Just had my second ball in one month drilled from Chris at Buddies Pro Shop.   Also thanks to Tim at Buddies for taking time to talk to me on the phone to fine tune the drill layout I wanted.

 

Absolutely perfect fit / layout and great guys to work with!!!

 

MK

I agree 100%, if you get sick would you call a doctor in another state to diagnose your illness?

 

Is bowling any different?

Actually I own a pro shop, so I kinda "do it" for a living...if someone called me from another state and wanted a ball drilled and shipped, I would politely decline unless they could drive to come see me (I have done this before).

 

If you think the doctor/bowling analogy is invalid, then you don't understand the modern game at all.  Yes doctors have a much larger knowledge base, but there is no way to diagnose ball reaction over a phone line, just like you can't diagnose a sore throat without being there in person.

 

I highly doubt the OP called up Chris at Buddies and said "hey can I take a picture of my hand and have you drill a ball for me."

 

Being a former customer of Buddies (before i started drilling my own stuff) I can say they do a great job and are one of the most knowledgable shops in the country.  More than likely the OP and the shop had some sort of interaction before the said balls were drilled, (whether it be the OP sending them a ball to match, maybe a video of the bowler, or hey who knows maybe they've crossed together in a tournament somewhere)

 

Just because they are 4 states away, doesn't mean the OP couldn't have called and said "hey this is what i'm thinking for this ball, what is your opinion on it from what you've seen." Hell I get phone calls from customers asking opinions on what they might be thinking on a new ball.

 

Bottom line is Buddies is a first class Pro Shop.

Wow what a debate that was created. We would never try to fit someone over the phone or guess there grip, but if someone gives us there specs or sends a ball in we will be more than willing to do there work. We obviously do a great job because those that come to us stay with us. That speaks for itself.

 

JoeyD - didn't know you still checked out Ballreviews. Don't let the bank catch you 

 

Russell -

I agree with you you that one cannot analyze ball motion from afar.  I never said that in my original post and that is not what I was referring to when I said Buddies "fine tuned" my layout. 

 

I would also say that the majority of drilling activity that I have witnessed pro shops happens without the pro shop operator taking the time to watch someone bowl before drilling their ball.  The typical conversations I have overheard in pro shops is a bowler walking in and saying I want a ball that does such and such (usually "hooks alot") and the pro shop operator asks some questions of how the bowler throws the ball, confirms finger and thumbhole sizes and spans and then proceeds to layout the ball and put it on his rack to drill it up the next day or so (without the pro shop operator ever watching the bowler throw a ball).

 

I am not sure if that is because bowlers don't demand a level of service to have the driller watch them throw a few balls before drilling or if the pro shop operators are too focused on moving on to the next customer to keep up their profits.   Perhaps it is a little of both.

 

So, if you are a pro shop operator that takes time to work with a bowler to analyze their ball motion and give them a good layout.... great.   That is the way it should be and I say good for you.   You have earned your money, provided the bowler a good level of service and are contributing to advancing the sport in a good way.    I would not say that is the norm for all pro shop operators and thus partly the reason for some consumers to take their business to online shops.

 

MK

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I will agree with your statement below. This is why consumers give us the layout they desire such as MK did or they send us video clips of them bowling. We want to see each player we drill for bowl.

 

What I DO doubt is the ability to analyze ball motion from afar.  If you truly KNOW your game, I think that having balls punched from afar is fine.  Reality is that 95% of bowlers think they know their game, but have no clue. 

 

We also do what you state below and hear the same thing from customers. This is why they drive from hours away or fly in to see us. It is an absolute shame that there are only a small handful of pro shops in this country that actually do a GREAT job with fit, ball performance, and educating bowlers. We wonder why bowling loses bowlers all the time when we have so many shops that put three holes in the ball and send the consumer out the door. These shops know nothing about ball motion or how a ball should fit. Thus they do a disservice to their customers. But it's even worse that the bowling centers they are in let this happen and are just happy to take the shops rent and not care about the service that is given. (Enough of this rant as I could go on forever)

 

When someone comes in the shop the conversation starts as you just said, and I'll throw a couple of ideas out there based on what they tell me, but then I explain that before we do anything I have to see them throw a few balls.  It shocks me how many new customers say that their previous ball drillers never did this. 

 

In the end we provide a much greater service from afar than many, many bowlers will ever get locally. But Russell it is truly refreshing to hear that you put so much effort and care into your service. It shows you are one of the few that get it in this sport. 

 

 

Edited by BuddiesProShopcom-Chris on 12/24/2011 at 12:16 PM

I've been reading this thread and feel the need to chime in. I live in northern WI and have a number of pro shops to choose from. The very best is located about 75 miles from me. I used to go there every time I was thinking of getting a new ball but now with gas prices and a lot less time to make such trips I no longer do that. The pro shops in my immediate area are pretty good at laying out a ball but the thing I have found is that I never get the fit I really want (I'm really picky on the feel of the thumbhole). When I heard about Buddies and the Ultimate Thumb molds they do, I took a ball that I had fine tuned the thumb for the best feel I'd had and I sent it to them for getting my stats on file and a thumb mold made. Later getting a new ball I sent a video to them and they got to see me throw a few balls. Their analysis of my game was right on.

 

In the years past they have drilled numerous new balls for me and re-drilled some used ones. I have had great success with the layouts Chris or Tim have done for me. I have bought some balls that didn't work for me (as I think many guys do) but it's usually that the ball does match my game as well as I hoped for and not because of a bad fit or or layout. I have talked to them on the phone or carried on e-mail conversations and feel just as comfortable with them as any pro shop I could go to in my area. As an example, I picked up a used ball that was a single drill and in mint condition. I took it to a local pro shop to just get the thumb re-done and fit for span. The driller (who's pretty good) for some reason messed up the span twice and finally decided his best option was to plug the entire ball and start over. I now have a ball that has plugging that is really obvious and the ball still does not fit me as well as stuff I have done at Buddies and I rarely use it. Glad I didn't pay much for it but it was money wasted. I won't make that mistake again!

 

I love Buddies and wouldn't go anywhere else. Quality work at great prices!!!!!!