I do disagree slightly with the above poster. I think if you are used to playing up the track, it can work on most PBA patterns, but your angles have to be pretty closed, meaning you cannot get away with swinging the ball out to 5 at your breakpoint and expecting it to come back. As long as you keep the ball in play and make your spares, averaging 180 should not be too difficult. Also, keep in mind that PBA patterns do not always play like advertised (Cheetah may not play up 5, etc.).
That being said, here are the areas I played on each pattern and what I found to be successful. Our house has Brunswick Pro Anvilane with a Brunswick A22 machine. Plenty of pair to pair differences. League was trios and bowled 4 games per night.
Shark (43'): On the Fresh: I played a tight line, keeping the ball left of 10 throught the whole lane. Ball probably crossing 17 at the arrows and getting to 12 at the breakpoint.
Transition/Breakdown: It only became tighter downlane (the oil carried down significantly). This meant I actually was looking for hold area to my left as compared to free hook to my right, because there really was none. What you are looking for on this pattern is your ball to pickup in the midlane, moreso than in the backend, especially when the oil begins to carrydown. For me, if my ball didn't hook in the midlane, it would never hook further down the lane. Started with sanded, rolly equipment and went to something with a little less surface later on, but never was able to use pearls or else they would never hook and result in massive deflection at the pins.
Scorpion (41'): On the Fresh: The house I bowled at had some hook off the gutter on some pairs, so I was able to play straight up 5 board with very sanded strong equipment. Some pairs did not allow an outside line, which resulted in me moving to around the track area and keeping my angles closed (not getting the ball too far right). If I played around the track, I used stronger balls with surfaces around 1000-2000 which was enough to get the ball through the fronts, but also read the midlane.
Transition/Breakdown: If enough people played in the same area, we were able to open them up by the last couple games. If I was playing the gutter, I would move into the track area with strong-medium equipment around 2000-4000 to again control the midlane, but still create some angle downlane. Anything polished would blow right through the breakpoint, as this is a high volume pattern. If I was playing further inside, I would move left off that and try and bounce it off the track we created.
Chameleon (39'): On the Fresh: This pattern hooked the most for me due to the very low volume of the pattern (only 20 mL). The weeks it hooked more I had to play way left and use very weak polished equipment, and played it like a very dry house shot. Ball was crossing 20 at the arrows out to about 7 at the breakpoint. Other weeks there was less friction, and I was able to square up around 7 with medium equipment around 2000 and find some area right and left of my target.
Transition/Breakdown: This pattern broke down the worst of the 5, mainly because it allowed multiple angles of attack. This did not force the bowlers all into one area, so the lanes broke down funny. I tried to stay in the same area and use weaker equipment. If that did not work, I would not be afraid to jump 5 or more boards either way to try and find some area. This was all a guessing game for me, depending on the week/bowlers we were bowling with.
Viper (37') On the Fresh: This pattern can play off the gutter, but you have to be really direct (going almost right to left). I used medium-weaker equipment around 2000 to blend out the pattern on the fresh. If there was no look off the gutter, I moved into the track and just tried to keep the ball in play until the pattern opened up some.
Transition/Breakdown: Either moved left with weaker/shinier balls and threw to the burn spot created, or moved right if I saw the pattern was carrying down more than burning up. On hotter, more humid days, the oil tends to carrydown more. This pattern could get pretty wide open if enough bowlers play in the same area and create some room.
Cheetah (35') On the Fresh: Some weeks this pattern did not allow us to play off the gutter, some weeks it did. When the gutter shot was there, you basically started up 5 then moved RIGHT throughout the night, as the oil carried down and created hold area. The pattern was short enough that if you moved right you had hook to your right and hold to your left if you had the right ball in your hand. If the pattern did not play off the gutter, I moved into around 10 and hit 6-7 at the breakpoint. I still moved right when the lanes began to transition, as the carrydown was still created around 7-8 board. I used similar equipment I used on Viper to control the fresh, then maybe switched to a weaker ball on the transition to help take advantage of the carrydown left and hook to the right. This pattern sometimes hooks off the gutter, and sometimes it doesn't. Just don't try and force the gutter shot if it's not there. I wasted many games shooting 160-170 trying to force a shot that was not there.
Hope this helps.
Edited by MichStBwlr2009 on 4/27/2011 at 3:40 PM
