Were you able to tell the difference between the balls that were laid out for 5, 3/4 up vs the balls laid out for 5 1/8, 1/2 up?  If you were, check it every other month.

If it looks like your track has changed noticeably then you should have it checked, I guess. 

Since it's measured off your highest oil line you should look at it as you wipe oil off between shots, in my opinion.  That way you'll be able to tell whether that "different reaction" was due to lanes changing or if you may have released the ball differently.

So once a person has a sound game and his/her PAP is established, it becomes he's true PAP? But since there's so many variables, PAP is not alway exact.

So layouts are not exact too.. Unless you're pro..

All these fancy names for a layout for a sym  ball 4.5 x 3 (psa, double angle, ect..) are then just gimmicks?

And once you become a pro all that stuff goes out the window and you just say "I like the pin here".

The " I like the pin here." technique works fine for a bowler who has had the time and money to experiment with different pin and cg/mb positions until locking in on one or two favorites.  Most pros are in this category.  For others, layout techniques based on the customer's specs and release are best.  --  JohnP

A persons pap is somewhat inherent and based upon strength of today's cores I tend to focus on a generic pap for players, ie if on a stable medium diff core using that pap...and focusing on choosing the proper cover and core strength for the condition

Trust me no matter the level of competitor, too many believe in trick layouts and absolutes instead of concentrating on surface and "flare management" plus strengthening fundamentals...and shy away from the voodoo

Flare Management: That's a new term for me. Would you mind explaining this?

DOOM, what are you getting? I got the Vertex 1/3 hp, still going strong after 8 or 9 years. Still looks almost new too....

Flare management, for me, has to do with the distance between the flare rings on the ball.  If, for example, they get too far apart the ball would "over-flare" and is likely to hit weaker than otherwise.  Layouts at 3 3/8" from PAP would produce "maximum" flare with everything further or closer than that producing less overall flare.   

This all can vary somewhat from bowler to bowler, their release characteristics, and conditions bowled on.  Some of my best carrying balls consistently have flare rings that are fairly close to each other.  Rico can surely elaborate and say it better, due to his vast experience in the industry.  Rico... You're being paged...