Actually I don't really disagree with Bosco, although it wasn't the main point of my post. I think house could migrate to a white or even blue pattern for most of their leagues with no impact on attrition. Most of the mixed leagues and seniors wouldn't notice much difference. In fact many would bowl better on a longer flatter pattern as wet dry is the enemy of slower ball speed whether it is a top hat or screaming back ends.
High average house players would adopt very quickly to less of a top hat. In fact many of them would also bowl better on a crown of say 4 or 5 to one. Most of best seniors score higher on the Cheetah than on a house shot.
That is exactly right avabob. Wet/dry blocked lanes hurts way more league bowlers than it helps. It makes trying to pick up spares, which is the backbone of the lower average bowlers score, become unpredictable and actually more difficult to make.
ambi1 is correct in that "the typical house shot doesn't really seem to be the problem". But its not the bragging about scoring that is the problem either.
The typical house shot is a symptom to the real problem. And that problem is unpredictable ball reaction by playing on lanes that have been neglected and using balls that are too hard to control.
Even though the typical house shot (blocked oil pattern) does hurt the 140-170 average player because of spares, it is the only way for anyone using modern equipment with a little side rotation to have any resemblance of predictability. Which is key to enjoying the game of bowling.
High scores are only a symptom, and a byproduct, to the real problems in this current form of bowling. Sport Bowling, or flatter patterns, are nothing more than another band aid on an already heavily bleeding game.
Sure we can go to 4 or 5 to 1 ratio pattern across the board, but then it will become a game of who can make that pattern 8 to 1 the fastest. Might as well just leave it at 8 to 1 to start.
OR....dare someone suggest it on these boards, fix the real problems in the game. Hint: it ain't the oil patterns.