i'll look forward to seeing you mike. fast lane bowling center is a nice place---it's not even 3 years old. very modern and clean. see you saturday !

Yep, I met Greg Hoppe and another guy, directdrill, who drove over from St. Louis to see me about some grip issues.

Greg is super nice, loves bowling, has many questions.  I love answering questions for people with a real passion for the sport, and that is Greg.  I hope I helped you buddy!

Greg had a nice look the first couple games of his block on "B" squad.  He was right up 3-4 board, and the surface on his ball took away the over/under reaction.  With his lower rev rate, he was playing the lanes just right.

By the time his second game was done, he was about +50 and I was done with my fitting work with directdrill.  I was tired and hungry, so I left at that time, hoping that my +101 would make it.  I ate and took a nap, and was shocked to see that Greg did not cash.  When we talked on Sunday, he did everything that I would have thought he should have done adjustment wise to a "T".  The lanes for B squad must have broken down differently than they did for us on A squad.  What he described to me, is not what I saw.

I crossed with Pete Weber and tournament leader Dave Traber.  Now there is two contrasting styles.  Pete slow wheeled the ball to the gutter, and Dave powered it of the scorch on the edge, but both were very effective.  I play the lanes a little more similar to Pete, right of him a little because I had chosen a weaker ball.

I cashed as the cut was +92.  I am having some issues with timing and/or feel.  I pretty much threw the ball consistently crappy, but in the right place on the lanes.  It just doesn't feel good to bowl right now.  Not necessarily pain, my knee and lower left back hurt most of the time, just doesn't feel crisp, good flow, feels like I haven't bowled in 6 months even though I am bowling most every day.  I would have to look, but I don't know if I have felt sharp or right since the Tour Trials at the end of May.

Fast Lane is a very nice bowl.  Good food, clean, people were great, they liked it that I was listed as being from Houston, even though I'm in OK City now.  I told them "Shoot yeah!  I heard about y'all, I drove all the way up here!!"  LOL.  I know I missed two, but maybe three spares in my 13 games, which is good for me.  Carry was very tough, lots of single pins, and when I didn't hit the pocket, which wasn't often, but when I didn't it was usually bad, lots of splits.  Half pocket seemed the place to be, so I was lined up light if anything, 10 pins are better than Big 4's.

Glad I got to go, glad I got to talk to Greg, directdrill was very nice, talked to him a long while, he is a sponge too, many questions, that was great.  Ended up talking to two more pro shop guys, who overheard me talking to directdrill, and a new regional player, Jim Mitts, asked me to fit him also, he is having some grip issues after taking about 10 years off from bowling.

Sorry for the ramble, will have more details in my blog!!

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Driller to many "Stars" and Tony Melendez too!

COMING SOON!!!  www.mikeaustinbowling.com
CHECK OUT MY BLOGS!  www.myspace.com/strikes4days

thanks for the compliment tonybowls----but at the risk of sounding like a bragger i'm still upset i missed them. the approaches were very good for being synthetic, usually they're tacky in the summer. the only time i stuck during the 8 game block was on those three spares. call it bad luck call it payback for tripping too many 4 pins, etc. and by spares i mean just that----spares, not splits. i left the washout twice and made it both times. i failed to make the 3-10 split and also failed to make the 5-7( headpin hit both and neither fell !!! ).

i firmly believe the key to better bowling is to improve your spare shooting. as strange as this sounds in this "strikefest" we compete in, when you bowl on a tougher pattern good spare shooting is a must.

Edited on 7/16/2007 8:10 PM