After having not thrown anything Track since 1999 or so, I started experimenting with some Track stuff earlier this year.

My first piece was a Machine, and I loved it. Definitely was my "ball of the year" and I tried out a bunch of different balls this year. Then, I won the Mean Machine off the Ball-A-Day Giveaway. If the Machine was #1, the Mean Machine was #1A for me. Just a couple of weeks back, I got a Solution Power Plus EX, and I love it, as well.

But mixed in there was my problem child, an Arsenal Angular. It's been sitting lonesomely at home while the others go to league. I got virtually no reaction of the ball, no hit, no carry, nothing. It was a great-looking ball that performed like crap.

For starters, the ball came drilled already and was an X-out for low top weight (about 1.5 oz.). Then, the drilling that was on it put the pin less than 3" from my PAP, to the right and down of the ring. I figured the issue was probably with the drilling and I wanted to give this ball another chance before selling it.

So I took it to my pro shop today to get the ball plugged. My driller's last day, though, is Friday, and either because he didn't feel he'd still be at the shop to redrill the ball for me or he was too swamped, we decided to do something besides a redrill.

I now have an X-hole about a half-inch past and a half-inch down from my PAP. We also changed the surface from 1000 Abralon with polish to 2000 Abralon and no polish.

The changes worked. The ball still isn't as flippy as a ball named "Arsenal Angular" might suggest it should be, but I was able to play a power arc (my favorite style, anyway) with a great midlane read -- and most importantly, IT SCORES NOW.

Previously, on pocket hits, I wasn't just getting tapped, I was leaving stuff like the 9-10, or the full bucket, just real weird leaves. The ball was never getting into a roll at all. Now, the ball is rolling very heavily. The X-out hole in the ball now was put there to increase flare and it's done the trick.

It'll be in the bag tomorrow when I go to league. I'm glad I didn't give up on the ball.

Jess