As some of you may know, I have missed much of the last 5-6 years of bowling with assorted injuries, and I took last season off altogether to try to let my body heal as much as possibly without me jumping back into the competitive fray.

When this season started, I was determined to buy just one ball; I wanted to see if I could make it through a season healthy before spending money on anything more than just one. So for this season, I have used only an Onyx Vibe, plus a Storm Jolt pearl that I had from a couple seasons ago.

Well, yesterday I went and bought a Jigsaw Corner, and had it drilled up as I was bowling my Friday night league (probably not smart, but I've done it a few times before in the past). So my driller comes and gets me when he's almost done, to check the fit; everything is cool. Pay for the ball, and after league, grab a lane to try it out...

Well, the ball that I expected to be flying across the lanes on a burnt out condition, in fact barely moved at all. It was going dead straight unless I slowed it way down, at which point it would make the slightest of turns on the backend, and hit the pics like a marshmallow.

After a few games, I was able to play with speed and release enough to get it to move a little bit, but hardly anything close to advertised for this ball. The one thing I noticed (and this is why it may have been foolish to have something drilled up while I'm in league) was that the drilling was totally different from what I normally get. Normally my pin location is pin up and a little to the right of the ring finger; the drilling on the jigsaw corner has the pin down, just below the fingers. Stupidly, I didn't notice this when the driller was checking my fit.

So, I'm not the most knowledgeable by any means when it comes to drillings. but could it be that the pin down position was causing the ball to roll out so early on those burnt out lanes that it seemed like it was doing nothing as it traveled downlane?

For the record, I am speed-dominant, low-to-medium revs, down and in type bowler...
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Wise men speak because they have something to say Fools because they have to say something.

first off that ball comes at 500 then 4000 grit. this, in my opinion, makes the ball read earlier while still being able to clear the heads. BUT for some may never match up to that surface OR will not have enough oil to let the ball store energy.

second, pin down is going to make the ball roll up a little quicker, but whats equally if not more important is where the mass bias has been placed. if its placed in a strong position for you it can cause the ball to go into a forward roll too soon.


lots of variables here.

if it was me I would change the surface of the ball. hit it with 2000 then 4000 grit should do the trick as this is what I had to do to balls that come 500/4000 because I seem to get hook in the fronts then little to no backend. changing to a smoother but not polished surface seems to get the ball to behave for me.

don't give up, it may just take some tweaking to get it to match up to you.