What do you think would be a way to get people to be more excited about bowling balls, and what do you think would make pro shops more profitable?

I think that all companies should go by the old marketing ploy of keeping balls in the line up for AT LEAST 2 years. There is just no way that you can sell a lot of balls when you keep discontinuing the new releases 4 to 6 months later.

I remember when you would see the top guys throwing *the* ball to have (any company, really). The Danger Zones. The Nitro/R2s, the Cuda/C's. They would shoot the lights out with them, then the lower end guys knew they could walk in a shop, order one, and like it. None of those balls were gone within a half year, and it was good business. Keep several of the IT balls in stock, and you were good.

Nowadays, if a ball gets released at Bowl Expo time, chances are about 50/50 that it's going to be discontinued by January. Trying to get a ball that people will remember the name is hard.

Let's use a ball that's a little more recent. The Break/Eagle series has been in the line in some form since 2007. It rolls well, you know what you're going to get, and can trust it.

Focus on making really well rolling balls, test the crap out of them, and keep them in the line for at least 2 years. HyRoad, anyone?

What do you guys think?

Yes, the memories.   Long and forgotten. Just like the new equipment. 

I'm with Doom on this one.  The lane conditioner doesn't change every 90 days to 180 days, why should equipment?  What about the distributors and pro shop owners who get stuck with stock and then have to discontinue them. The flooding of equipment is not fair to the distributors, pro shop owners or bowlers.  This is one of the reasons why a lot of shops won't carry equipment in stock or if they do, they only stock very little. They can get it in a few days. What was happening back in the 80's and early 90's where shops would stock up since they knew that equipment wasnt coming out like they do now.

It wouldn't effect ball whores in the least. They could branch out to other brands instead of trying to keep up with one or two tops.

Surface is the key. You can buy two of the same ball and adjust the surface along with layout to cover a large variety of conditions. Most people do not understand that and have bought into a ball for every conditions and anything in between.

If you reduced the number of bowling balls released by every manufacture I think there is a chance you would sell less. In todays world of information if a ball gets mixed reviews it is dead in the water. Now in one year if that is your high performance ball how much can the manufacture expect to really sell?

Instead if you keep recycling and modifying cores/covers and make a smaller production run of a product to be replaced every 3-4 months, you have not limited your self to the highs or lows of one ball.


The days of a ball being amazing and a must have are gone. There are plenty of them available so you can always pass and wait for the next thing. There is always something else.

I look at it like this, just because its new and shiny does't mean you are forced to buy it. Yes it gets a little crazy at times, but no one is holding a gun to your head and making you purchase them 

Personally I'm ok with a couple in the spring and a couple in the fall, the problem is there is like 40 freaking ball companies now so thats like 200 damn balls a year lol

New hook monster comes out, people gotta have it.  Oh no, it hooks too much, too soon.  thank god!  They came out with a pearl version.  Yay!  All is solved.  NO, NO, NO.  Just use the ball from two years ago that was the hook monster that year but pales in comparison to the new one.  Polish it.  OMG!  It goes longer and doesn't hook too much too soon.  Who knew?

Lmao, +1

        Yeah, but its fun watching something different roll down the lane, all to get the same result!!!!  I always thought there would be a 300 in one of the many balls I'd keep buying, but after forty years of bowling I still haven't had a one!!!!

I think one of the best things the bowling industry and especially the proshops could do is promote a bowler's profile. Get a system in place where a bowler can go to the lanes, throw a ball a few times, then give them their bowling profile. Maybe have something like this where it available at the lanes once or twice a month.

I still see many bowlers going into the proshop just wanting the biggest hooking ball on the market. The concept of "more hook is better" needs be replaced. Of course maybe the ball industry doesn't want that.