Hello everyone,
Now that we're settled in a little bit in Reno, I've had some time to throw the Pivot Point on a few different conditions.
Obviously, it was released to complement the Pivot, which I think it does well. The solid-to pearl-transition is logical and easy for even beginning bowlers to understand.
I can use the Pivot and it's 1,500 Abranet teeth when the lanes are fresh, but as the ball starts to hook early, or labor on the backend, the Pivot Point is the next logical choice.
I have mine drilled 60 x 4.5 x 30, which is close, but a little different than I had the Source earlier in the year. The Source was a little unpredictable and gave me some over/under reactions, even with surface changes, but I have not seen those issues with the Pivot Point.
The Pivot Point gets a decent amount of length but makes a good move when it hits the friction. I can either stay in the same spot I was playing with the Pivot and capitalize on the energy that gets saved for down the lane, or I can move right and bank it off the hook spot.
It definitely allows me to open the lane up a little bit more than the Pivot, which tends to serve me better when I want to play straighter.
Comparatively, I'd say that in my arsenal, the Pivot Point is longer and more angular than the Innovate, which I still really love. If I really want to go right to left and see a smoother shape, the Innovate is the choice. If I'm just battling some transition or drier conditions, the Pivot Point is the right choice.
Aside from some success on a few different medium/light house conditions (at box finish), I also found the Pivot Point to be helpful at the Storm Bowlers Journal Championships at the NBS in Reno.
The BJ is contested on the doubles/singles pattern from the Open Championships. It is 40 feet with plenty of friction. When I started to get the early hook/backend fade with the Pivot and Challenge, or dive through the face after an adjustment, I used the Pivot Point. It got through the front of the lane better, and by that time, the backends had calmed down a little, so it didn't over-hook. I'll definitely plan to try it earlier in the set next time.
And for the record, the first perfect game of the 2014 Open Championships was bowled in singles with the Pivot Point!