A question for you all

[jockey]

I agree with the comments above.
By the way with all the technology around and all these easy 300 games being bowled, the centre at Taree has NEVER had a 300 bowled EVER. I invite the people here that say you just roll up and bowl and hey presto 300 to come and have a crack at it.

That comment usually refers to centres that have deliberately created a very easy walled shot: Keon Park and Boronia in Melbourne are two. Without knowing the actual setup at Taree I can't give an answer as to why there hasn't been a 300 thrown there yet.

 

[willey]

Troysa and Terry, the lanes do not wear-out in the Backends it is always the Heads that wear first, it's the sliding motion that will create the most wear. Even with Urethane or Laquer Coatings you could get away without Re-Coating the Backend in the past.

willey

 

[Troyza]

I know backends don't wear, but I've been lead to believe that mid-lanes do wear as well if there isn't enough oil. Or is that just a myth?

 

[bon316]

The solution really isnt all that complicated or expensive. Just restrict bowlers to 2 bowling balls for a league (house shot) and 3 bowling balls for a tournament (sports conditions). Brings it back to a more even playing field, ie individual skills will become more important then the ability to "buy" and bring countless balls. It may also force the ball companies to develop better all round balls

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Dave,

May be that is the options, ball number restriction. I believe the change needs to be something that does not cost the centres to implement.

That then comes down to each tournament nominating an oil pattern and nominating the number of balls allowed. It would reduce the cost for the bowler as well.

Bigger issue would be having a governing body manage the numbers of balls for each bowler.

Heck bowlers may even start to maintain their kit in the future.

 

[jockey]

The solution really isnt all that complicated or expensive. Just restrict bowlers to 2 bowling balls for a league (house shot) and 3 bowling balls for a tournament (sports conditions). Brings it back to a more even playing field, ie individual skills will become more important then the ability to "buy" and bring countless balls. It may also force the ball companies to develop better all round balls

I would expand upon your suggestions as follows:

1. All bowlers are allowed to use a maximum of two balls on a THS league. One of the balls must have a plastic or urethane surface. Note this restriction also applies to the practice play component of the league.
2. In the event of one of the two balls being damaged during THS league play the ball can be replaced providing it is of the same surface of the original ball. In order to be classed as damaged the ball must sustain an indentation to the surface on the ball track or cracked finger / thumb holes. Note: Damage to surfaces not part of the original ball such as inserts do not warrant a ball replacement (Duty of care falls on the bowler).
3. All bowlers are allowed to use a maximum of three balls on a Sports pattern, if that pattern is listed on the allowable sports patterns on the TBA website. If the pattern does not appear on the TBA website then it will be classed as a THS and the two ball restriction will apply. One of the balls must have a plastic or urethane surface. Note this restriction also applies to the practice play component of the Sports league.
4. In the event of one of the two balls being damaged during Sports league play the ball can be replaced providing it is of the same surface of the original ball. In order to be classed as damaged the ball must sustain an indentation to the surface on the ball track or cracked finger / thumb holes. Note: Damage to surfaces not part of the original ball such as inserts do not warrant a ball replacement (Duty of care falls on the bowler).
5. All bowlers are allowed to use a maximum of three balls in a TBA sanctioned Tournament. One of the balls must have a plastic or urethane surface. TBA will only sanction tournaments that will lay down a sports pattern listed on the TBA website. If the pattern does not appear on the TBA website then the tournament is not sanctioned and it will be classed as a THS tournament and the two ball restriction will apply. Note the ball restrictions also apply to the practice play component of the tournament.
6. In the event of one of the three balls (Sanctioned) / two balls (unsantioned) being damaged during Tournament play the ball can be replaced providing it is of the same surface of the original ball. In order to be classed as damaged the ball must sustain an indentation to the surface on the ball track or cracked finger / thumb holes. Note: Damage to surfaces not part of the original ball such as inserts do not warrant a ball replacement (Duty of care falls on the bowler).
7. All non sanctioned tournaments will adhere to the THS 2 ball restriction rule outlined in 1 above.

