I was watching one of the USBC Academy videos and heard a comment by Fred Borden that many people choose "a layout that best works for them" and then use the same layout on multiple balls. This brings up 2 questions for those who have a moment to reply...

1. Do you prefer to use the same layout on different balls or do you vary?
2. What in your mind determined the "layout that best works for you"?

As always, thanks in advance for your input.

I use essentially the same two layouts most of the time.  The only exceptions are on extreme lane conditions.  The determination is simply the amount of flare I need to get the ball to fill the gap I am looking to fill in the bag.  Total differential is the main spec you are changing with different drillings because it alters the amount the ball flares.  The amount of flare has an effect on the amount of the cover that sees the lane in any given shot.

This is an interesting conversation. I use a lot of different layouts, mainly, just because I like a certain layout does not necessarily mean that layout will work on every ball. Case in point: I like the RICO layout on a lot of my equipment. However what I have found is, it works very well on symmetrical balls, but barely tames asymmetricals. I've found that a RICO drilling on an Inferno ball, solid or pearl absolutely kills the ball! It becomes a dud. I also like the very average, leveraged layout, but on some equipment it turns that ball into a skid-flip monster! I used to drill all my equipment with the high-pin, Tommy Jones layout, but put that drilling on an asymmetrical ball and I suddenly have to make drastic surface changes to tone it down. It's a matter of style, bowling ball knowledge, and conditions that one bowls on. On light oil conditions, I tend to use bar-bell drillings and high pin over middle finger drillings. Each drilling has it's use for me, in regards to the basic characteristics and personality of that ball. To each his own!