What constitutes a "tough" condition

[yurac]

Conversation came up the other night whilst disccussing a lane condition to be laid down for a tournament.
What defines a tough condition????
Is it long oil.....45ft no buff
45ft buff to 48ft
25ft buff to 32ft
etc,etc,etc
The disccussion was amongst bowlers who move the ball a distance and bowlers who prefer the down and in shot with minimum movement.
Bowlers who move the ball a good amount stated a good bowler should be to adjust their release, slow down etc to make the ball move on a heavy oil......from the other side, bowlers who prefer the down and in shot with minimum movement....a good bowler should be able to back off the shot etc and adjust to the minimum oil.
Seems to me most people have the perception that a tough condition is centered around the heavy oil condition rather than the minimum oil or dry condition
My thoughts (if worth anything) a tough condition is anything that takes the bowler right away from their comfort zone.
We discussed this for most of the night with no real result, only that (as I said earlier) more oil seems to be the answer to defining a tough condition
Wondering what other peoples thoughts maybe??????

Cheers
Colin

 

[tonx]

A tough condition is generally written as a low ratio.

The ratio of the quantity of oil on the inside boards compared to the outside boards.

a 15-1 ratio is a very very easy shot to hit pocket on. When the ball is missed to the left (right hander), it will ride the heavier oil into the pocket, and when the ball is missed to the right it will encounter extra friction and hook more to get back to pocket.

"Tough shots" are where there is a low ratio of oil inside to outside. What is generally regarded as the toughest modern day condition in the world is the pattern they run at the PBA event, the US OPEN. The pattern is written 1-1 ratio down 40ft. On Fresh, it's not uncommon to see the best bowlers in the world average 170-180, and its only when it starts to break down a little is when bowlers start seeing high scores.

Because lower ratio oil patterns have more oil outside than the normal house shot, the ball doesn't hook as much in the middle part of the lane. This can sometimes be perceived as HEAVY oil, making your observations very valid. The bowler has to produce his or her own hook and angle in the backend to score well on these shots.

With modern gear and different types of patterns bowlers can score very high on all different ratios as long as they take the time to learn how to execute the shot. What a lower ratio does is make people execute, instead of just hurling the ball down the lane.

Also, smart techs can create high scoring conditions with lower ratios left to right, by controlling the length, preffered area to play and taper front to back, but again, the bowler needs to be able to make good (not great) shots to score high.

These examples are based on things we can create with modern day oiling machines. If you want a tough condition, just go to a poorly maintained wood lane centre that rarely oils, has no lacquer left, has inconsistent approach speed and pinsetters that break down every 5 minutes. Try averaging 200 on that crap and see how you go

hope this helps!

 

[gaz030781]

I feel that a tough condition is one which breaks down quickly. It means bowlers who can move a ball especially are found adjusting every second shot to keep in touch with the condition. Not just big shot bowlers either.

A lane which has no area isn't a particuarly easy lane either but if it holds up ok at least you can line up and adjust occasionally.

 

[Brenton_Davy]

Have to agree with most of what Tonx posted. The ratio however is only part of the equation, you have to also look at the type of oil used, ie, high or low viscosity, how fast it carries down, breaks down etc.

Another factor is the lane surface itself. You could have the easiset scoring pattern on the planet, but if the lane surface is in such bad condition that it can't hold up the pattern, then scoring will be difficult. furthermore the surface can be good but the topography might be such that scoring is difficult.

Having had 1st hand experience of the US Open condition, I found it to be probably the purest of patterns as it afforded everyone exactly the same amount of area (about 2 boards at 45 feet) and rewarded top execution. The toughest part of the condition was that it was totally unforgiving of the slightest flaw in that execution. As there was only 6 games per squad, there wasn't really enough break down of the pattern to allow really big scores, although this years edition did have one squad per day that was broken down that allowed for some slightly higher scoring. I comes down to playing the percentages and finding the easiest and most direct route to the pocket.

From a personal point of view, the toughest lane conditions are those where the heads are toasted but there is a lot of carry down. Get the ball past the heads and there is no recovery or the ball hooks off your hand. Nasty.

 

[quocken]

i agree with that which tonx has said
if you miss to the left of your mark it holds the ball and to the right you get more turnto bring it back whihc gives you a bigger window for error.

i also agree with If you want a tough condition, just go to a poorly maintained wood lane centre that rarely oils, has no lacquer left, has inconsistent approach speed and pinsetters that break down every 5 minutes. Try averaging 200 on that crap and see how you go
100%

 

[twenban]

I always looked at a tough condition as being where you had to be accurate to score at, ie a Sports type condition.