There is a need to determine who will police the above in order that all bowlers and centres adhere to the restrictions. It would need the good faith of the centres to apply the rules to events they choose not to sanction. We also will need to see a visible presence of TBA officials to show that they are checking that the rules are being adhered to. One way is to not recognize honor scores for bowlers who bowl in a league which chooses to flout these rules.

I see a number of benefits from implementing the above policy:
1. Bowlers will be able to compete a little better with those bowlers who have ball contracts.
2. Bowlers will need to practice on TBA listed sports patterns to ensure they know what balls to take to the event.
3. This will put some respectability back into honor scores and also put the emphasis back onto the bowler to develop their skills in the game.
4. Re-enforce the importance that sparing has in this game by the means of the one plastic / urethane ball surface rule.
5. Reduce the problem usually experienced at league or tournaments these days of the ridiculous number of balls in or around the playing or concourse area.

 

[bon316]

Hi Terry
Its nice to see a couple of people actually agree with me about this. I reckon though that the true strength of this proposal is in its simplicity - just 2 balls for league and 3 for tournaments. I would actually suggest not announcing the pattern. That was one of the things I loved about going bowling in different centres - I just didnt know what to expect and then it was up to me to try and make my stuff work. It also meant that the locals had an advantage in their own tournaments.

 

[BigDaz]

I've shot 12, 13 and 15 in a row (over 2 games) at Taree, in the last year, With no 300. So its doable but difficult. The lane surfaces from lane 1-12 all play different, and once you get around that (i have each lane memorzied) u have to fight the inconsistancies. Being old/very worn out wood lanes they dont hold their oil.
If i hit my mark 6-7 times in a row on the dot, that line is no longer any good BUT every now and then that line might hold so i might make a move inside when i dont need to, or vice versa i dont move and cut in for the 6-7-10. So generally I have to shift a board or 2 inside 4 times a night. And thats not an exaggeration.
Also add the pins are old and im certain theres atleast 1-2 in each set that are buggered, sound dead on any impact and the pinspotters dont always align the pins straight, making carry a whole other adventure.

Like Dad said, come up/down and have a crack haha

 

[HOLDY]

Fina did it in swimming ( reversed the technology by banning the swim suits ) but I can't see it being done in the bowling industry. I personally believe that the one thing that can "control" the amount of high games is the oil patterns.
I have been around in the bowling industry for at least 20yrs, both working and bowling and the one thing I've heard the most is bowlers whinging about the lane conditions. This comes from the average Joe and from some of Australia's representatives also.
It still takes some amount of skill to bowl a 300 game, yes sometimes you can have a shot 10 boards wide, but there are also the times when you hit the pocket and leave a cold 10pin or even an 8 or 9pin, so it evens itself out.
There will always be the elite bowler who would always bowl well on any condition but that just means that they can ADJUST better than most.
I like seeing high games. As do most bowlers and spectators. People would rather go to watch a tournament and see high games and the top qualifier averaging 230 or 240 than see him averaging 180 or 190.
I've also seen a number or bowlers leave centres at the end of a season because of "bad" lane conditions throughout the year and if bowling centres make it harder for bowlers to score by the above suggestions they would lose their business and we all know they wont let that happen.
So I say embrace the technology and enjoy your high games whether you be the average Joe or the Jason Belmontes of the world.
Holdy

 

[Amanda Cohen]

tf you start tricking up this, that & the other to seperate & only favour the "elite" bowlers from the average bowlers as previously stated, the average leagie be they junior, adult or senior will soon loose interest. Parents wont pay for their kids to do a sport they no longer enioy. Lets face it leagies are the bread & butter of a centers income. Loose too many & what happens? Your local alley will close. Then where do the "elite" bowl?
After all bowling is fun for everyone. Isn't that what the adds say to encourage new bowlers into our sport. I just think that if you tweek it all one way the sport will loose its lifeblood & ultimately it will die. No alleys open means no bowling..........
Thanks for reading.
This Mark, Mandy's Dad.

