Time and time again I see people talking about how their medium aggressive resin ball is "out hooking" their higher load particles & how much particle balls suck.
How many times have you bowled somewhere & overheard how their high load particle isn't hooking as much as their resin on these lanes. That must mean that the particle is a piece of junk since it hits so poorly & wont move at all.
After seeing this repeated so many times both here & on the lanes my only conclusion is this: 75% of the people who are buying new bowling balls have NO CLUE what that ball is supposed to do & when it doesn't cover 30 boards for them it's a "crap ball".
First, who's to blame on this one? the consumer for not learning what equipment they own? The ball companies for not making info readily available, or not clearly explaining what the technology does? The pro-shop for selling a ball to the consumer without explaining it?
Second, lets dissmiss this myth that just because it doesn't move as many boards it isn't "hooking" as much. Particle & reactive resin balls are 2 COMPLETELY different beasts. To try & compare how much one hooks versus the other is like trying to compare how a person hits a ball with a 1 wood VS. a 5 iron. On a clean walled shot, a particle ball will almost never move more than a resin. The reason for this is 2 fold: 1) The particle is beginning its hook as soon as it hits the lane. Even though it looks like it's skidding, all of those little particles are grabbing the lane & creating friction trying to get the ball into its roll. Thus reducing the skid of the ball & ultimately the number of boards for it to recover in the back end. 2) Unless there is a lot of oil to keep too many of the particles from grabbing, the ball will "Burn up". There will simply be too much friction between the lane & the ball & you will ot only get even fewer boards covered, but the ball will hit the pins like a purse. The higher load of particles = more friction. That means you will need even more oil & you can expect FEWER boards covered due to the ball trying to get in its roll even earlier. However in "hooking power" the particle is stronger because it is starting it's hook as soon as it hits the lane, while the resin is merely skidding waiting to find a dry board to move on. Bottom line, Particles will generally have more hooking power, but cover less boards than a resin.
Generally I've found that the people who are most disappointed when they buy a particle ball are the ones who've grown up in the sport of bowling with resin equipment. They've come to expect the booming backends & have learned to play the game accordingly. When they get the particle, they haven't ever used a ball like that reacts similar to it & call them crap. This is partly because they don't know how to adjust them into their game, and also partly because the ball companies keep saying these are "hook monsters" but they dont see the balls covering more boards. "Older" bowlers who used or grew up with urethane/poly/rubber balls have generally welcomed these particle balls. They are familiar with the arcing hook, and many strokers can consistantly arc the ball nicely in the oil with them.
So I'll try to sum this up. I feel that pro-shops & manufacturers really need to do a better job of getting info out there about what a particle ball is & what it will do when it hits the lane. And remember, just because it isn't booming across 20 boards to the pocket doesn't mean it's not working right, or it's not hooking as hard.
I look forward to what you all have to say on the subject.
