This weekend I had the pleasure (?) of being very humbled by a tough lane condition.  It was practice, fortunately, and I was able to talk the laneman into putting out a fresh, tougher pattern for me to shoot on.  Now, I am not God's gift to the lanes, but I thought (read that, past tense) THOUGHT I was a decent bowler - after all, I avg. low 190's in 2 houses last year, and am over 200 in my summer league.  Then I hit the lanes.  First, the pattern was one I had never been on, and it was NOT forgiving to anything.  I eventually found where the oil was and wasn't, and even a couple of lines that I could get to the pocket with.  This is where the trouble really begins.  I knew where I needed the ball to be, but couldn't get it there consistently.  I found that being able to hit a 3 board area wasn't nearly good enough.

I'm not crying a river here, although I was getting extremely frustrated with myself and this new knowledge that my avg. is apparently 30 pins exaggerated, but it got me thinking.  Are the bowling centers, in their desire to keep bowlers, cheating us out of the opportunity to actually become better bowlers?  I hated to quit bowling on that shot, because I was learning a lot from it, but eventually I realized that to proceed in my current tired state would be counter-productive.  My point, though, is this: How can we learn to adapt to different conditions and improve our accuracy when we never need to (or have the opportunity to)?  Sorry guys, but the last thing I want to do is spend hundreds of dollars donating to tournaments just for practice on tougher conditions - I feel the opportunity should be there for my practice sessions and league as well.  What is your opinion on this?
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9-

Why, WHY won't the last one just fall??  It's WIGGLING for cryin' out loud!!

Unfortunately most of the bowlers don't feel the same as you. I certainly do.

There are several bowling allies around where I am. I bowl in a few, but the primary place I bowl is known without a doubt to be the most difficult shot in area. A 60 year old house with wood lanes, it still has the above ground ball returns.

I once carried a 223 average (my 3rd year of bowling) in a different house while at the same time only managing 195 in the old wood place. Big difference.

There are 2 bowling allies around here that the scores are over inflated. Last season one of them had 96 300 games and 74 800 sets. The other had 68 300 games and 50 800 sets. Where do you think the better bowlers want to bowl? The easier houses because that will not put a dent in their reputation. Example, one guy bowled in the house that had 96 300 games, he decided he was going to come to the old wood place because it was more of a challenge. He averaged 227 in the easier house and only managed 188 in the "more challenging place". He has already said he will not return next year.

Bowlers want scores. That is the biggest point in a proprietor's mind. They do not want to come to league and be frustrated. They want to leave happy, knowing they just had their high 700 set and hardly had to work to get.

I bowled in 2 different houses this year and both houses put up a wall, but different lengths and amount of oil. House one goes 39 feet with an 8-8 wall, good amount in the middle and lot less outside. As a lefty, I could play outside with almost anything in my bag, except the "big hookers" which I had to move 5-8 boards in and play the oil. In house 2 the pattern was 35-36 feet, still an 8-8 spread with a ton of oil inside and almost nothing outside. There I had to play more inside with most stuff and out with the weak balls (including the ol' Blue Hammer). Problem here is the pins are half dea, so smashing the pocket all day didnt carry nearly as well as the other house. I almost had to play an outer angle with more speed, or get way in and literally tr to hit the "swish" zone to get a strike. If say I hit the pocket 10 times, in house one I would strike 8 times, where as I would strike 6 times at house 2. I avg. over 200 in both houses with decent spare shooting (a lot better if I didnt whiff so many 7 pins). Or me, being to play 2 different places on the lane with multiple choices in equipment, I feel as though I am not getting "robbed", unless I get into brackets. Usually I put out an "ok" first game, which usually puts me out right away but have a better second game a solid 3rd game (190-210-235 for example). I feel as though overall between the two houses I have become a better bowler by playing different lines and angles varying my speed (hard to harder) and having different drillings than a normal "label" layout (Colossus 3 1/2 x 5, rolls and hits a ton, doesnt hook as much as my label DC Warlock). Versitility is the key I think and if I were to walk into a "harder" condition for a tournament I feel after practice I could figure out a good line with the right ball and do well. Probably wont win cause: 1) Way too many better bowlers around here and 2)Even though I have a solid mental game, missing spares and switching balls too often during transition kills me every time, but I could cash and make match play. I know the lanemen at both centers and they have had me and a couple of buddies practice on various shots to get a feel for what the shots do in general (fresh, transition, carrydown). This is also for me another way to practice and get better. Overall, the managers will cater to the masses, so as to keep business strong, but at the same time they will more than likely change a shot to make it a little tougher if enough people ask.
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If I could only pick up a 7 pin.....

Bob, It's funny you mention league bowlers wanting the same shot week to week.  I bowl with some guys that are like that - nice guys, I enjoy bowling with them, but sometimes I can only shake my head at their game.  If they start out wet, I can guarantee 3 of the guys won't shoot over 140 until the lanes dry out some.  Usually, after I throw the 1st practice, I will warn them if there's oil.  Then, about the last half of the 2ng game, I'll let them know "hey, your line ought to be coming in to you" - (of course they've been playing on the same line for 18 frames now, there shouldn't be much oil left on that part of the lane!)  Then, the 3rd game comes and BAM!  They roll the big 220!  LOL.  I think the funniest part is when you suggest they try to move, then get the "deer in the headlights" look like that is a totally new concept they never thought of.

I try to get variation on the house shot by bowling at 3 different houses in the area.  Still, this weekend proves I have a long way to go!

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9-

Why, WHY won't the last one just fall??  It's WIGGLING for cryin' out loud!!

Sawbones: I see two problems with your response:

First, most house patterns do not 'punish' you when you make a subtle mistake in execution. You make think you're repeating shots, but it may in fact not be true. The only way to know for sure is to bowl on conditions that kill you when you make mistakes -- otherwise it's a guess. If you currently dispute this, you wouldn't if you had the opportunity to play real PBA and/or sport conditions.

Second, most house do not allow you to practice all lines with your "A" game. If the regular house shot is bone dry from 10 to the gutter (as many are), how do you effectively practice playing the twig and measure real world success/failure? Simply hitting a mark is not going to give sufficient feedback. Hitting the right breakpoint relative to effective carry is at least as important, and can't be simulated in this example.

Sawbones: We all have to practice on what's available and make the best of it -- that's all we can do. But it doesn't change that our regular house conditions limit what we can truly work on.

You bring up the valid point about learning to hit you mark, but that's just one part of the overall equation in being successful on Sport/PBA patterns. Speed and breakpoint control factors are equal, if not more important, in finding the right formula for consistent scoring. The reality is that most league patterns cannot give you the success/failure feedback in practicing speed/breakpoint control -- you need the real conditions to see and understand what's really happening.

It's not an accident that truly accurate league bowlers average 30-40 pins less when they get on PBA/Sport patterns. I'm talking about players who do in fact know how to practice in their home houses. Again their issue is not learning to hit their mark or play different parts of the lane, but to get speed and breakpoint under control. Real world results confirm this story.