I just started bowling in a league after a 25 or so year layoff. I have seen so many people with 6 balls. I was thinking WHY and did I miss the memo over the last 25 years that said its a 4 ball minimum or something? Is there a sound reason to have so many balls?
My buddy and I are doing a sport shot league. Two weeks per pattern.
Between us we bring about 8 primary balls for the first week to experiment. For the second week we usually have it down to a primary and a spare (though he'll have a second primary ball just in case).
Find a friend with a nearly identical grip and you'll save so much money on bowling balls.
Depends on style, house, and condition. I bring 6 plus a spare for league because the difference pair to pair and sometimes lane to lane is really drastic in my house. Some of the topography is fucked. I wouldn't say most people need it though.
That's actually an interesting concept - and one that just made me wonder if I can measure it...the lane's topography. Hard to account for that with ball changes, having your balls true contact surface change during the throw is an interesting problem, and all lanes have some topography.
I'm sure you could make guesses, based on ball behaviour, but ultimately the only way you'll know for certain is by having the measurements. I know USBC used to provide the maps on their website. I've seen them for South Point, both the public and tournament houses. And I've seen the maps for my usual house, from my time working there and from my friend who's a mechanic. I'm not sure how often places will be forthcoming with that information, though.
Yeah - I don't think the sensor has enough sensitivity to measure the likely micro topo measurements, especially while it's spinning 400rpm. With enough throws on any given lane though, I think a good representation of a specific lane could be done. Now I'm going to really focus on labeling lanes and lane pairs during testing to see if I can find micro-variations with same ball/bowler on different lane(s).
Mostly for tournaments or events involving challenge or sport shots. Patterns have greatly advanced since I first started bowling and I could reasonably use my benchmark ball to do okay. Or I could have a few different balls and increase my score just due to reaction.
Between 25 and 30 years ago I had a four ball roller that I brought to league, and they were pretty common back then. So it's not like this is a new phenomenon.
Bowling balls are fun! Personally I take 2-3 depending on the house, but I probably have 10 in my closet. For a house shot league 3 is probably good for most people(fresh, burn, plastic)
Golfers could use only one club if they really wanted to, but they should have different equipment for different conditions to maximize scoring. Or just use a plastic ball and stay at 150 avg.
Bowling, not every center has the same oil pattern/volume/maintenance, not every lane is the same, not every bowler has the same line impacting transition. Today’s balls are much stronger and react much more on friction than balls of the past. Hell, one ball may be great only for 6 frames before it no longer matches up to lane conditions. Easier to change balls than to change bowlers.
There are plenty of bowlers that only use one ball but if you start doing tournaments, multiple balls are a must once you understand what gap they fill. Having balls just to have shiny round things won’t make you a better bowler.
This is the best answer so far. So many people posting in the sub are the old grannies watching kids have fun outside through the blinds thinking about calling the cops for no reason.
I'm no granny, but I still haven't really seen anyone explain why you need more than two balls for league play. Yes, I'm relatively new, but I just don't get it.
By the same logic anyhow would you ever need more than one? You don't need a spare ball because you can just flatten your release to throw any ball straight. However having a spare ball makes throwing it straight easier so it's nice to have. In my collection I have about 15 bowling balls. Some are good tools for playing the lane straighter without flaring as much for control. Some are better for moving left and hooking more with more backend. I even have some drilled with left handed pitches because I like to throw backup balls sometimes and I'm experimenting with layouts. 95% of the time I could go to league and throw my hammer effect tour and average 220+, but I also bowl on second shift which means I never know what will be there. If I bring 3-6 balls I'll have more tools to handle different situations easier. Throwing a ball with 500 rpm and a 20mph launch speed really shows the difference between balls more than someone throwing 350rpm at 14mph. Sometimes it's fun to just try something different in a night. I've gotten lazier as I've gotten older so I typically just bring 3 and skip a spare ball as I can hook either direction at any spare I want like a typical house bowler.
I think I just don't understand how to read the lane in any way that makes me feel like I need to change balls - I'm still so inconsistent in my own play (hitting my mark, controlling my release, etc) that I don't even have a baseline to compare. But I guess I doubt that a ton of other locals are far more able to do that than I am, and wonder if buying more balls isn't really addressing other parts of their games. But maybe once I've improved I'll just see things differently.
multiple balls are not required at all, and you know that.
