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Author Topic: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????  (Read 2105 times)

Brutal Bowler

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QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« on: January 13, 2007, 07:12:37 AM »
Interesting night tonight in league. Heres the story leading up to the main event:

We should start at 6.30pm. But looks like they had open players on before & they were still dressing the lanes. So we wait another 15 mins before they are ready & start our practice.

So i step up to bowl my nice & easy warm up shot. Played my usual line (down 2nd arrow) & the next thing i know, the ball breaks early & i just manage to hit the 7 pin. So i thought 'Its a little dry' & play a more diagonal shot. But still it breaks too early & hits the 2 pin. I noticed it was happening all over & the best team in our league packs their stuff & asks everyone "Are you playing on these tonight because we wont." Some straight bowlers weren't too bothered about it but more than half of the teams said that the conditions were ridiculous.

The manager & 2 technicians look on from the back & agree to re-dress the lanes as long as we accept to wait the extra 15-20 mins to do this. By this time its almost 7.00pm. So they do their stuff while we wait around.

Now its 7.15pm & we are told we can start, but with no practice. We would have complained but it was so late, we carried on. I had mixed results each frame, eg too high, too light, & end up with a 154, 186 & 176. Mixed scores from other bowlers too, with some getting a high 500 series & some struggling with only a mid 450 series.

Let me tell you how bad it was. Right handed with my skid/snap Paradigm at 15mph with medium revs. Start as far to the left as poss & play the ball over 4th arrow. As soon as it touched the lane it was screeching to move left. Unplayable even with a polyester (i tried & it moved 15 boards).

Has this happened at your house? What was the outcome & did you agree with the resulting action?
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Phil
http://bowlingtracker.no-ip.org:2222/personalstats/ViewPublicStats.asp?Country=US&State=NV&City=Reno (BTW I dont play at Reno)

English & proud -- God save the Queen   Come on Birmingham City F.C!!

Current Arsenal:  
Ebonite XXXCEL, Storm Paradigm (skip/ snap aggressive), Storm Paradigm (mild/ straight), Raw Hammer Toxic, AMF Sumo,  Brunswick Groove Reactive, Regency 300, Ebonite Maxim


High Game - 269, High Series - 691

 

TheMan14

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2007, 03:17:04 PM »
I've had this happen before.  It was only practice though, but usually they oil the lanes.  It was at a house that chews up bowling balls a lot.  So I started off with my Columbia Scout/R with the pin in palm, threw it over first arrow and it hit the four pin.   I kept moving left, but I was still crossing over.  By the end of the night I had my Track Animal (pin 3 3/8 pin to pap, mb next to thumb) and lofting out to the arrows throwing it about 16-17 m.p.h. and watching it roll out at the pocket.  I couldn't carry, but at least I was near the pocket.
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Edited on 1/13/2007 4:16 PM

SpareK

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2007, 03:44:30 PM »
I see this every thursday night. First game I normaly throw 190-220, the last two anywere from 150-170. I'm going to order Power Grove Dry-R and hope to get less reaction off my rev's and maybe I might get better control. It just seem to dry up after the first game, and most of the bowlers at this house complain about the same thing.

THIRTYSIXRED

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #3 on: January 13, 2007, 04:00:14 PM »
Why can't this happen to me ??   It's just right when armadillos crossing signs are put up and the tumbleweeds get in the way

JohnP

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #4 on: January 13, 2007, 09:05:44 PM »
quote:
I'm going to order Power Grove Dry-R and hope to get less reaction off my rev's and maybe I might get better control.


Let me sugest the Slate Blue Gargoyle instead.  It's a little more money, but I have both and IMHO the Slate Blue is by far the better ball.  --  JohnP

Spider Ball Bowler

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #5 on: January 13, 2007, 09:17:21 PM »
The Thursday night league I sub on is like this every week.  To combat it, I either:

A) take all the hand out of the ball, and fluff it up the 10 board or

B) move my feet to the 20 board and toss the ball out to inside the 5 board and watch it scream back to the pocket.  

I tried to use Urethane and had a good look at the hole, but with no carry.  So I will be moving inside and playing the gutter next time.  It's tough, but it's a lot of fun when I do it right.
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jd1319

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #6 on: January 13, 2007, 09:56:32 PM »
Been there, and love it.  Just go with plastic.  On really dry lanes, you can score very well using plastic, I've shot 700 soley with plastic before on toasted conditions.  A buddy of mine shot a 279 with a house ball.  On dry lanes, they'll hook and hit hard.  If your willing and happy to take what the lane condition offers you, while others complain and get frustrated, it's a chance for easy points.  

