Jake im not a national player but i like to bowl as many regionals as i possibly can and i bowl everything within 200 miles of my house.  I have some balls that i have had for 3 years and i have some that i have only 3 or 4 games on.  Them guys on the national tour probably go through 2 balls a week i would guess.  Im sure they have there favorites that they keep.  Some of the guys on the tour practice as much as they possibly can.  I know for a fact Jeff Carter practices probably up to 60-100 games a week when he was bowling.  I try to practice 2-3 time a week.  I do my own maintence on my stuff that way i know what i have done to all of my equipment.  The guys on tour probably do most of there own ball work also.  Hope this helps with some of your questions.  

Just my opinion
the kidd

Jake.....

a) depends on each individual ball i guess. I have some stuff that is 1-2 years old, but right now the oldest ball that i have in my current arsenal is less than 2 years old. Every once in a while a ball stands the test of time and may stay in the arsenal for several years

b) during the Tour season i practice pretty much every day except for travel day. It doesnt matter how many games you practice, it depends on the quality of your practice sessions and how productive they are. I usually practice on tuesdays, wednesdays, qualifying on thursdays, if i dont make match play i will practice between rounds, pro-ams on saturday and an occasional practice session on sunday if i think i need to. I usually use Mondays for travel. If i come home between stops i usually practice while i'm home also

c) Since we dont use most equipment long enough to actually wear the coverstock out, there isnt much "maintenance" going on. We adjust surfaces regularly, but once we feel the cover is dead we just replace the ball and move on. Since the conditions that we bowl on are so much more demanding, we really need to stay up on keeping the coverstocks fresh ( meaning new )
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Bowl up a Storm,
Jeff Carter
www.stormbowling.com
www.jeffcarterbowling.com
www.myspace.com/jeff1295

Jeff, with this in mind, you practicing so much, how do you condition your hand and arm and etc. from not getting worn out?

I've always wondered how pro's don't get tired out from bowling so many games in a week. I mean lately, I have really worked on getting my span and fit perfect.. And I'm to the point now my hand never hurts..
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http://www.kennyskidmorebowling.com
Stand left, throw it right, and strap it like a trojan!!