we lost all four games. We're not used to losing that badly, as we are just coming off a great run in our fall/spring league where we managed a second place finish.

05-28-2009, 02:42 PM	#75
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	By all means, feel free to use this thread to make league reports. It is the FOFC bowling thread, after all. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

06-03-2009, 10:42 PM	#77
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	Nice night for me tonight. 207-143-231. A solid 581 series gets my season average up to 175. Unfortunately, my team lost two games, so we're no longer undefeated. Still, summer league is all about improvement, and I'm getting there. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

06-04-2009, 03:05 AM	#78
Neuqua Pro Rookie Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Chicago, Ill	I've never been a good bowler (goal is to reach 100) but somehow on Monday night I pulled off a 130-180-155.. Those three might be my highest scores ever, and I was really intoxicated so I have no idea how that happened. __________________ Our Deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be?

06-04-2009, 11:49 AM	#79
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	It's pretty amazing how good some people are at bowling once they're drunk. I don't know what it is. Sometimes, I feel like I should start drinking while bowling. Maybe then I won't crap out a 116 like I did a week ago! __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

06-19-2009, 02:36 AM	#80
Glengoyne Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Fresno, CA	Been a while without an update. I'm learning something new all of the time. I finished my last league on a roll, averaging 150 over the last several weeks. That carried over into the first week of Summer league....Then I started being really really inconsistent. I bowled an 84 two nights ago. five splits. My ball simply wasn't hooking as I'd grown accustomed to it doing. It was very frustrating, and I started changing things. All kinds of things, everything...I even hurt my wrist by over cocking my hand in my delivery. A bowler on the team we were bowling, he carries about a 210 average, pulled me aside. He told me, that my ball was inundated with oil, and told me to take it to the pro-shop to have them extract the oil. He said that my ball with my release should have been really breaking, and that he'd seen this before. I took it into the pro-shop, and they said they could put it into a machine that would do something to pull the oil out of it. Two to six hours they said. Not only that, but they told me that with the finish my ball has, that I should have this done every 40-50 games. Who'd have thunk it. I'm really interested to see how it handles when I get it back. Last edited by Glengoyne : 06-19-2009 at 02:43 AM.

06-19-2009, 01:32 PM	#81
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	Glengoyne, I have heard that it is important to get the oil extracted. I have never done it with mine, but I'm thinking about it. As much as I bowl, 40 games could be done in 3 weeks. I'm not sure I want to pay the pro shop $20 every 3 weeks, but I'm cheap sometimes. Now, I am in no position to recommend what I'm about to say, but I have read of a homebrew method to extract oil from a bowling ball: Put some hot water into a bucket, add a few drops of dishwashing detergent, and then place the ball in the bucket for about 20 minutes. Take the ball out, wipe the oil off the ball with a towel, empty the bucket, and repeat the process. Keep doing it until the ball comes out of the bucket with little to no oil on it. Again, I can't recommend it because you can damage the ball if it's not done right.I started the process on a bowling ball that I no longer use, and it certainly was getting some of the oil out. I'm not sure if I'm gutsy enough to try it on my current ball, though. If you want the oil out of the ball, it's certainly best to let the pro shop do it for you. I would take mine to the pro shop, but I am planning to get a new ball within the next 3 months anyway, so I'm not that concerned about it. Here's my story from this week's league play. My team won the first two games fairly handily. In those games, I bowled 201 and 232. In the last game, but team had to come from behind to have a shot at winning. I went into the final frame needing 29 pins to tie and 30 to win. I got strikes on the first two shots, so that left the game in my hands. My score for the game was 192 at this point. I focused a little too hard on just keeping the ball on the lane, so I rolled it slower than usual. That caused the ball to hook too far and I missed the pocket. I only managed a 7 count, leaving the 3-6-10. My score was 199, and my team lost by 2 pins. Still, it was my best series of the season, and my average is now up to 178. I just wish I could have that last shot back. __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

06-19-2009, 02:05 PM	#82
Glengoyne Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Fresno, CA	I'll have to say the difference in the ball's reaction changed rather dramatically. (I'm talking about prior to the oil extraction) I'm attributing that change to the oil it was retaining. I went from throwing a ball that "caught" the lane, and started rolling fairly early, to throwing a ball that was sliding all of the way down the alley and through the pins. When that happens, there is little to no pin action. I think I'm actually going to have this done to my previous ball as well, because its response deteriorated in a very similar fashion. That is actually what led me to buy the new ball. The folks in the pro shop said that a lot of people describe exactly what I did. They assume they've started doing something wrong, and start adjusting, when all along the ball is the real variable in the equation. I'll bowl a series once I pick up the ball today, and report back here with what I find. Last edited by Glengoyne : 06-19-2009 at 02:07 PM.

06-21-2009, 04:00 AM	#83
Glengoyne Grizzled Veteran Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Fresno, CA	Oh I picked up the ball this afternoon, with my wife, who by the way was the one who actually dropped the ball off at the pro shop for me. Now that she comes here and reads the forum...frankly more than I do now adays...I have to be much more careful when I edit her out of a story. Who'd have thunk this was a story where she wanted to get full credit for polishing my balls. In any case. We, the two of us picked up the ball today, and it seems to be right back where I liked it. I put up a series just a few pins shy of a 150 average, which is 25 pins over my average over the past month. It doesn't seem like much, but I really felt like I was in control again.

