I've been battling with the feel of my thumb hole for a while now. You see, my thumb can really swell and shrink quite quickly and sometimes with a thumb hole set to be perfect when my thumb expands, I suffer the first game or two. On the other hand, if it's perfect when my thumb is normal sized, then it gets too tight during the game. I don't like my thumb hole so tight that I have to jam my thumb into it, just tight enough so that there isn't a lot of movement and that I can get a nice grip on the ball. Right now I'm using a size 29 thumb insert and am using two pieces of white tape in front. It's not perfect when my thumb is normal sized, but it'll just be a little tighter than perfect when my thumb is swollen. Should I go down another size on the next ball I drill? What's the right feel for you?

Edited on 8/17/2004 5:57 AM

Platinum,
  As I know every bowler is different as far as swelling goes, but with this extrememe swelling do you think that you are sqeeezing the ball at all?  I remember I used to bowl with my thumb drilled 15/16 and I would squeeze the heck out of the ball and as a result, my thumb would swell leaps and bounds.  Well my pro shop operator got me into using the right sized thumb hole, 29.  Big difference, but I don't squeeze anymore, and there has been wayyyy less swelling. My thumb still swells, but I can still get through about 9 games without fumbling with tape.  Having said that I have 2 things that you can try.  

1)Try your tape at the back of your thumb vs. the front, you won't want to squeeze the ball as much.  Put the tape right where the back of your thumb is in the hole, it should be offset a bit, that has helped me though.

2)If you don't like the idea of the tape in the back of your thumb, put chapstick on wherever your thumb is hanging in the ball after you swell, I promise you'll get out of it clean.

Just my opinion, hope it helps,
BMM
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June 3, 2003 First 600 Series(208,258,170)!!!!!!