What I hate is not know I can strike when the chips are on the line. I know I can make the best possible shot, and it will probably be a good shot, but whether it strikes is up to the bowling gods.

Lanes are to be conditioned to protect the lanes not to enhance or facilitate a scoring environment....we've forgotten the factor 30 some odd years ago

Rico,

While that is very true, it is, in a great many cases, no longer the situation.

Too many bowling center managers are either not educated in the business of bowling lane maintenance or they are too concerned with the bottom line. In some case, the manager works under both of these "false economies".

I've found this to be true in privately owned houses, in AMF/Bowlmor houses, in Brunswick owned houses and in Nationwide Bowling owned houses. They put so little oil out that it cannot possibly protect the lane surface. I have used freshly polished balls and after one league session, the polish is worn away along the first inch or so of my track. The ball had to be re-polished. That is totally counter-productive, in my eyes. And one of these houses had relatively fresh synthetics that were 2 years old at the time, in case you thought it was an old worn lane surface that was causing this.

I am not saying every house is like this; many are properly oiled. But there are far too many that think they are saving money by stinting on the amount of oil they use.

Charlest not disagreeing...one of the last centers I worked at, the house shot was 100 units in the middle-10 to 10 and 4 units outside...the new synthetics that are supposed to last for 20 yrs lasted abt 5-7 barely...
Less conditioner properly protects the surface...unproperly ruins the surface as you've seen...

My self confidence and determination are why I excel and chess and billiards. I hold high expectations for myself, and I am determined to meet them.

Then you should ALSO recognize that the conditions are the same for everyone and that the better bowlers are able to adopt a mindset that overcomes a lower-scoring condition.  My favorite regionals were actually the ones where you had to scratch and claw to be at par after 12 games...in fact, at High Point one year, -2 LED the tournament after qualifying. 

This whole thread reeks of the 'waaaah...I am not posting monster numbers...these lanes suck' mindset. 

You should be, if you are a stellar performer, want the lanes varied...when I was at my best I bowled at as many different centers as I could so not to get acclimated to any one condition

Bowlers are TOO spoiled...

I bowl tournaments in the various houses in the area, and when we go on road trips, I take a bowling ball with me and bowl in houses near the hotels. I have come up the back of the ball as well as coming around it more. I have gotten the ball down sooner as well as used more loft. I have raised and lowered speed. My best result was 20 mph at the pin deck. Rocket to the pocket.

I have tried literally everything I can think of. When I throw without a thumb one handed, I have an extremely high rev rate. As high of a rev rate as I have ever seen outside of YouTube videos. Still no drive. I am not exaggerating when I say that the shot is stupid. Yes, everyone is playing on it, but honestly, there is no way to play the lanes well. I am one of the top averages because I have one of the best spare games on the league. Except for the night I shot 366 and dropped my average 5 pins in the middle of the season. I chopped almost every spare that night. It was bad, and I wish I knew what I did wrong all night

Video perhaps?