Author Topic: AMF Corporate Oiling Guidelines ??? (Read 5103 times)

dicnic · « **on:** August 07, 2009, 01:57:59 AM »

One of the mechanics at our local AMF house told me that the following lane conditioning instructions were received from "Corporate".

They oil and strip every night at midnight.
Prior to evening leagues, they run a "fill shot" oiling to 38 feet but NO stripping.

Needless to say, in this area (SE Florida) we have lots of elderly folks throwing plastic down the middle of the lane. By the time evening leagues start there is usually LOTS of carrydown. Since they do not strip the backends prior to league, it is a real struggle to find a usable line. Some lanes are fine and some are horrid.

Question for those of you who bowl in AMF houses, ever hear of this lane conditioning practice and "coming down from corporate"?
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Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

dicnic · « **Reply #1 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:58:43 AM »

Gotta be more BR folks who work/bowl in AMF centers.

Where are you folks?

I want to nail the local folks in their misconception.
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Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

charlest · « **Reply #2 on:** August 08, 2009, 12:41:37 PM »

I doubt there are corporate guidelines. On edit, let me rephrase that: I doubt there are corporate standards. There may be guidelines - HuGE difference!
One of our local AMF places oils ONLY when there's a league that evening (and only evening). If there's leagues on 1-10 and 15 - 24, then lanes 11-14 do not get oiled. The manager is not a bowler and could care less about anything but saving money for the corporation.
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"None are so blind as those who will not see."

Edited on 8/8/2009 12:54 PM

Smash49 · « **Reply #3 on:** August 08, 2009, 02:36:08 PM »

I can't imagine AMF having such a thing when in the past their lane machines couldn't put a shot down consistently. I spoke with someone that works for AMF and rumor has it his AMF center is in line for a Kegel lane machine. That would be good news of AMF centers if they could get away from those old silver bullets. It makes since because the bullets cannot lay down the sport shots correctly.

AMF does have corporate guile lines for a lot of things. Then others there is absolutely nothing. They are in the process of correcting some of these problems but it is slow as Christmas.

Smash49
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Smash49

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Rileybowler · « **Reply #4 on:** August 08, 2009, 02:55:31 PM »

They purchased a new machine out our center and the shot is the worse it has ever been , it goes away in less than 1 game of 4 man teams. Maybe they are trying to recoup the money for machine by using less conditioner, who knows
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Carl
Bless the LORD o my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name

JS · « **Reply #5 on:** August 08, 2009, 03:08:31 PM »

quote:
Both centers I worked for stripped and oiled the whole house before we opened for business and then again before leagues.

Strip and oil twice a day! I want to bowl in this house. One can dream, no?

The local AMF house here (the one charlest mentioned above) just received one of the new Kegel machines. Supposedly the top 5 centers in the nation received Kegel machines. Hard to believe this is one of them but who knows. I think they do the business in spite of themselves because they have no competition. They are the only house in our county. Hopefully they will be trained on how to use it, how to maintain it (and be required to perform the maintenance) and use it everyday. It would be great if they followed the oiling procedure that Ernie did!

Oskuposer · « **Reply #6 on:** August 08, 2009, 03:18:17 PM »

dicnic which amf? I coach at Davie and bowl pot games at pines sometimes.
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Visionary test staff

dicnic · « **Reply #7 on:** August 08, 2009, 04:56:55 PM »

The 32 lane AMF Center in Boynton Beach. I have bowled there for years and it has been just recently they oil/strip at midnight and then put down a "fill shot" (no stripping) prior to leagues.

They used to strip/oil prior to leagues but have changed this year.
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Never take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

tc300 · « **Reply #8 on:** August 08, 2009, 04:59:52 PM »

theres 2 amf centers in my area... at one they hired a new head mech last year, he doesnt line dust the lanes and it clogs the wicks so the shot varies lane to lane and pair to pair. but its a playable tho...
the other has a newer machine but still a wick machine.. they got new wicks in the begining of this summer, shot was slick but good. you could grab something strong and use it. everybody b!tched as always, now it seems like every week it gets dryer. theres sooo much mid lane hook.
im pretty sure both houses have refurbished machines also

DON DRAPER · « **Reply #9 on:** August 08, 2009, 09:53:29 PM »

i bowled at amf northland in kansas city today and noticed no such lane condition. there was plenty of oil thru the heads with plenty of backend......maybe it's because i was throwing brunswick equipment ?

Brian362 · « **Reply #10 on:** August 08, 2009, 09:58:31 PM »

quote:
quote:
Both centers I worked for stripped and oiled the whole house before we opened for business and then again before leagues.

Strip and oil twice a day! I want to bowl in this house. One can dream, no?

The local AMF house here (the one charlest mentioned above) just received one of the new Kegel machines. Supposedly the top 5 centers in the nation received Kegel machines. Hard to believe this is one of them but who knows. I think they do the business in spite of themselves because they have no competition. They are the only house in our county. Hopefully they will be trained on how to use it, how to maintain it (and be required to perform the maintenance) and use it everyday. It would be great if they followed the oiling procedure that Ernie did!

The house I bowl at here in Richmond, VA got a new Kegel machine and they oil/strip only when there are leagues. Also, they only oil the lanes that are used for competitiom.

Edited on 8/8/2009 9:59 PM

Atochabsh · « **Reply #11 on:** August 09, 2009, 12:22:06 AM »

A fill shot for evening league is not uncommon no matter what organization the house is affiliated with. Private centers do this as well. In fact, up until a few years ago, centers only stripped once a week! How difficult do you think it was to find a shot then? But people did and people averaged over 220, if they were good. So its not impossible. You are just expecting too much in having screaming backends at your disposal every week. Now there is a large proportion of bowlers that HATE screaming backends. They find them hard to contol and hard to bowl on. Generating complaints to the center. Therefore, the center may NOT want to provide fresh backends for their evening leagues.

Deal with what you have and put away expectations from your head. We have lots of elderly folks too and they bowl all week every day in the afternoon filling the 32 lane center. Then on top of their play we have two weekdays of 4pm Junior bowlers. So on those two days you can imagine how the fill shot ends up for evening. And people still bowl well, still adjust.

Erin

SVstar34 · « **Reply #12 on:** August 09, 2009, 12:34:53 AM »

If ball technology is going to keep setting a new standard, then a fill shot will be easy by the time a ball can rev itself
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DON DRAPER · « **Reply #13 on:** August 09, 2009, 05:54:15 AM »

the houses in our association strip and oil the lanes before every evening league all year round. the juniors on saturday morning also get this type of shot. senior leagues( typically in the morning) receive a fill shot.

BrianCRX90 · « **Reply #14 on:** August 09, 2009, 09:50:43 PM »

How about never strip? Ban stripping and just keep reoiling the lane. Let's see how your scores are then!