 

[jimcross]

Making it easy is what makes it worthwhile?

Ah well: times change.

My generation thought that overcoming difficulty was what made things worthwhile.

Never mind, we won't be around all that much longer.

 

[wchester]

tf you start tricking up this, that & the other to seperate & only favour the "elite" bowlers from the average bowlers as previously stated, the average leagie be they junior, adult or senior will soon loose interest. Parents wont pay for their kids to do a sport they no longer enioy. Lets face it leagies are the bread & butter of a centers income. Loose too many & what happens? Your local alley will close. Then where do the "elite" bowl?
After all bowling is fun for everyone. Isn't that what the adds say to encourage new bowlers into our sport. I just think that if you tweek it all one way the sport will loose its lifeblood & ultimately it will die. No alleys open means no bowling..........
Thanks for reading.
This Mark, Mandy's Dad.

The above statement in indicative of what's wrong with our sport today. it's gotten to the point where the younger bowler has been given so much in terms of scoring (ie. resin equipment and synthetic lanes with Kegel type oiling machines) that they no longer believe that there should be a learning curve. Improving your bowling skills through practice and knowledge is the challenge that we've lost.

Make the game what it used to be and bowlers won't quit..they'll strive to become better. The only problem is that you have to have every proprietor and centre manager on board in order to do this..otherwise the crybabies will simply gravitate to the "easy centre"

 

[Geoff300]

Fina did it in swimming ( reversed the technology by banning the swim suits ) but I can't see it being done in the bowling industry. I personally believe that the one thing that can "control" the amount of high games is the oil patterns.
I have been around in the bowling industry for at least 20yrs, both working and bowling and the one thing I've heard the most is bowlers whinging about the lane conditions. This comes from the average Joe and from some of Australia's representatives also.
It still takes some amount of skill to bowl a 300 game, yes sometimes you can have a shot 10 boards wide, but there are also the times when you hit the pocket and leave a cold 10pin or even an 8 or 9pin, so it evens itself out.
There will always be the elite bowler who would always bowl well on any condition but that just means that they can ADJUST better than most.
I like seeing high games. As do most bowlers and spectators. People would rather go to watch a tournament and see high games and the top qualifier averaging 230 or 240 than see him averaging 180 or 190.
I've also seen a number or bowlers leave centres at the end of a season because of "bad" lane conditions throughout the year and if bowling centres make it harder for bowlers to score by the above suggestions they would lose their business and we all know they wont let that happen.
So I say embrace the technology and enjoy your high games whether you be the average Joe or the Jason Belmontes of the world.
Holdy

The problem with this theory is that today league bowlers
can and do average 220, they shouldnt but they do
Therefore why go watch tourn bowlers do the same thing

We really should have league averages mostly of 180 & 190
because that is as good as most of then are, not 220
The absolute reality is we have very, very few people in Aust
who can average 220
People get to average 220 due to EASY lane conditions

Also there is a big difference between "Bad" lane conditions
and a bit more difficult Oil pattern that makes you think
and hit a target of 2 boards

 

[Troyza]

I'm impartial to which direction this sport takes - we're all going to be on the same playing field in the end.

As for the generation comment (& I'm not meaning to insult anyone when I say this, sorry Jim) perhaps todays generation are smart enough to use minimal effort to achieve results - it's called being efficient, & it's an instinctual reaction. It's not being lazy. Sadly, people are correct, it is not for the good of the sport.

I bet I can tell everyone here right now, no matter what generation you're from, whether it be today, or 50 years ago. You get given a lane with close to no oil on it, & you will grab a plastic ball to make it easier for your self. I bet I can also say that every person in this thread who has made a comment about the integrity of the sport today, bowls wiht a reactive ball in league. If you're after the challenge, use a plastic for league. If you can average 200 with a plastic ball in league, then theres your sense of accomplishment.

