Author Topic: balls for nationals (Read 4708 times)

offthesheet · « **on:** February 15, 2012, 10:00:20 AM »

For anyone who has bowled already in Baton Rouge, what balls did you use and what were you successful with?

Any thoughts

Jorge300 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 16, 2012, 09:52:52 AM »

Off,

I understand your reasoning behind this post. But let me offer a few suggestions, if I may:

First, the tournament is barely a week old, the chances of someone who posts here going already are very slim. This is like the annual "When are the checks coming" thread.

Second, and most importantly, the chances of someone posting who throws the ball exactly like you are even less then #1. Just because a ball works for Bowler A does not mean it will work for Bowler B. Different speed, RPM. tilt, between the bowlers can turn a ball that worked great for one bowler into the worst ball choice ever for another. You are better off, working with your pro shop and talking with them about your game and what would work best on this type of pattern. Even better would be if you had a Silver or Gold certified coach near you and have them view your game and offer recommendations on equipment, surface, etc.

I wish you the best of luck in Baton Rouge, I go relatively early myself this year, bowl March 29-30. I plan on taking 2 "hooking" balls, a Defiant and a Nexus Solid to give 2 different motions for team. Then to step down I'll have a Nano Pearl and a Ulti-Max. I haven't decided on my last ball yet, besides a spare ball, debating between a Hy-Road and an Anaconda. I think these will work best for me.

Jorge300

Dave81644 · « **Reply #2 on:** February 16, 2012, 05:00:36 PM »

Ditto what Jorge said

I will taking a little bit of everything

2 - 505t, 1 pin up, 1 pin down

2 - JET, same thing with the pin

1- 715t, pin up

I will practice on it at a few different houses and tweak the covers as needed

Team will most likely be the 505t pin down with some surface or the 715t with a little surface

minors will prob require me to ball down form there

Everybody will be different!

Practice your spares!!!

Use what you are most comfortable with on a medium volume sport pattern

If you aren't sure, you need to practice on one before you go

milorafferty · « **Reply #3 on:** February 16, 2012, 05:19:34 PM »

Back from Baton Rouge

From Bowl.com forum. Link is to the post, but text is posted below.

We found the shot to be exceptionally challenging opening weekend in Baton Rouge.

For comparison: Last year in Reno, I had 1800+ standing 13-15 and throwing a Mission pretty direct up 8-9. Last weekend in BR, in the 6th frame of the first game of team, I had the same ball in my hand, but was standing on 26, and heaving it as far right as I dared, because when it hit the end of the pattern, it was going to break loose. Then it was a trudge back to the bags, along with my teammates, to find the weakest equipment we had packed. For me, that was a Cell Pearl; a great ball, but one I never thought I'd ever throw at Nationals.

It didn't help. Early in the 2nd game there was no need to wipe your ball down anymore; there was no oil coming back. I ended up the set standing on 35, wondering if I had actually been transported to the Petersen by mistake. For this 55-year-old stroker, standing that far left is too much for me. I don't have that much talent.

On our way out of the River Center afterwards, we chatted briefly with one of the guys at the Ebonite booth. When we mentioned the lane conditions, he said, 'Yeah, we bowled a sweeper last week and found the same thing...the ball goes 35 feet and then turns straight left.' So at least that was confirmation that we just hadn't run into a bad pair. This is obviously the way they are going to try to keep the scores down.

It did beg the question, though: If you're standing on 35 at the end of your team shift, how are you going to bowl D/S that follows a team shift? Surprisingly, we didn't have to find out the answer to that, and I don't know if this speaks to the health of the tournament or not. We've bowled 17 years on the opening weekend, and it has always been full, until this year. The opening ceremonies squad was not full (surprise!), and when we came on Sunday to bowl our 5:30 D/S, we found that there had been no afternoon team squad (big surprise!). So we got D/S on the fresh; my partner and I, doubly so, because we were the only pair on the last four lanes. So doubles by ourselves on the fresh and then we flipped to a singles pair that had not been bowled on.

I tried to play with the Cell as far right as I could, but for me, there was out of bounds at 5, and 6-7 just wasn't working, so I ended up inside again. I found a sporatic shot 20 to 13, but I had some operator error going on, so I wasn't able to stay lined up.

So it looks like small cashes in team and singles and a slightly better cash in doubles, thanks to my partner, who can throw it straight as a string when he wants to. I think a Micheal Fagan-type, with lots of speed and loft, might destroy them, but if you lay it short, look out.

Good luck to everyone that follows us! My only suggestion is that you pack at least one ball that you think you can throw straight.

northface28 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 16, 2012, 05:27:17 PM »

Very insightful, sounds like a power players delight.

”Im a really good bowler, ask Ron”

Brian Green · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2012, 02:36:19 PM »

Any insight as to what the left side looked like? I know it's early but I'm trying to gauge how it's playing there vs what I'm seeing at home

"USAbowlersmart.com - only the best Survive"

PBA East region member

milorafferty · « **Reply #6 on:** February 17, 2012, 03:03:04 PM »

I don't, if your asking about the posted report I provided. It wasn't my report as I am scheduled for the Open in June. The pattern is really flat so both sides should play similar this year I suspect.

I actually have trouble believing it will be as dry and hooking as that post says it is. But the guy claim it was for him so it must have been that day.

Brian Green wrote on 2/17/2012 3:36 PM: Any insight as to what the left side looked like? I know it's early but I'm trying to gauge how it's playing there vs what I'm seeing at home

"USAbowlersmart.com - only the best Survive"

PBA East region member

Brian Green · « **Reply #7 on:** February 17, 2012, 07:35:31 PM »

I had a hard time believing they were going to hook a ton. Based on the graph I'm thinking a breakpoint of somewhere between 10-12 will be the starting point playing fairly straight. I watched bowl tv and they didn't have any leftys bowling but the right looked like it was playing with a breakpoint at 10 and the balls were moving pretty good off the dry.

I'm bowling march 7th and 8th. I'm anticipating taking all solid covers surfaced between 500 and 4000 abralon accordingly

"USAbowlersmart.com - only the best Survive"

PBA East region member

sevenpin63 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 17, 2012, 07:53:19 PM »

Milo on what dates are you going to be at the Open, as I will be their in June also.

milorafferty wrote on 2/17/2012 4:03 PM:
I don't, if your asking about the posted report I provided. It wasn't my report as I am scheduled for the Open in June. The pattern is really flat so both sides should play similar this year I suspect.

I actually have trouble believing it will be as dry and hooking as that post says it is. But the guy claim it was for him so it must have been that day.
Brian Green wrote on 2/17/2012 3:36 PM: Any insight as to what the left side looked like? I know it's early but I'm trying to gauge how it's playing there vs what I'm seeing at home

"USAbowlersmart.com - only the best Survive"

PBA East region member

DON'T TEMPT THE BOWLING GODS

Jorge300 · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2012, 12:04:17 AM »

My thoughts on the report Milo posted is this:

1) I do not believe whoever wrote it is a liar and he actually saw the conditions he described.

2) I do not think the shot will be similar on-going. I think this might just be a factor of it being the opening weekend. I think that the backends will tame down a little the more bowling there is on them. We go in the end of March so I think we should see a little bit less then the person described....and those that go in June should see even less. Just my thoughts.

Jorge300