I would like to start bowling again after several years away from the sport.  I was decent . . . 185 - 197 averages carried in a couple of leagues, and was a bowling junkie . . . I bet I have over 50 balls in the garage!!  The last balls I purchased were probably around the Columbia Icon series (Icon, Icon II, Icon 300) and Lane #1 Bomb series (Carbide Bomb, Cherry Bomb, Black Cherry Bomb).

Do you think I'll need to invest in a new arsenal to combat current "typical league" conditions, and have current oils/oil patterns changed much in the past half a dozen years??  I think the balls in my bag now are the Columbia Retro Piranha, Reaction Arc, Lane #1 Carbide Bomb and Purple Pro.  Thanks for any advice and I look forward to hitting the lanes again!!
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That which does not kill me makes me stronger . . .

I lived in two different states during the last 6 years, and in my opinion, you'll be just fine.  My main two balls are a Nighthawk M2 and a Tsunami.  If you look at my profile, you'll see a ton of older balls there too, and I bowl plenty of tournaments.  The only newer ball I use is a Black Widow Bite.

Take one solid and one pearl to your pro shop to make sure your spans and pitches haven't changed over the past few years.  If the surfaces look rough, you might consider a resurface or oil extraction (if they have a lot of games on them).  Throw a game or two, taking it slow and easy the first few shots.  I don't think you'll have an problems at all.
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Penn State Proud

Ron Clifton's Bowling Tip Archive

From what I have seen, the Lane #1 Bomb series balls are heavily sought after still to this day. It sounds to me like you have a good setup go get after it again!

A guy in my league has the same Lane1 balls as you do.  He swears by them for league and tournaments.  He's a stroker with a lot of speed and he's doing just fine.

As Strider said take your arsenal to the pro-shop to have the pitches and span checked and take it easy for a few games.  Welcome back!!

Very true Eltaco, the older Lane1's are heavily sought after so Badshot maybe able to make some money if he decides to get a new line up!

Good luck!

Stick with what you have for the moment, maybe finish the season with it, get used to just bowling again, then worry about the equipment.

IMO you are probably better off with older gear if you are just bowling leagues, it tends to be easier to handle, easier to read.
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"His Loyalty couldn't be bought at any price
but it could be rented remarkably cheaply"
-Inquisitor Allendyne-

Founding Father of the BR Inquisition

MainzerPower

Just start with the balls you are/were used to. IMHO, many centers reduce the oil volume and lane maintenance to cut costs, so that current uber-aggressive equipment will hardly see any use except for truly fresh lanes. Your recation Arc should still be a very good oil ball choice today.

I''d give the arsenal a try, maybe do some thorough cleaning and surface refreshment (light sanding, plus polish where needed), because balls that haven''t been used for a while tend to lose some bite (from personal experience).
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DizzyFugu - Reporting from Germany

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Edited on 12/21/2009 4:19 AM

Concur with much of what has already been posted.  I've had layoffs from the sport across two different periods of time.  The first was most of the 90's (left as the first resin was coming into the market place), returning circa 2000, and bought into the hype that new equipment was needed...it really was not, at least for what we now recognize as a THS.

The current 'away' period has basically been the past four years.  My last league was in 2005.  You could count on one hand and have four fingers and a thumb left the number of games I have bowled in the past two years until last Friday.  Now you still have two fingers and a thumb left.  

My office had decided that they wanted a 'bowling party' as the xmas party instead of the usual catering in the office.  I dug out a selection of equipment that would work just about anywhere.  While the office is in the middle of nowhere, it is nonetheless a synthetic house that runs a number of leagues.  We were on leftovers from the night before.  Quite frankly, I am scared to think how ugly it might have been with anything more powerful than a SonicX and Pearl Assault.  I also had a look down and in with the Clear Grenade (plastic).  In other words...the THS is still the THS is still the THS.    

Use the old stuff...you should be fine.  You might not cover as many boards, but there is more to bowling than the number of boards being covered...