BallReviews
General Category => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: xrayjay on April 07, 2014, 12:56:55 AM
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With so many different houses laying out different volumes and lengths at their respective center, are all benchmark balls created equal? Likewise, there are so many types of bowlers with different skill levels, would a Hyroad, ei... be a benchmark ball for all as it is for me?
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Frankly, no. What may be benchmark for you can be way different for the next guy, mostly depending on the bowler and conditions faced.
When I think "benchmark" I think of a ball that I should have with me every time I bowl at a specific center due to the likelihood of it having a great reaction. Since I bowl at two different centers weekly, sometimes three, it's usually a different choice for one place than the other.
I'd suggest to everyone that they become very familiar with their arsenal, and that same arsenal at various surfaces, so if they get "lost" with one ball, they can grab the next one and know pretty closely what kind of move to make (if needed at all) and not waste 5 frames trying to get lined up...
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In my mind a benchmark ball is the ball that gives you your "A" game "look". It allows you to ball up or down depending on the condition you are bowling on. I agree with notclay that each center, tournament, etc may have a different benchmark ball, but if you go in blind your benchmark ball will tell you where to go in your bag, whether stronger or weaker, smoother or more angular
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I asked, because over the years it seems that when someone does a ball review and states it's a benchmark ball, some people think it is too after reading/watching ball reviews. Then after throwing it at their home center, they realize it's not.
Over the weekend, one of the buyers of my used equipment asked if the hyroad is a good benchmark ball. I told him it was great for me. I couldn't put a stamp on it when he ask if it'll be good for him. He throw the ball with very very high tilt - spinner. I don't even now how his ball reaction would be if he kept the same layout I have on the ball.
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I asked, because over the years it seems that when someone does a ball review and states it's a benchmark ball, some people think it is too after reading/watching ball reviews. Then after throwing it at their home center, they realize it's not.
That's the buyer's fault for not understanding the term or how it's applied. Such a thing is highly subjective to the bowler. You can't call any ball a "benchmark ball" and mean it to apply to someone else's game.
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It may be the manufacturers intent to make a ball that should work for a wide variety of people on a wide variety of conditions, and so they may call it a benchmark ball because of that. That doesn't mean it will be a benchmark ball for you.