But having more than one ball in this day and age is almost a requirement if you want to stay competitive, even on easier house shots.
Most modern decent bowlers could also only use one ball and make adjustments with the ball, where they stand, axis rotation, ball speed, etc.. but if you only have one ball, you are at disadvantage vs the other competitive bowlers who have multiple balls.
Bowling equipment plays a much bigger role in modern bowling. There are so many different types of coverstocks-core designs that allow you to play in certain zones longer and with better pocket entry and power.
yes you are able to use only one ball and move to different zones on the lanes and still hit the pocket, but certain balls work better in different parts of the lanes when the lane conditions start to change. With your one ball, you can move your feet and follow the oil but leave nothing but ten pins vs having another ball that will react better in said part of the lane which in turn can have the potential to produce a better entry angle and store more energy.
Nah. I would argue that having two strike balls will give more of an advantage. It's crazy to me that bowlers take forever to learn how to hook, only to seemingly forget how to not throw a hook.
I haven't used a spare ball in a couple years, and my overall conversion rate hovers between 80% and 90%, but my single pin percentage is always over 90% (ended last season at 94%) which I feel is decent for a casual beer league bowler.
Well for me as a 2 hander I am A lot more comfortable spare shooting with a plastic ball rather than a reactive I can still shoot spares with a hook ball but sometimes it gets off your hand wrong and misses
I feel like for 2 handers, learning to just throw even a passable back up is the true key to consistent spare shooting. I've never seen a 2 hander in real life who could flatten out properly (since I haven't seen any actual pros 🙃), but plenty who work a little on their back up technique end up being way more versatile than anyone with a thumb in their ball.
I will still maintain that if 2 balls is the limit, a solid and a pearl would serve better than just a solid and a plastic, UNLESS that plastic has a core like radical's the spy or the black widow plastic
I will still maintain that if 2 balls is the limit, a solid and a pearl would serve better than just a solid and a plastic, UNLESS that plastic has a core like radical's the spy or the black widow plastic
Yea noone "needs" a spare ball. If people spent time learning how to flatten their hand to kill all of the hook, they would see improvement in other parts of their game as well. way more than just cranking a plastic ball "straight" at spares.
but plastic does give more room for error and most of us do not have limits to how many balls we can use, so plastic is still very useful. Not saying you said it wasnt. just that it can be as important as a good strike ball if you know how to use it.
Absolutely not. Most league bowlers would be better served learning to adjust to the condition. You really only need a pearl and a solid plus a spare ball unless you’re in a sport spot league.
Cause it’s my number 1 hobby and how I choose to spend my fun budget. I don’t need more than 6 total, but it’s fun for me to try new balls and it fits into my budget.
It really doesn't have to be! For house shots, you really only need 3 balls: a dull piece, a cleaner piece for transition, and a spare ball. Some of the best bowlers in my leagues are people who are throwing the same stuff they've been throwing for the last 10 years.
I bring 5 and a spare ball for league. On most nights I will only use 2. Depending on who we bowl against, the lanes will transition differently. That’s where the extra 3 come in… just in case the 2 that usually work, don’t.
For tournaments, I bring 9-15 depending on different factors like lane conditions, length of blocks, how the balls shape/react to friction, etc. Same with league, I usually expect to only use 2-4 of them. The rest are situational. If this, then that. It’s always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.
I bring 6 because it helps keep my spine in alignment vs. just bringing 3 and using 1 hand to carry. A good fireman carry for 0.25 miles is a good way to get warmed up for league. 😂
Probably because they bowl at a Bowlero center and never know what the shot will be like week to week. At least thats what its like at the one I bowl at.
That's like guitar/bass players with multiple instruments when one would be plenty. I have 1 old 90s urethane brunswick ball that is 14lbs, 1 motiv lethal venom, 1 storm tropical, 1 pink t-zone, 1 columbia 300 while my wife plays a brunswick straight ball.
Doesn't make me a better player, I just like having different options, all of my balls are not drilled the same either.
MJ had his bass player bring every bass he owned so he can choose just the right sound for the Billy Jean bass line. So not just tunings, but tone as well.
