Several things here.  First, I'd have your fit checked.  If your fit is wrong or you grip, the resulting friction exiting the holes will cause your fingers to swell. 

If you usually eat before or while you bowl, that will also cause your fingers to swell.

If you drink a lot while you bowl, especially beer, that could also be a cause. 

However, if your hand swelled so much you couldn't even get your fingers in the holes . . that's a little more extreme.  Were you possibly having a slight allergic reaction to something?

Yeah, it doesn't take A LOT of beer, but just 1 or 2 beers more often than not will have little to no effect.  And yes, having a thumbhole drilled a size or 2 bigger than your thumb, and then inserting a few pieces of tape will have a couple effects.  One, like charlest said, you have "room to grow," and the other is that sometimes a thumbhole can fit TOO well and create a vacuum or suction on your thumb which is worse than friction.  As far as your fingers go, if you don't use grips, you can insert tape, and if you do use grips, you can use shims and slip them between the outside of the grip and the wall of the insert hole in the ball. 

However, I also don't like the idea of making the holes larger because that will encourage gripping and swelling if you don't take the time to adjust your fit with tape and make sure it fits well and you aren't gripping while you're bowling.  Make sure your fit isn't the cause of the swelling. 

Quote from: Gizmo823 on February 17, 2014, 08:10:57 AM

Several things here.  First, I'd have your fit checked.  If your fit is wrong or you grip, the resulting friction exiting the holes will cause your fingers to swell. 

If you usually eat before or while you bowl, that will also cause your fingers to swell.

If you drink a lot while you bowl, especially beer, that could also be a cause. 

However, if your hand swelled so much you couldn't even get your fingers in the holes . . that's a little more extreme.  Were you possibly having a slight allergic reaction to something?

Agree with everything here,except one thing. You don't have to drink a lot of beer for your extremities to swell. Also eating foods with lots of salt (french fries!!) will cause extremities to swell.

The other basic is your thumb and finger holes should be as large as your fingers ever get. If yours swelled so that you couldn't put your fingers in the ball, then they're not big enough. There's lots of ways to tighten up holes temporarily during bowling; there's no way to loosen them up TEMPORARILY. Plain sandpaper will open up plain finger holes; acetone can open up inserts.

Well and just remember, the goal is to not swell, not to have room to swell, but make sure once you have the holes opened up that you insert the proper amount of tape to make the holes fit again.  They need to fit at all times, but if you are able to remove tape and open up the holes if you DO swell (because sometimes it's outside your control), it's a nice option to have. 

Thx guys. Had one beer in the first games, and hadn't eaten in a while.. I will have the fingers opened up a half size.. Just guarding against them being too big and then having the opposit problem, but that is better than not getting them in the ball at all..

Yep, bowl at park side lanes in Montgomery, il. Home of Sean rash. . Strange that this happens to me at times.. I do not get them warm at all.. Really strange.. I just lost a lot of weight.. About 80 pounds and had all of my sizes reduced about 3 full sizes.. Now I am wondering if that has something to do with it even though I have not gained any of the weight back..

Losing that much weight can not only affect the hole sizes but can also change your span and pitches due to the shape of your hand changing. I would start with a complete re-fitting to see just how different it is from your current measurements.

It's winter.  You live in IL.  Did you bowl and get your hands warm and the blood flowing before you had the ball fit?  If not you need to work out the holes to the proper size after you bowl a few games and adjust with tape when your hands are smaller.  You may also have to work out the holes again during the summer. 

I also live in Chicago and this winter has been terrible with me swelling and shrinking in my fingers, VACCU grips and IT thumbs are the key for me...

Quote from: Gizmo823 on February 17, 2014, 08:31:27 AM

As far as your fingers go, if you don't use grips, you can insert tape, and if you do use grips, you can use shims and slip them between the outside of the grip and the wall of the insert hole in the ball. 

What do you use as shims?

Anything, I've used playing cards and business cards in the past