Need help choosing the right ball

[MattParx]

I have recently joined a mens league after 18 years of not bowling. I went and bought a new ball, it is a Motiv ripcord velocity. I am having a rough time with this ball. I am playing at a very old alley that has wood lanes that are very poorly maintained. I know the obvious answer is to go somewhere else to bowl. However this is alley is very close to where I live.

The problem I am having is that my ball is hooking way to much at the end. I cant keep it from hitting the 7 pin. I have moved everywhere and taken all the advice I can from my fellow bowlers. So what ball do you all recommend most for a wood lane that is in bad condition, that I can maybe control a little better.

[milorafferty]

If you want a Motiv ball, then the Venom Shock.

There are users here who can give you options from the other companies as well.

The Ripcord Velocity isn't a bad ball, but if I was only going to have one ball, for sure it would not be that one.

[Jesse James]

If you want a Motiv ball, then the Venom Shock.

There are users here who can give you options from the other companies as well.

The Ripcord Velocity isn't a bad ball, but if I was only going to have one ball, for sure it would not be that one.

All of what Milo said above is true! If you have to have a ball from Motiv, I'd go with the Venom Shock or even better the Fatal Venom. It's lime green!

But on old wood lanes the best answer for you is an OLD pearl ball, preferably from the nineties. Like an old Whiplash or old Storm pearl of some kind.
 
The reason being is that the older cover stock formulations are much milder and not as responsive to friction that you tend to see on wood lanes.

[TWOHAND834]

I have recently joined a mens league after 18 years of not bowling. I went and bought a new ball, it is a Motiv ripcord velocity. I am having a rough time with this ball. I am playing at a very old alley that has wood lanes that are very poorly maintained. I know the obvious answer is to go somewhere else to bowl. However this is alley is very close to where I live.

The problem I am having is that my ball is hooking way to much at the end. I cant keep it from hitting the 7 pin. I have moved everywhere and taken all the advice I can from my fellow bowlers. So what ball do you all recommend most for a wood lane that is in bad condition, that I can maybe control a little better.

If you are right handed and cant stop from hitting the 7 pin, then you need something way weaker than a Ripcord and maybe even a Venom.  I am thinking more along the lines of a Tropical Surge by Storm or if you want a Motiv then get a Top Thrill.  Whoever drilled your Ripcord should have known better.  If he knew you were out for 18 years; then he should have steered you into something lower end anyway. 

[bowling4burgers]

Probably no need for anything more than a Mix or White Dot if the lanes are in bad shape.

[thedjs]

Might consider the Brunswick "Twist".  It's just one step above plastic.  You can see some demo's on You Tube.   

[tommyboy74]

I definitely don't like that the PSO steered you to the Ripcord Velocity in this case.  It's a great ball but for an older wood surface, it's going to be overkill in some cases as the cover is very responsive to friction.  Combine that with the core and once it hits friction, it won't stop.

In your case, I would go for a mild reactive.  A few have mentioned the Venom Shock and that is a great benchmark to work with.  But if the lanes are in bad shape and you have a lot of friction, I'd lean more entry level such as a Top Thrill or potentially a Purple Tank.  Any of those 3 choices will allow you to square up and not have to move nearly as deep to control the pocket.

[johns811]

I bowled at a 4 lane private church club. Old woods lanes manually oiled. White dot was the best for me. Even a polished U-dot was too much. I tried a scout reactive but it was too much and just got tracked up in 3 games.