Hello bowling family,
I am a new bowler and I was wondering about bench mark balls. All of this time I thought my Hammer Scandal was my bench mark ball. I was at my local bowling alley and a wise man(don't like to call old bowlers old, Like to call them wise) ask me while I was bowling why am I throwing the Hammer Scandal. My reply was it was my bench mark ball.
He ask me to show him what was in my bag (which contains a Timeless and IQ tour). He then reached in my bag and pulled out the IQ Tour and said this is your bench mark ball and then left the alley. I was holding the ball baffled (like I said I am new and don't know).
   I then just started bowling with the ball( not knowing what I am looking for), but my question is what am I looking for in the IQ Tour (ie. hook to soon,too late, lose energy etc.) and is it really a bench mark ball?
I thought bench mark was your favorite ball. Please help the newbie. Thank you in advance for all of your help.

These videos may also be of some help:

https://www.usbcbowlingacademy.com/video/choosing-a-bowling-ball-thats-right-for-your-arsenal-008630/

https://www.usbcbowlingacademy.com/video/how-to-choose-a-bowling-ball-to-fit-your-needs-005549/

Hello,

I want to thank you for the video you posted. I finally have a job where I can build an arsenal and not just have one Ball. I found out I'm picking out the correct bowling balls so far. I have picked out the Motiv Revolt and the Tank. I picked the Tank because I found in real dry conditions I like to be near the gutter hit the first arrow and slam into the pocket. This ball is great for that. Granted there isn't a lot of room for error, but being that close to the gutter there isn't room for error anyway. I bought the Revolt for mid to oil conditions. I love the angle and how it reacts on the lane. I never had a ball like this before, I see the potential. What I'm debating about next is what ball I should get next. Thinking I should get my benchmark ball or inside shot ball, but unsure. The next bowling balls I'm considering are: The Xeno, Brunswick Magnitude, Brunswick Inferno, the Pyramid Blueprint, Pyramid Paradise or the Ebonite Cyclone. I'm leaning toward the Xeno, Magnitude, or Inferno. What do you think? Do you have another suggestion? I'm a low rev player, right handed, I'm at about 165 average, was at 180 but had to take a three year break. My goal is to be consistent. I throw a hook but not a large one. Ideally wanting to have a six ball arsenal. One for heavy oil with a larger hook but nothing "extreme", a mid to oil ball more of an outside shot with a good angle but with control (Revolt), a mid to heavy oil Condition ball for an inside shot with a very even arc, a dry to mid condition ball for an inside shot with a very even arc , a mid to dry for an outside shot, and for real dry conditions or for my outside shot (Tank). What do I get next? I'm not comfortable yet standing way on the left and having a huge hook.  The ball I used for years, probably way to long was the Brunswick Copperhead. Still have it. My best day with that ball was a couple months ago and had in league a 210, 185, 215. What do you think? Have any other suggestions? Why are you making this suggestion?

Quote from: Impending Doom on August 04, 2017, 10:56:39 AM

Your strongest ball shouldn't be your benchmark, because what if that ball doesn't hook enough?

While yes your strongest ball shouldn't be your benchmark ball.

If your strongest ball didn't hook enough, it wouldn't matter if it was your benchmark or not. You still wouldn't have anything to ball up to that hooked more.

You wanna bet? There a tons of salami brain bowlers that will have 4 dull hook monsters because they can't tell the difference between "not hooking" and a ball just plain tiring out at 25 feet and going forward.

your ball could also not be "hooking" because it used up all its energy up in the front and when it reached the friction doesnt make a move because there is no energy remaining.

The benchmark should be in the middle of your arsenal, something you can easily read and know when to ball up or down from. Your strongest ball shouldn't be your benchmark, because what if that ball doesn't hook enough? My benchmark is an X. Medium strength, smooth reaction. Can go up or down from there.

Another problem with the strongest ball idea is knowing how far down you need to go to get the correct ball.  If a Scandal is too much, how do I know what to go to when my entire bag is in play? 

As many have stated, starting in the middle will eliminate half your bag from your mind making the decision on the correct ball that much faster.