UPDATE 9-13-04

Here’s the promised update on the right ball and drilling for dry lanes.
(Read original post below)

I went to my driller and found he couldn’t get the Sonic X Pearl from his distributor.  So I selected the Centaur from Visionary.  After discussing what I wanted to do, my driller checked my PAP and said it was 5 ½ by ¼ up.  (The last ball he drilled for me my PAP was 5 by ¼ up.) To get the pin above the fingers, he said the pin to PAP would need to be 6”.  The Centaur had 3.33 oz of top weight and a pin of 3 inches.  Also if you draw a line from the pin to the MB the CG is about ¼ inch to the right.  With this stacked layout the thumb hole took out the MB locator pin.  I didn’t change the ball surface and of course no extra hole was needed.

I practiced a few games and found the ball very controlled for the dry lanes.  I could stand in the middle of the lanes and throw the second arrow much like what I’m use to.  If I missed inside my mark and got into what little oil was on the lanes I’d leave the 2 - 8.  If I sent the ball wide it would hook to the Brooklyn side of the pocket.  Of course this was in practice and not with nine other guys throwing the same line.

On the first night of leagues the lanes seemed drier than they were in practice and the ball was burning up before it could get to the pocket and didn’t have any pop left for the pins.  I was pretty sure the surface needed a shine to overcome this condition.  Before the next week’s league night I shined the ball with Neo-Tac Control-It. This helped tremendously.  The ball had much more pop when it hit the pins and reacted much better if I missed to the outside of my mark.

All in all, this layout with this ball allows me to play the dry shot much like I would a more traditional house shot.  The drawbacks so far have been that I don’t have a very large strike area (better a little outside my mark than inside.) and the ball rolls over the finger and/or thumbholes occasionally.   I can’t tell which hole because of the dry shot no oil comes back on the ball and there aren’t any signs of a track yet.  I’ve never had this problem with a ball that had the pin above my fingers.  Would an extra hole strategically placed help with this?  My driller recommended I point my thumb at the pins when I hold and then release the ball.  This does help prevent the thumping of the holes but I’m not 100% comfortable with this release yet.  Any other suggestions are welcomed.

I would also like to mention that I’m really happy with the Visionary Ball.  When I throw it right the ball reacts very consistently and hits like a truck.  (I just had to add the truck comment for all the regular post readers.)  I’d like to try one of the Gargoyles, but will wait till next year.  I’ve heard the owners of the lanes are going to install synthetic lanes next year.  Maybe they’ll spring for more oil too!  

Thanks again for all those that helped me with my situation.

ORIGINAL POST:
I've been bowled in a different house for a couple years now and need some advice on what ball and drilling layout I should use for these very dry lanes.

The lanes are old wood with a thin oil pattern from 10 to 10 and dry outside of that.  The length of oil is only 26 feet.  The shot seems to stay pretty consistent for our three game shift, but my end of year average for each game shows the first game is highest (211), second game (209) and last game (199).  I think this drop is due mainly to the fact that I have to throw so hard, by the third game I’m wore out and lose my accuracy, especially for spares.

I've been reading everything on this forum about balls and drilling layouts.  I've read LuckyLefty’s novella post several times and hopefully I've “figured out” what I should do.  (Add me to the list of people wanting to thank him for his time and information!)  But I’d like some reassurance before I make the investment.  I read all these posts and everyone talks about buying three or four balls a season.  I feel lucky to get one ball a season, so I have to make it count.  

When I started bowling in this house I bought a Storm Blaze and had it drilled with Storm’s #1 layout (5” pin to PAP).  Although this worked better than my Trauma ER it still seemed to start turning up to the pocket as soon as I let go of it, virtually no skid.  I then had an old Hammer 3D Offset-Super Flip plugged and redrilled with 5-1/2” pin to PAP and the mass bias left of my thumbhole.  While it did skid further I think the flip weight block caused it to be a little unpredictable and extreme in its reaction.

This last season I bought an X-Factor Reloaded to replace my Trauma ER, which I use in a different house that has much more oil.  I tired the Reloaded just to see what it would do on the dry lanes.  The Reloaded is drilled with Storms #4 layout (3-3/8” pin to PAP).  It worked the best and most consistent of anything I have.  It still hooks way too much for these dry lanes but I try not to put too much fingers in the shot and keep behind the ball and push it out to the gutter as far down the lanes as I can.  A very deep, inside swinging shot. Not my usual down and in line.

My stats are that I’m right-handed, high track with medium-high speed and medium revs. I think my axis rotation is somewhere from 35 to 45 degrees. (Based on the description in LuckyLefty’s post.)  I’m not sure what my PAP measurement is exactly; my track is within an 1/8 inch and to the left of my middle finger and about a 1/4 inch and to the left of the thumbhole.

What I've “figured out” and am thinking about buying:

Visionary’s Slate Blue Gargoyle with at least a 4” Pin Out and at least 3-1/2 oz of topweight.

The drilling layout would be with the pin above the finger holes (6-1/2” pin to PAP?) and the CG in the grip center as close as possible. (Stacked?)  

Whatever the pin to PAP measurement will be I want the pin above the middle of my fingers at the very least.  (What would it do if the pin was more to the left or above my middle finger?)  The layouts I mentioned above with 5 or 5-1/2” pin to PAP only place the pin slightly above and just to the right of my ring finger. They were both about 3-1/2” pin out balls.  

My line of thought is that the 6”+ pin to PAP will give me the most skid (Length) and the urethane will help control the hook back to the pocket.  Also with the ball having 4” Pin Out I think the pin will be close to my first track ring.  I remember reading something about that.

I chose the Visionary Slate Blue Gargoyle because it was one of only two pearl urethane balls that have a decent core.  Some of the guys I bowl with in the dry house purchased Hammer’s new red urethane ball.  But they leave a lot of corners, 5 pins and 5-7 & 5-10 splits with it.  I think it’s because of the pancake weightblock.  I looked at Lane #1’s XXL Urethane Pearl but the difference in price was the deciding factor.  

Well there’s my situation, I hope it’s interesting enough for someone to respond back.  

Thanks, in advance, to all that do.

Edited on 9/13/2004 12:12 PM

Edited on 9/13/2004 12:30 PM