after reading about the USBC suggestions I checked all my equipment and the CG is in the palm of all of my stuff.  I don't have anything with a balance hole in my bag.  I throw an x-factor, an x-factor reloaded and mostly a barbed wire.  all drilled the same, pin above ring finger, CG in the palm and on the x-factors, RAD just right of the thumbhole.  barbed wire is what I throw mostly and carried 240 for the last month.  you are right you must stay more accurate and it seems to me that you need to stay behind that ball a little more as opposed to trying to rip the cover off the ball.  I finished the year at 225 without anything special in my bag and am planning on replacing my arsenal at the end of the summer after USBC makes up their mind.  I don't see why everyone is getting all bent out of shape over their new rules.  I think it would level out the playing field.  There are too many 200-210 bowlers out their that have purchased their averages as opposed to working for them.  With all the super hook monsters and exotic coverstock and special drilling patterns out there, it is too easy to get a ball that will hook 20 boards on a THS and give everyone 3-8 board area in which to throw the ball.  Most average house bowlers go out and get an expensive piece that was meant for heavily oiled sport shot and bring it to the THS and cover the entire right side of the lane and think they are rev masters.  You'll see a lot of these guys throw a 258 followed by a 158 because they don't know how to bowl.  new rules will force people to learn to bowl and make it a better more respected sport.  it will place the emphasis on shot makeing as opposed to picking the correct rock standing left and throwing right.  Adding a couple of units of oil on the THS or more oil outside would help too as would longer patterns.  There are a LOT of things that USBC could do and they seem to be going about this the right way.  They are haveing meetings with reps from ball manufacturers to get their input.  Let's wait and see what happens though before we all go chuck equipment into the dumptster and give up on the sport because we can't drill a ball to hook 30 boards.  I'm sure that a few people will quit the sport if the changes go into effect, but the sport will also attract new competitors with a newfound respect for the game so it will be a wash.  I'm looking forward to it, but let's wait and see what happens....

Here is the thing, though.  If you get a ball drilled before 1/1/06, you can still use that ball until 1/1/08.  How many bowlers keep using balls for that long anyways for one?  Secondly, who is to say that something comes along and the rules are changed all over again before 1/1/08?  I would not just stop making ball purchases over this proposal just because most of your competitive bowlers only keep a ball for a year or so anyway and then get rid of that and purchase something else.  Think of it this way........go ahead and buy what you want to use instead of what USBC wants you to use, because you get to continue using the ball(s) for 2 more years anyway.  By that time, those balls purchased now are old news and by 2008, if this proposal does go into affect, ball companies and pro shop personnel will work together to make the best of the situation and find a way to give bowlers what they need under the new specs set forth by USBC.  Afetr all, it is just a proposal for now.  No need to get rattled just yet.  Just continue with what you are doing.
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Steven Vance
Atlanta (Buford), GA
Pro Shop Operator
Advanced Bowling Solutions

If anyone out there is worried about the scores being too high, try duckpin!!

I wonder if this means that they will be checking to see if the marked CG on the ball is the true cg, then stamping it with the USBC seal , then sending it out to the proshops.

One other note, Storm recommends not drilling a ball with a marked mass bias any closer than 2" to the track as drilling the mass bias closer than 2" will not yeild consistant ball reactions. It will be pretty hard to keep within the rules and drill a High End Storm ball unless the mass bias is shifted from in line with the cg and pin.