Just arrived back home. Overall, good trip. For those who are still waiting to go, here is my review:
Nationals Shot: We went with 8 righties and 2 lefties. As expected, there was little room for error. Righties played 25-12, 20-15, 20-10 and at times straight up 15,12,10, etc. Lefties were about 30-35 out to 10-12.
Team: Used GP2 20-10 and shot 212 game 1 w/ 1 split. Came back with a whopping 131 with 5 splits (made Greek Church in 10th to salvage this high score!) and flagged a 2 pin. 3rd game switched to a Slash and played straight up 10. Had a good look but no carry. 1 split and end at 177.
D/S: Bowled 9:20 squad and found lanes were actually tighter than Team. Stayed with the same 2 balls in doubles and ended up fishing for the entire set. Shot around 500. Singles moved all the way to the gutter with a Hexplosion and was able to find the hole more consistently but again struggled with carry.
Overall, usual 30 pins under average event for me. 1 of our lefties shot 696 in doubles. Our high man was 1825 for AE.
Casinos: Argosy - ok since most of the bowlers walk over there since it's close. The craps personnel and dealers are clearly 2nd rate (sorry). Rouge - very boring when we went (Tues night). Very little excitement in the room. If you have time, go to Biloxi (2 hrs). We had a blast at the Beau Rivage and there was a lot of enthusiam in the bar. The Tiki bar is now open outside overlooking the ocean and is lively!! (to say the least).
Side Tournaments: BJ/40 framer. Went there 1st after hearing all the neg feedback on the host facility. Sorry, again, but after we bowled BJ doubles, 8/8 guys refused to go back. The shot is playable, carry very poor but it's pot luck on the surface. I won't reiterate what others have said.
BTM : Went there 2nd. The shot is tough but fair. Flat pattern with about the same # of units as the Nationals. Most good scores I saw (and there were few) was inside 15 or straight up the boards 15,12 area. Well run tourney in a very professional house. Say hello to "OldHoop"
Capital City No Tap Doubles: Very fun tourney with a "tournament" shot - what we determined this to be was 2 pairs with a THS and 2 pair with a flatter, heavier pattern. House is moderate but very friendly people. Hard to find the house - it's hidden a bit off Airline Hwy.
Brackets: Unless you are unlucky and draw a few of the heavy hitters left to go, 190's gets you some big $$. I survived 18/20 brackets in team with 212 (of course, lost all of them in the 2nd round) and would have won 8 of them with my 177 final game.
Hope this isn't too long. There's not a lot happenning in Baton Rouge but I guess it's what you make it.
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Just bowl!
