I didn't know Pat Patterson was that old. He doesn't look it from his profile picture here.


 

I didn't know Pat Patterson was that old. He doesn't look it from his profile picture here.


 

Did you know that Pat Paterson threw a 2 finger, finger-tip rubber ball? He was old, old school, not using the ring finger. He was one of my favorites from the 1950s. For a big man, he had lots of style and grace, like Mr. Billy Welu.

I would have given a couple of pints of blood to be there, to see when this was shot with RUBBER  BALLS!!!!!

"Good" doesn't begin to describe these guys' ability.

The right pair of lanes seemed to have been the real key. Not all to diminish the accomplishment of the Budweiser's score.
  In 1937 a team named Hermann Undertakers bowled a record score that stood until the night the Buds broke the record. Both record scores were bowled on the same pair of lanes.

Any idea why the shellac finish scored higher?

Shellac scored high because it was a thick soft finish that was not typically oiled.  the balls quickly burned a deep track into the finish that acted like a funnel to the pocket.  There was a reason that nobody saw the need to throw anything but 2 hole conventional balls for so many years.  It was all about dumping the ball into the track with some spin or a full roller.  Powerful releases of today would cause the ball to jump the track. 

A new coat of shellac was mopped on to the lanes every few days.  It probably played tough for a few games.

There really were never a lot of bowlers who seriously pursued the game prior to the introduction of automatic pinsetters.  Those who did scored remarkably well with hard rubber balls.  When lacquer replaced shellac scoring dropped significantly until they started oiling the lacquer.  Lane men didn't really have to wall the shot too much because the oil tracked pretty quickly in the lacquer anyway.  It did put a premium on stronger releases with more end over end roll.   When polyurethane finishes replaced lacquer scoring again dropped until softer balls were introduced, and lane men became even more inventive in applying oil.  Most people today don't really know the history of lane finishes and their impact on scoring and lane conditioning.  Prior to the 60's the ABC was not even concerned about using oil to enhance scores.  A more popular practice had been to physically build a track in the finish to steer balls to the pocket.  Walling with oil was not considered an issue compared to the more blatant practices.       

Avabob,

Thanks for the info.  Appreciate it.

 
Great info.

Funny how this info never comes up when people are whining about the elite players blowing a hole in the pattern at Nationals. Shows that the SPORT of bowling is based heavily on how well a bowler can adjust to changing lane conditions and equipment to score

Scoring pace goes up and down periodically

Shellac scored high because it was a thick soft finish that was not typically oiled.  the balls quickly burned a deep track into the finish that acted like a funnel to the pocket.  There was a reason that nobody saw the need to throw anything but 2 hole conventional balls for so many years.  It was all about dumping the ball into the track with some spin or a full roller.  Powerful releases of today would cause the ball to jump the track. 

A new coat of shellac was mopped on to the lanes every few days.  It probably played tough for a few games.

There really were never a lot of bowlers who seriously pursued the game prior to the introduction of automatic pinsetters.  Those who did scored remarkably well with hard rubber balls.  When lacquer replaced shellac scoring dropped significantly until they started oiling the lacquer.  Lane men didn't really have to wall the shot too much because the oil tracked pretty quickly in the lacquer anyway.  It did put a premium on stronger releases with more end over end roll.   When polyurethane finishes replaced lacquer scoring again dropped until softer balls were introduced, and lane men became even more inventive in applying oil.  Most people today don't really know the history of lane finishes and their impact on scoring and lane conditioning.  Prior to the 60's the ABC was not even concerned about using oil to enhance scores.  A more popular practice had been to physically build a track in the finish to steer balls to the pocket.  Walling with oil was not considered an issue compared to the more blatant practices.