I am by no means a great bowler, probably above average for the typical league bowler so it's not my skill, it's simply accepting the fact as long as everybody bowls on the same condition, the odds are fair.  Of course, in handicap leagues, the odd condition for a night does strongly favor the weaker teams and their handicap for the first game, but decent bowlers should be able to adjust.  You don't need 300 revs on a high end ball, some nights 50 revs might be the way to go.

mainzer

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2007, 11:04:31 PM »
I have a old Ebonite Nitro in pretty good shape I use for this. Tuesday nights the place I bowl cut the volume of oil in half after new years and it sucks. Thursday is always dry and I stay inside until I can't anymore then go to Urethane
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astrodanco

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2007, 03:51:23 PM »
It's too dry when even plastic goes past brooklyn.  I'm still in the game right up until that happens.  I think many of y'all are beating yourself up trying to use heavy oil monster balls on light oil conditions.  Get yourself a light oil ball and learn how to adjust your hand position and release.

Brutal Bowler

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2007, 06:34:10 PM »
quote:
I think many of y'all are beating yourself up trying to use heavy oil monster balls on light oil conditions.  Get yourself a light oil ball and learn how to adjust your hand position and release.


But when the guy who has played with Team England for 4 years complains about the conditions then there must be something wrong. The oil was non-existent & virtually unplayable. There is no need to dress the lanes when it wont put any oil out on the lane.

When i pay more than 80% lineage then i would like some oil for the first few feet at least lol.
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Phil
http://bowlingtracker.no-ip.org:2222/personalstats/ViewPublicStats.asp?Country=US&State=NV&City=Reno (BTW I dont play at Reno)

English & proud -- God save the Queen   Come on Birmingham City F.C!!

Current Arsenal:  
Ebonite XXXCEL, Storm Paradigm (skip/ snap aggressive), Storm Paradigm (mild/ straight), Raw Hammer Toxic, AMF Sumo,  Brunswick Groove Reactive, Regency 300, Ebonite Maxim


High Game - 269, High Series - 691

Atochabsh

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2007, 11:05:05 PM »
When you are bowling on Sunday  night (for a holiday party) and you know they have not dressed the lanes since Friday morning (their last league of the week) and you are standing 45 shooting 20 with your plastic ball and it is crossing over Brooklyn and rolling out.  I ended up standing 48, aiming 25 (5th arrow) and still having trouble getting the ball to the pocket.  

You are lucky the center offered to attempt a fix for the situation.  Most would not have. If you were not into 4th and 5th arrow then it was not dry enough.  

Erin

Juggernaut

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2007, 11:27:20 PM »
The oiling machine at our house went on the fritz a couple of years ago.  First two games I go 150 something and 170 something.

  Out of frustration, I picked up a friends plastic A.M.F. Boogie ball. Leave a ringing tenpin the first frame, then 11 in a row for 290!

  Plastic will work, when the lanes are dry enough, its just hard to realize that our/your spare balls can and will strike on the right conditions.  Heck, back when I was starting out, plastic was the best we had.

 P.S. Up until last year, my high series had been 789 and that was shot with the ledgendary Columbia Yellow Dot!

  But, on the subject in question, yes this has happened here. We bowled on it, but several teams vowed to never do it again. Luckily, it has never been that bad again.
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ambi1

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2007, 02:01:17 AM »
Actually there are rules regarding oil conditions...
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TerryV

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Re: QUESTION - How dry is too dry????
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2007, 02:27:21 AM »
Actuly, isn't it when a BLUE DOT is hooking then its to much ball?  When my blue dot on a normal throw is covering 20+ boards then that is dry! I've seen it a couple times at the center  the pro shop i work at is in, and twice at 2A.M at my home center. Though the home center i was able to move to about 6th arrow with something smooth but with core to get it to get down lane (with the cover and my speed) and the core helped tip the ball back from the right side of the lane. I say right side cause we all know, at times your looking for your target at the arrows and then just sending it in the direction knowing it wont get all the way out.  
  But I've also messed wtih fluffing the ball and just scooting it up lane looking for whatever i can at the end. Always fun, and interesting. I went from a year of league with out having to walk around a ball return and in the time over the holiday season i did it a couple times.
Now mind you this was all at open play so there was only going to be what ever oil is out there, or in these cases no oil.
  The center the shop was in decided (for what ever crazy reason) to not oil much durin ghte holiday season. And my home center oils before every league, and alos every day (oil helps protect the lane surfaces) so after a heavy day of open play its understandable that there is very little oil out there. If it were to happen during league, the first house cancled league but if the bowlers wanted to bowl they could for free. And the home house, well it hasn't happened yet, and i dont think it will, they are really good at oil.  
What part of the country are you guys in where the oil breaks down and runs away after a game? I've very rarly seen oil go away that fast during league night. the few times I have is when theres two basicaly scratch teams beating up the lane, and we all know with that many calibur players, alot of the lane area is being used.

Sorry about the ramble.. but thats all just whave i've experianced.
GO BLUE DOT!! hehe
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