The oiling pattern across the lane is more important than down assuming we are not talking ridiculous short or long or dead lane surfaces.

 

[((( Hinton )))]

These examples are based on things we can create with modern day oiling machines. If you want a tough condition, just go to a poorly maintained wood lane centre that rarely oils, has no lacquer left, has inconsistent approach speed and pinsetters that break down every 5 minutes. Try averaging 200 on that crap and see how you go
hope this helps!

are you describing horshams lanes? haha sounds jsut about right!

 

[BELMO]

From a personal point of view, the toughest lane conditions are those where the heads are toasted but there is a lot of carry down. Get the ball past the heads and there is no recovery or the ball hooks off your hand. Nasty.

So basically almost every pattern us 'righties' have to play
Lucky you were born a lefty

On a serious note.......The US OPEN pattern is regarded the worlds toughest, but i have bowled on some stuff in asia that would have to be on par with it.

Colin, you really answered your own question.....take someone out of their comfort zone and that condition then becomes tough 'to them'.
For me, lane patterns should have enough volume in them to make players use touch, speed control and accuracy to get to the pocket.
As for what length a pattern should be...... i love seeing all kinds of distances, not every bowl in the world is the same, so why should the patterns be....

belmo

 

[Amf Facilities]

It is acutally a combination of 4 or 5 factors
1.Lane surface and Condition
2.Lane topography
3.where the transition is and how long it is ie. Starts 32 feet ends 41
4.Type of conditioner applied and volume
5.Pattern ratio @ 20 board - 15 , 20 board - 12, 20 Board - 10 , 20 Board - 8
20 Board - 6 ,

In that order

To answer the last part of the question
High volume patterns ie. over 25mls and low volume patterns ie. under18 mls
are just as tough as each other as they both take almost all bowlers out of their speed range

 

[jason_doust]

All good feedback. As we can see, there's a kazillion variable interactions. I'll just expand on one facet; surface.

Many houses are playing on worn out synthetic panels that have been oiled up as house blocks with very little conditioner laid outside 10 board for years on end. Today's balls have so much friction, they create enough heat momentarily to eventually glaze that dry surface over the years and you get a very smooth surface compared to the middle of the lane. Especially on softer synthetics like HPL.

So guess what happens when you lay some oil on that smooth surface? Yep, it's like ice. I've lost count of hown many events I've been to since returning to bowling that have published a pattern showing less oil outside that played as reverse blocks. It's those places I'd personally rank among the toughest.

It's also the reason I am in favour of house shots becoming more honest than they currently are. To protect the lanes for everyone - league bowlers, tournament players and proprietors in no particluar order because everybody wins eventually.

 

[Easy Tiger]

Tough condition - definition:

"When you're struggling to reach the card and the left hander bowling with you all day is averaging 250, has moved 3 boards all day, and came with one ball".

 

[rambo1]

you all know the answer become a lefty

 

[Baz]

An observation-It seems to me like the tail wagging the dog. Oil was originally put on lanes to protect ball and lane from damage. These days with the evolution of balls oil seems to be king. It dictates what balls to use, how the game is played and how high the scores are.
I don't believe that "tough" conditioning is the correct term. As per my previous post, to turn the "game of bowling" back into the "sport of bowling" we need "challenging" conditions. Challenging does not mean conditions laid down to trick or fool bowlers, but ones that require bowlers to produce good and accurate shot making. Unlike golf where you can see the difficulties that face you on a challenging hole, in bowling you can only see the consequences of your effort and either repeat the shot or make a calculated adjustment. The emphasis needs to be returned to accuracy and consistency.

 

[yurac]

To answer the last part of the question
High volume patterns ie. over 25mls and low volume patterns ie. under18 mls
are just as tough as each other as they both take almost all bowlers out of their speed range

AMF Facilities
This was exactly my argument, wether it be lots of oil or no oil they are both definitions of a tough condition but like I said everyone seems (in the initial conversation) seems to surround their argument around lots of oil
Cheers
Colin

 

[CHIN]

Jesus Colin,

whens the last time you had to bowl on a tough lane condition. We bowl at Woodville remember. Must have been the last time you bowled 690. Didnt make 700. Thats gotta be tough.

 

[sampson1791]

Hmmm tough is were I bowl in Gippsland - past the big hole in the ground nearer to the Lakes System.

 

[yurac]

Rob,

I am finding it "tough" to hold down that average these days

Good luck at Rachuig!!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers
Colin