06-21-2009, 04:09 AM	#84
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	That's awesome news. I think when your ball has a more consistent reaction, you will have more control. The ball does what you expect, it does it consistently, and your scores go up. Great job! I am recovering from a week in which I bowled 40 games. I have never bowled that much in a week before, and my back in paying for it. I will be fine for Wednesday night's league play, but I definitely need some rest before then. I know some people who bowl that much on a regular basis, and I am now in awe of them! __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

08-21-2009, 11:53 PM	#86
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	Very excited for the bowling season to start up again in only two short weeks! Had our captains meeting tonight and got to bowl some free games afterward. Bowled 8 games (yikes!) after not bowling since last April, so I definitely needed the practice. Safe to say my arm is going to not like me this weekend, but it was worth it. Averaged a 144 in my games (well over my ending season average) and topped out at a 181 - best part is, that was my last game, when my arm was dead. I was trying all sorts of different throws, and I might have figured one out that will help me out greatly. Not a TON of spin, but a lot more than I have ever put on a ball, and it's working well so far, so I am excited to try it with a fresh arm in a league game. Can't wait to get rolling again __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

08-22-2009, 12:00 AM	#87
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I can't imagine going two weeks without bowling, much less four months. I would be an absolute wreck. I just finished up my summer league with a 169 average. My team finished in 3rd place out of 13 teams. We ended the season with a no-tap tournament, and I finished in 4th place on the men's side. I'm not sure how many bowlers we had, but I think it was about 25. So it was a nice end to the season. Winter league officially kicks off for me on the Friday after Labor Day, so I have some time to practice. I'm looking forward to it! __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

08-22-2009, 12:07 AM	#88
Fidatelo Pro Starter Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Winnipeg, MB	Serious Pumpy posts always through me for a loop. They read the same as many of the joke ones for the first 2 or 3 sentences, and then I find myself waiting for the story to take the turn towards hilarity. Finally, when it doesn't happen, I find I need to re-read the entire post so that I can evaluate it on its proper merits. __________________ "Breakfast? Breakfast schmekfast, look at the score for God's sake. It's only the second period and I'm winning 12-2. Breakfasts come and go, Rene, but Hartford, the Whale, they only beat Vancouver maybe once or twice in a lifetime."

08-22-2009, 05:58 AM	#91
Alan T Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mass.	Wow that is cool! My bowling league card came in last week, we're starting back up September 10th. I'm sure I will be awful, but it will be fun! __________________ Couch to ??k - From the couch to a Marathon in roughly 18 months.

08-22-2009, 08:30 AM	#92
lungs Pro Rookie Join Date: May 2002 Location: Prairie du Sac, WI	Next week is my last week of softball, then the focus shifts to bowling. Too bad my season doesn't start until October

09-04-2009, 02:00 PM	#94
wahoomac Mascot Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Gainesville	Well, we're 3 weeks into our fall season, and I am doing better than last season. I got my fingertip ball redrilled before the season (week 1) and this last Wednesday had one of my better (and most consistent) series. I had a 179, 172, and a 178 (finished up the last game with 5 straight strikes, but only got a 178 because I missed two one-pin spares and had some weird splits). I'm still working on my pickups with the fingertip ball, since it curves a heck of a lot more than my last ball. One thing that I wasn't very happy with this week, I left the 5-7-10 split, twice. I don't think I had left that one once in the last 10 years and to have it twice in one night was a little much. __________________ John "Wahoo" McDaniel UF Gator FB Fan / UK Wildcat BB Fan

09-04-2009, 03:57 PM	#95
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	The 5-7-10 is always so weird...it's like "how the HELL does that happen?!" My league starts tonight and I could not be more amped. I really want to get a new ball, but just don't have the ching right now, so I am making the most with it. It isn't the best ball in the world, and I really should have gotten it fingertip drilled (instead of full-finger) but I am dealing. As I said earlier, I bowled the last two weeks and felt really good about some of my new tweaks. Let's rock!! __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

09-04-2009, 04:18 PM	#96
hoosierdude High School Varsity Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Indiana	Has anyone picked up the Brunswick Siege ball, and if so, what did they think of it? I also wonder what kind of ball a guy should get being a stroker bowler instead of a tweener or cranker? Any ideas? (Would love to join a league this year, but, it might be out of the question this fall) Anyone else bowling this weekend? Special rates this weekend to "get out the bowlers" etc. __________________ TC Dale "Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud - Sophocles"

09-08-2009, 09:14 AM	#99
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	Didn't have as good of an opening week as I would have liked (I think the beer might have contributed to that towards the end...) but my team ended up 7 - 0, so definitely a good way to start the season __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

09-08-2009, 10:53 AM	#100
Pumpy Tudors Bounty Hunter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Pittsburgh, PA	I want a Brunswick Siege so badly, but I can't justify the cost right now. I will have to wait until my birthday in a couple of months. I may get a different ball, though. I will need to visit the pro shop and find out if the Siege is really the best one for me. hoosierdude, I'm not sure what you should do as a stroker. I'm a stroker myself, and I use an Ebonite Complete NV. There are things that I love about it, but I really shouldn't be using it when the lanes are dry. I can't stay in the pocket at all. The problem is that I don't have another ball, so I just have to live with it. My league doesn't start until this Friday. I'm bowling in a sanctioned league for the first time, so I'm looking forward to having my scores officially recognized by the USBC. I intend to enter a local tournament in February, and having a sanctioned average will be incredibly useful. I'm very excited! __________________ No, I am not Batman, and I will not repair your food processor.

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