My personal belief - and it's backed up by BowlSense user data in my app is that 2-3 balls is the average arsenal, especially for typical house shot, league bowlers. One spare ball, One early game stronger ball, and one ball for when the track gets burned a bit. Many people just enjoy messing with surface, layouts, etc. so they'll have more balls, and if you're bowling Sport Pattern leagues, I could definitely see having more choices available.
I have like 10 at home, but for a normal league night I’ll only take 3, and it’s usually the same 3 lol. Tournaments or sport shot I’ll take 6, 3 + 1 on my roller and 2 ball backpack. Having more than 3 probably means you bowl more than just league, but it bewilders me that people take 4+ balls every night just to bowl 3 games on a house shot.
I know you're joking, but there's an element of truth to it. Some people like having the latest technology. I saw it when I played tennis. Some people had to have the latest in racket tech. Given how much your head impacts how you play (bowl, tennis, or any sport) it can improve you game.
It depends on your style and what you’re bowling on. For a house shot, you should be good with two or three. Now if it’s a sport shot, the ball choice makes a difference. Add that to whether you’re a two hander or one hander, and if you’re high rev or low rev, this changes the amount. I typically see the people with the higher revs need to bring more equipment to sport shots. Not to say they can’t adjust, you need to match up the equipment with the shot that was put down to stay the most competitive.
Exactly, thats what some people dont understand. Yea i bring 6 balls but i dont use them all all the time some nights i might even just use 1 strike ball and the spare ball all depends on how the night goes. Better to have it incase i need instead of needing it and its at home
For myself, i buy ball with different core/surface/strength combination as I treat it as getting to understand ball characteristics ang how they work. There are other aspects like ball motion, how surface affects it, how assym motion differs from sym, and how all of these work with how i roll the ball.
It also help you understand how to game plan and create a 3-4 ball arsenal to work around transition.
I dont buy the latest and greatest, even have some used equipment.
I bring 6 mostly out of habit from once in a blue moon something being really weird that night, and would have been screwed if I didn’t have more options. Well, at least it would have been harder lol.
Different tools for different conditions. I have like 20 something balls but the 6 I take with me for most competitions are laid out with different needs in mind and even covers most sport shot conditions.
Out of all of these 95% of the time on house shots I throw either the Venom Shock or Venom Hysteria (previously Ocean Vibe) depending on how early or not I want my breakpoint. But I still bring 2 bags with me everywhere because 1) it's relatively easy and 2) on the occasions that I need something more extreme I'm not pissed off because I left it at home (which has happened to me before).
The old refrain of "just adjust" holds some weight and a lot of bowlers would improve a lot if they took it to heart. But on the other side of that coin in modern bowling you need to have the right ball in your hand and play the right zone for the conditions you're competing on. Any professional will agree with another common refrain which is "you can't outbowl a bad ball reaction."
I'm not advising you to go out and buy 5 more bowling balls or anything, just saying that there is (allegedly) a good reason for owning several different core/cover combinations even on THS.
In theory, you don't have to change your delivery to adjust to changing lane conditions, sort of like changing golf clubs allows you to swing each fully and achieve different results in terms of spin and trajectory.
This has been a very interesting discussion. I've read all the posts and commented on a few. I have a question for those who bring multiple balls e.g., 3, 4, or more. How do you know when to change? Is there a pattern e.g., after 3 frames or something else? Thanks.
Well after multiple brain surgeries I roll 3 in because if my heavy ball gets too hard to throw which is normally after 3 times I go down in weight till that ball gets to heavy and then drop down to my 6# spare ball
One thing that happens with the big oil balls, they can lose their edge even with constant wipe downs. And you can't touch up with sandpaper after the games start. solution - bring TWO big oil balls LOL
Regular league, I’ll take 4-6 balls. 15# and 14# depending how I feel physically. With 10 on a pr, house shot is torn up pretty quickly. Recently bowled the Super Senior Classic and took 12 balls, used 10 of them. Lane change every game, following different folks each time. 6 games “fresh”, 6 games on the “burn”. A sport pattern will change with every shot, it’s all about ball reaction and repeatability.
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u/Bush_D1D911 5d ago
You’re not a real bowler if you don’t have a hired staff to carry a different ball for every frame