Like Brenton Davy, I experienced similar for 2 years with Guardian all the way to the pindeck. I am currently bowling on a surface with Guardian, like yours, from the foul line to just past the arrows (the maple area), and wood the rest of the way. This is not nearly as bad as full Guardian overlay.

Full Guardian had fast and major transition, especially when the whole league was scratch bowlers using mostly strong balls. You started seeing weak 10 pins as the first sign, IF YOU WERE LUCKY! If you weren't lucky, you saw washouts and 2/8/10s as the first sign. Then you moved 5-8 boards with your feet and 2-4 with your eyes, and prayed. Sometimes you actually had to swicth to a stronger ball, when you moved real deep. Often I would end the 3 game league standing 15 boards deeper with my feet than when we started the night. Not fun!

Added note: Since the oil pattern was a dry area around 5 and most people played there, but the start of the 2nd game, 0 - 5 board became an out of bounds, on the right side.

With Guardian only covering the heads, a lot depends on the amount of oil. I subbed on this same surface during the winter; it was 2nd shift. You needed a pearl, no matter how much speed you had. And the pearl had to have a large backend to conquer the carrydown. It was medium-light oil, so it wasn't too bad.
Now in the Summer league we're first shift but it's scratch singles, 5 games across 10 lanes. Not much carrydown, but the oil line can get tricky. YOu still make big moves when transition time comes.

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"Those who do not remember history are doomed to repeat it."

Edited on 7/6/2003 12:25 PM