Finger Swells

[Tball]

Just started bowling again (25 years) and having a problem with my middle finger hurting and swelling (1st joint).  I bowl once a week.  Threw once with my old Hammer and fingers hurt.  Got a new Sidewinder drilled.  No clue how it was drilled other than finger tip.  I'm about 6'2", throw between 17.5 and 19mph.  Any suggestions on what it could be?

[lenstanles703]

Your span might be too long on that finger. You could take out the grip if it has one or if it has a lifter grip, change to an oval. Some grips have oval and lifters on opposite ends.
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[Dan Belcher]

Your flexibility and so forth certainly aren't the same as they used to be when you last bowled.  You really should have your grip completely remeasured and redone by a reputable ball driller for the absolute best fit.  But otherwise, I agree that most likely the span is too long or you need some reverse pitch in your fingers (this way you don't need to bend your finger as much when it's in the ball).  If you have the rubber finger grips with the lip on the inner edge (called lifts), that both stretches your span and adds forward pitch to the fingers.  If you are already using just regular oval grips or no grips at all, the actual drilling itself may need to be adjusted.

[echidapus]

The pitch of the finger hole may be 0.  You may need a 1/8 pitch to alleviate the pressure on your finger when you lift up.
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High game 300
High series 804
High triplicate 774
High average 221
best game. when I was 6 I bowled a 158

[JohnP]

First, check your spans.  Put your thumb completely in its hole and lay the fingers over the top of their holes.  You want your hand stretched very slightly so the skin between the thumb and index finger is slightly taut.  The leading edge of each finger hole should be half way between the first and second finger joints, plus or minus 1/8".  Now check the flexibility of your first (closest to the nail) finger joints.  Curl your fingers toward your palm and check to see how much each first joint bends.  For a joint that bends 90 degrees I recommend 0 pitch.  For a joint that only bends 45 degrees (and I see a lot of these) I recommend 1/2 reverse pitch.  If you use finger grips with forward pitch built in, drill the pilot hole with enough extra reverse to offset the built in pitch, I usually use an extra 3/16 reverse.  For lateral finger pitches, I use MF - 3/8L and RF - 3/8R, but these pitches don't affect the problem you describe.  After doing these tests you should have a pretty good idea of changes that need to be made.  Don't let your driller talk you out of trying them, and let us know what you decide.  --  JohnP

[Tball]

Thanks to all of you for the input.  I'm looking into lessons with a coach (Senior PBA)in the area to start getting back into things.  I've got this on my list along with a million other topics.