The right shell for the right condition.

With tournament season here once again, this month’s topic will be about ball surface and “matching up”.

Matching up has become a common catch phrase among bowlers at all levels, including professionals. The term refers to several variables that are in play when bowling including ball speed, rotation, rev rate, lane surface, ball surface and many more. Commonly however, matching the ball surface to that of the lane surface and lane condition (lane oil volume and length) is the most crucial part of the formula. Many times a bowler will have the correct line to the pocket with proper speed and rotation but will fail to score to potential simply because they didn’t pay any attention to the shell preparation on their bowling ball. The most frequent example of this is when a bowler has a polished shell on higher volume or length of oil. Even when this bowler gets the ball to the pocket, it will be less likely to carry well because there is insufficient friction between the ball and the lane, due to the polish.

It’s important to remember that polish helps promote skid. Often times the lane is providing enough skid (or perhaps too much) and in these circumstances, a duller surface is needed to create proper ball reaction.

As we see in the pictures, balls range from highly polished to smooth with no polish to a dull textured finish. Polish is needed when the ball begins to ‘read’ the lane too soon, making it difficult to get the ball down the lane far enough before it begins to hook. On the other hand, when a ball just doesn’t seem to be hooking at all, more surface is probably needed.

There are exceptions to every rule and there are other considerations on this topic as well. A common mistake bowlers make is “forcing” a certain line to the pocket when in fact the lanes are displaying a more favorable angle elsewhere. For example, a bowler who is very comfortable crossing from the middle of the lane out to near the channel and then hooking back to the pins may encounter times where a straighter line is more advantageous. There are times when there is simply going to be too much lane oil to allow a ball to have a sharp back end snap. The best bowlers are those who can recognize those circumstances and adapt their game to maximize the scoring environment.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about this topic, visit Revolutions Pro Shop today!

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