Part of it is on the customer too.  You'll always have these people coming in that want something now and cheap.  We've tried to get people to let us watch them bowl, but they never seem to have the time for it.  With league bowlers, we can always go watch them at least.  Phatdon pretty much nailed it.  You ALWAYS have to doublecheck just to make sure.  I'll sit there and fiddle with the ball and the press for as long as I need to so I can hit the lines to my satisfaction.  Not to argue or anything, but I think people get a little too technical sometimes.  Unless you can split boards, I don't think a half inch shift on a weighthole is gonna make much difference.  A good driller can pretty much eyeball just about anything.  Now if you want him to check, he should check, no questions asked.  However, you can pretty much look at the track on any ball and get a near perfect idea on how to drill it.  I hope that doesn't make me sound ignorant or lazy, but most of the people I drill for don't know what a PAP is, could care less, and just trust I know what I'm doing in any event.  They tell me what they want the ball to do, I do it, and they're happy.  

I've found I can't always trust charts or specs either.  Just about the only things I look at are RG and coverstock.  Hook potential is kind of a rough gage, but it's still kinda helpful.  Sometimes you have to see a ball in action to know how to adjust a drilling.  I'll drill a ball with a reaction in mind, and most of the time I'll get what I want, but every now and then, a ball doesn't react like the specs say it's supposed to.  Then I can tell for either myself or someone else how to make an adjustment to correct it a little.  I'm rambling now . .
--------------------
Hey, I am NOT Michael Jackson.  I like little GIRLS, not little boys . .

Rock on kitty.

You just very simply brought up the best point from any angle.  I've struggled with ball fit for the last year and a half, and now that I found what was wrong with it, you wouldn't believe what a difference it makes.  It got to the point where it messed up my hand.  Again, good point.
--------------------
Hey, I am NOT Michael Jackson.  I like little GIRLS, not little boys . .

Rock on kitty.

All of you guys are probably right in the sense that I should pursue another ball driller. However, I dont know of any good drillers in the area. I may be willing to travel if I have to but would rather not.
--------------------
I just close my eyes and throw the ball

A ball driller has to be a psychic. Read bowler's minds, have a good sense of humor, and have dull teeth (so his/her tongue doesn't bleed, for all the times they have to bite their tongue).

Seriously, I think pitches are one of the most relevant part of a good drilling. If your span is to long, you are in trouble, if it's short, you can at least put a few pieces of tape in the front of the thumb to lengthen the span. If your pitches are wrong, you can end up with ligament and joint damage.

My driller, after 15 years of drilling for me, and bowling with me, knows my game pretty well. I normally will give him a general idea of the layout I want, TW, pin, etc. He will either agree, or tell me why it won't work with my game. He puts the holes in the ball, I put the grips in and fine-tune the ball at home.

I respect my driller's knowledge, and treat him like the professional he is. If I didn't, I'd go elsewhere.
--------------------
Duke Harding