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Author Topic: How many holes?  (Read 2705 times)

greggo

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How many holes?
« on: February 08, 2006, 01:02:27 AM »
I was looking around the USBC site and came across the ball specification sheet.

 
quote:
Holes:

The following limitations shall govern the drilling of holes in the ball:
1. Holes or indentations, not to exceed five (5), for gripping purposes.
2. One hole for balance purposes not to exceed 1-1/4 inch diameter. (Including the surface opening).
3. No more than one (1) vent hole to each finger and/or thumb hole not to exceed 1/4 inch in diameter.
(Including the surface opening).
4. One mill hole for inspection purposes not to exceed 5/8 inch in diameter and 1/8 inch in depth


I know I'm slow at times, but is this really saying that you can have 12 holes in your ball?  One for each finger/thumb, a vent for each, balance hole, and some goofy inspection hole?

What's the maximum amount of holes you've seen in a ball that's actually used on the lanes?
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rotomike

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #1 on: February 08, 2006, 09:04:56 AM »
YOU HAVE READ IT CORRECTLY.

The most I have seen is 7

Five fingers, weight hole and vent for thumb
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T Brockette

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #2 on: February 08, 2006, 09:10:07 AM »
I always thought it was 11. I was told that the mill hole their talking about is a hole the actual inspector would put in, but maybe I am wrong.
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shelley

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #3 on: February 08, 2006, 09:20:24 AM »
I've never seen vent holes for fingers.  I do know a woman with a gripping hole for her pinky, but she doesn't always use it.  I know a couple of people with vent holes for their thumb, but that's about it.

I do know one guy that had his ball drilled both for a conventional grip and a fingertip grip.  I know that's not strictly legal, but it is odd.

SH
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greggo

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #4 on: February 08, 2006, 09:22:16 AM »
OK, well there you go.  For all of those people who want to go from 16# down to 15#, just save some money and drill a bunch of holes in your current arsenal.
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greggo

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #5 on: February 08, 2006, 09:25:16 AM »
quote:
I do know one guy that had his ball drilled both for a conventional grip and a fingertip grip. I know that's not strictly legal, but it is odd.


As long as he used the same thumb hole, I don't see a problem.  They say you can have 5 holes for grip.  They don't say that you have to use all of them.
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DukeHarding

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #6 on: February 08, 2006, 09:38:13 AM »
quote:
I've never seen vent holes for fingers.  I do know a woman with a gripping hole for her pinky, but she doesn't always use it.  I know a couple of people with vent holes for their thumb, but that's about it.

I do know one guy that had his ball drilled both for a conventional grip and a fingertip grip.  I know that's not strictly legal, but it is odd.

SH


That is illegal. If you do not use the holes, they are considered a weight hole...You can only have one weight hole. Ony matters if you get called on it.
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shelley

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #7 on: February 08, 2006, 09:45:51 AM »
I believe it has to do with having two holes for the same finger, Greg.  They say that non-gripping holes (excluding the balance hole) must be covered if not in use.  That allows no-thumb bowlers to drill a thumb hole (making legal statics much easier) since the hand typically covers the thumb hole.

If he ever used the fingertip holes, the other two would, of course, be covered, but I don't ever remember him using those hole.  He was conventional, through and through.

SH
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shelley

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #8 on: February 08, 2006, 09:49:34 AM »
quote:
That is illegal. If you do not use the holes, they are considered a weight hole...You can only have one weight hole. Ony matters if you get called on it.


I know it is.  And he was never in any danger of being called on it.  He's not a high-average bowler, nor a constantly cashing sandbagger.  Not really any danger of affecting other people's scoring or standing.

It is funny, though, because of the bunch of us that were going to the Double Diamond tournament every year, he's the only one that's cashed.  Threw a 95 game in teams, but shot something like 550 in singles, plus his 50+ pin/game handicap.  I don't think he had that ball when he did that, and we don't even bowl with him anymore.

SH
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michelle

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #9 on: February 08, 2006, 10:11:50 AM »
The mill hole is really a term that is a misnomer...it is a drilling that goes barely below the surface of the ball and it is from there that the durometer reading was taken.  Think in terms of maybe 1/16" to 3/16" below the ball surface.
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cgilyeat

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #10 on: February 08, 2006, 10:34:26 AM »
quote:
The mill hole is really a term that is a misnomer...it is a drilling that goes barely below the surface of the ball and it is from there that the durometer reading was taken.  Think in terms of maybe 1/16" to 3/16" below the ball surface.
If that deep.  The only balls I've regularly seen mill holes on were PBA players.  I had mill holes put in mine at a Senior stop a few yars ago, but that was when everyone had to have there equipment weighed and the hardness checked, instead of just selected finishers, in specfiic finish positions.

Now, I know they check hardness at the ABC/USBC Nationals without drilling a mill hole, but the PBA did use a mill hole.

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shelley

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #11 on: February 08, 2006, 10:54:14 AM »
quote:
The mill hole is really a term that is a misnomer...it is a drilling that goes barely below the surface of the ball and it is from there that the durometer reading was taken.  Think in terms of maybe 1/16" to 3/16" below the ball surface.


More like a mill dent than a hole, eh?

SH
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sspeckma

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Re: How many holes?
« Reply #12 on: February 08, 2006, 11:35:13 AM »
It seems to me I remember another hole that was allowed Not to exceed 1/8 inch dia. was a hole marking the cg of the ball that was in the ABC rule book about 2002 time frame. If that's not legal anymore I've got three balls that are illegal until I get that one plugged. Could it be considered a balance hole though?
 

BTW I know a lady that does have a grip hole for each finger and vent holes for each (No balance hole though

Thanks For the update I would have never read it.

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