It's because the average league bowler only knows one thing, hook rating. This concept has been drilled into their brains year after year. If they are going to spend $200 on a ball, they are not going spend it on a ball that hooks less. Eventhough that ball might do wonders for them, but you can't tell them that. "ITS ALL ABOUT THE HOOK!!"

 

My opinion please read and be open minded. Dont mean for this to be a rant, but there are 2 main problems and the very last sentence conveys it.

 

 Please look at the scores BEFORE reactive equipment....(USBC, honor scores, averages) They were MUCH MUCH lower thus making bowling a more challenging sport. THEN: When you average 180+ and are considered to be a very good bowler...NOW: You need 220+ to be considered a better bowler. Thats a 40 pin difference(120 pin per series). 

 

 The difference between 180 and 300 is 120 pins  versus 220 and 300 is only 80 pins......The sport has simply made it self too easy (in house conditions mainly)....

 

 Try to imagine there only being plastic balls with pancake cores (absolutely no others)....getting a 300 game or 700-800 series would have been VERY rewarding!!! Now Not so much rewarding.

 

 This will never happen (not how I see it), but what really needs to happen is bowling needs a restart.....Get the game back to SIMPLICITY!!! Throw away RG's, covers, MB....on balls, get it back to where scores are appreciated, then SLOWLY come along with new ideas, we are to the point of everyone wants a STRONGER and BETTER edge in equipment.....that I believe the industry has hit a wall......they are putting together SO many cover/ block combos......(some reruns of previous popular, and some new)....to try to give that 5 pin edge that the real problem is that the sport and its equipment has no where else to go.....it has hit its pinnacle!

 

Im only 38 years old, but I've been around the sport for 31 of those 38. In the past few years I've been really paying attention to bowlers......Being in the business, I need to. Ive noticed SOOO many bowlers that have little to NO bowling fundamentals, and honestly have a pretty bad game (swear Im not trying to be mean!) ...and they are averaging 200+.  I just feel that the game needs to somehow go back to where 200's are GREAT, and not average. This will give the ball companies room to grow again. Dont see how they dont see this....Balls and scores cant realisticly get much better than where they are at....Something has to give!

 

Edited by pro shop guy on 12/20/2011 at 2:20 PM