In the "Rate the Ball Companies" topic yesterday, no1bucsfan made an interesting observation:
quote:
I fund it amusing that some poeple list lane1 as their favorite and then put Brunswick at or near the bottom of their list when lane 1 uses the brunswick coverstocks, the similarities betweent he two are amazing and yet so far apart on the rankings.
Because no1bucsfan is a beginner, it's easy to understand why he might be confused -- he's heard the often stated mantra that coverstock is everything. It clearly isn't (or at least it should be clear), so this is a good time to help clarify.
Coverstock selection is very important when initially selecting a ball for a target condition. Although it's an obvious and simple step in the ball selection process, it still requires attention and needs to be right. We know what happens when bowlers try to use strong particles on dry and/or plastic on wet -- the results are not pretty.
But once you get the first step down, the harder (and possibly more important step) begins -- selecting the right core with the right shape and RG values to produce the hook shape you desire.
If you don't get this right, you'll be in for a big surprise, and usually not a pleasant one. For instance if you want skid/snap on medium heavy and you've selected a Storm X-Factor Deuce, it's not going to happen. Yes, the cover is the right match, but the core wants to roll early. You can lay down specific drill patterns and prep the cover to overcome the early roll tendency somewhat, but you will not achieve your final objective.
And this is why a Lane#1 Cranberry and Brunswick Danger Zone, both with the PowrKoil 18 coverstock, have very different hook shape reactions. It's also why a Lane#1 XXXL and a Columbia White Dot, both with a polyester coverstock, have remarkably different hook shapes on dry.
So no1bucsfan's observation is not amazing at all. What's amazing is that there are still a large percentage of experienced bowlers who still don't understand the critical nature of core/drill dynamics once the cover-to-lane match is correct.
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