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Ashley,

Quick one. Would you put a straight Urethane ball in the same bracket as a plastic ball. That being distinctly not particle or reactive resin?

 

[RobbieB]

I'm impartial to which direction this sport takes - we're all going to be on the same playing field in the end.

As for the generation comment (& I'm not meaning to insult anyone when I say this, sorry Jim) perhaps todays generation are smart enough to use minimal effort to achieve results - it's called being efficient, & it's an instinctual reaction. It's not being lazy. Sadly, people are correct, it is not for the good of the sport..

The problem with that is that the results are misleading.

I bet I can tell everyone here right now, no matter what generation you're from, whether it be today, or 50 years ago. You get given a lane with close to no oil on it, & you will grab a plastic ball to make it easier for your self. I bet I can also say that every person in this thread who has made a comment about the integrity of the sport today, bowls wiht a reactive ball in league. If you're after the challenge, use a plastic for league. If you can average 200 with a plastic ball in league, then theres your sense of accomplishment.

It's not a matter of being 'after the challenge'. For me, Nationals brought home just how inconsistent my release had become - and this is on our house pattern which is not as easy as most. When I was bowling in Brissy, I used plastic for leagues and resin (and plastic lol) in tourneys - since Nats I have been bowling one league a week and a couple practise games with a slate u-dot. Since starting to do that, I am averaging over 230 in the other two leagues - normally about 210ish - going from urethane to resin makes the house shot unmissable.
The most noticable thing is noy just the area that the resin balls generate, but the carry off of poor shots. I have never left so many 5-10 and 5-7's in my life as with the slatey, whereas the same shots with resin either carry or leave raps. The feedback from the hard case, for me, is invaluable.

The problem is, people don't get to realise just how bad they are until they hit a fair shot in a tourney, then most have a spew about how much the lanes suck, reverse block etc when the real problem is that their skills are not up to par in the first place, and they have no way of knowing it. That is not going to change - the problem the sport has is fundamentally not to do with the balls or lane conditions, it is one of education and a complete lack of knowledge by even most high average bowlers of the effects of oil patterns on scoring. I think there are a lot of 200+ average house bowlers who don't bowl in tournaments because of the fear of finding out where they are really at - maybe if there was a grading/rating system for centres in place to rank centres on a 'par' score it might help with the perception of tournament scores and the skill levels of our elite bowlers.

Maybe aseries of articles in the TBA newsletter could focus on the differences in tmnt vs house shots, both on how to play them and the expected results, and major tourneys could have a poster up explaining the difference between the tourney pattern and the THS. Education is the key - bowling unfortunately has a combination of one of the most technical sports in existence with the worst basic level of knowledge of any sport, IMHO.

 

[jimcross]

bet I can also say that every person in this thread who has made a comment about the integrity of the sport today, bowls wiht a reactive ball in league. If you're after the challenge, use a plastic for league. If you can average 200 with a plastic ball in league, then theres your sense of accomplishment.

Years ago, I was bowling in a tourney in Brisbane - don't remember what it was - and I was going through a bad patch, and couldn't work out what I was doing. I was talking to Terry Sheehan, and he said. Bowl your leagues with your plastic spare ball. When you're bowling 200s , then you've found your problem.
I did - no, didn't average 200, but when I bowled 1 or 2 every league night, I had indeed fixed my problem.

I've done it a couple more times over time. Always works, but I do have an unfair advantage, I expect to hit my board target when I bowl (No, not 2 boards - One!) If I don't do that I'm not expecting a good result !! You mean that I should??

 

[RobbieB]

Ken Sheehan or Terry Wenban?

 

[jimcross]

Sorry, Ken.

Don't know where the 'Terry' came from.

 

[mickyd213]

You could only recognise honor scores bowled on lower ratio patterns... Let's say 5 or 6:1 Our house pattern is currently 7:1 and seems quite fair for all.
The problem with easy house shots is that with the higher averages we are seeing, some of these bowlers don't want to bruise their egos by bowling on lower ratio patterns.