All summer long my house has been skimping on the oil, and having reasonably good speed (average around 17.5-18.0 mph) and not much hand, I simply adjusted by using my older less aggressive balls. Then suddenly, today, they decided to put out a heavy oil pattern.... heavier than anything over the summer or even most of this past fall-winter season, and I hated it.

Yes... adjust adjust adjust, but today the strongest ball I had was my polished Anger, and it was just barely getting to the pocket. When it did, it was russian roulette whether it would be a strong mixing strike, or a flat 8 or 9. And I LOVE that ball. But it wasn't anywhere near enough ball today.

If the shot is like this consistently, I will have to learn to adapt to be able to bowl on it. But changing it like this after months of dryness...even overly dry conditions, really pissed me off, and I have vowed to buy the most aggressive ball designed for the heaviest oil patterns. I am going to put that ball in my locker and maybe only use it once in a blue moon. But I am NEVER again going to spend an afternoon fighting with the lanes to get a decent reaction from my ball like I just did.

This was not a tournament or even league. But I came in today just to keep myself sharp, and instead ended up fighting to bowl scores in the 150-170 range ---- way below my 190-200 average.

I DO realize that if the lanes are flooded, nothing will move, but these were like semi-flooded. Enough dry for the ball to grab eventually, but usually way too late.

Is there a ball ----from any manufacturer, that is almost certain to have some traction in these conditions? Even if I only can use it once every few months, I don't want to ever leave home without it again.

No bowling ball gains traction in true heavy oil, period.  You need to look for a ball that can handle the transition out of the oil and into the dry and reacts consistently from shot to shot.  That being said, I would lean toward an aggressive solid resin ball, like a MoRich LevRg, Roto Grip Cell, or Columbia Resurgence.  You could also go particle since you have good speed, and in that case look for something like a Visionary Centaur AMB, Storm Shift, or Lanemasters Terminator.  I hope this helps, good luck.
--------------------
MainePBA
"I'd rather be a conservative nut job than a liberal with no nuts and no job."

Get some surface on your anger. If it was polished and you can get it to the hole hit it with the 2000 it came at or even 1000. That should give it the needed bite in the oil. You don't need a new ball just some surface.

Edited on 8/17/2008 0:56 AM

The point of throwing a ball with alot of suface, such as a LevRG or AMB as mentioned is to get the ball moving before it gets to that dry in the back end. The problem is that these balls tend to have a big burn rate. If the pattern you are bowling on is very heavy throughout the hole lane except on the backend then a true heavy oiler wont work, nor a sanded ball wont work either. See the heavy hooking balls are not ment for the backend, but for the midlane. Bowlers will often get on a long pattern and struggle with getting the ball to turn the corner even with some of these big hooking balls as mentioned, and this is because when the ball reaches the spot on the backend it cant make up enough ground due to burning and skidding at the same time.

 A very good example of what I am talking about is one time, I hit a very long pattern and had just drilled up two new balls. One was an Awsome Revs with pin in grip and other was a pin up Awsome Flip. Well of course I did like anyone else would do and try the Awsome Revs because heck, it was meant for oil. Well the ball would get down there and wouldnt have enough backend, and heres the reason.

 If you have a Ball with a shiny suface vs a Ball with a duller surface, the shiny one is going to grab the dry harder... Same way goes with a new tire vs. one thats dull and worn out. The new tire obviously will maintain the road better. Well after a few games of struggling, I went to the Awsome Flip. The ball went the same exact length that the Awsome Revs went due to the volume of oil in the midlane but once it finally reached the backend, it made up way more ground and gave me a good look. I ended up allmost winning the tournament that day...

  All I am trying to say is keep your options open because you will find a ball that will work great on this, and it may not have to be a ball like the AMB or LevRG but a more shiny pearl even... Something that will really come off the Dry hard. Just dont be affraid to make a change in speeds,hand positions, etc. for maybe the next time you hit this pattern, the polished anger may even be the right ball. I hope I have helped in any way, John