Here's a litle more on this (grom the USBC):
On February 1 of this year, the maximum RG (radius of gyration) Differential
of bowling balls will be changed by the United States Bowling Congress from
0.080 inches to 0.060 inches.
The change was initially reviewed on Nov. 11, 2004, by the USBC Equipment
Specification and Certification Committee, which now has approved the
change. According to the committee, the new spec "will help control the
sport for many years to come."
According to the official USBC release, this bowling ball specification can
be found on page 13 of the Equipment Specification manual on Bowl.com.
What does it mean?
"In more bowling-friendly terms, bowling ball flare and entry angle will be
controlled," said USBC Senior Technician Jim Jaryszak, who is in charge of
bowling ball testing.
All bowling ball manufacturers have been notified of this change. Previously
released balls that have been approved will remain approved (grandfathered
in). Any re-release of a previously approved ball will have to be submitted
for testing and meet the new specifications.
When asked for a comment, one expert in the ball industry said, "That change
definitely is going to cut down bowling ball flare, and the ball is going to
be more stable as it rolls down the lane. Anytime you can stabilize the
ball, you put more of the skill factor back in the hands of the bowler."
"We have been looking at making this change for quite some time," said USBC
Director of Research Neil Stremmel. "This is a big step for our merged
organization under the new USBC, and we plan for this to be part of some
big-picture changes in the future."
Basically, this means that any new ball or release of an existing ball must meet the .060 limit.
