win a ball from Bowling.com

Author Topic: Wood lanes... still  (Read 3337 times)

AlonzoHarris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
Wood lanes... still
« on: October 08, 2019, 01:05:39 PM »
Who else still bowls on wood lanes for their leagues?

My only league this year is and I feel like half the bowling ball market is off limits. Very well taken care of lanes, but high friction, quick pattern breakdown wood nonetheless.

What equipment is working for my fellow wood lane folks? Just curious  :)
Current Rotation:
PhysiX
Code X
Code Black
Axiom Pearl
Phaze III
Trend
IQ Tour

 

star

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 823
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #1 on: October 08, 2019, 01:21:12 PM »
Old and I mean old, with chewed up Guardian. Hand finished lacquer by the head tech. 30 year old AMF Century machine without its aluminium casing. OLD.....

Balls that work for me are with reasonable success are After Dark Pearl and a Honey Badger Pearl  or a Link but I’d still say that I’ve had similar success with an old Brunswick Twisted Fury Pearl. Whatever I use looks like I’ve rolled it down a tarmac road after 3 games.🤪
Happy go lucky bowler from the UK.
Specs. 430rpm,18mph off hand. 11-12deg Tilt, 50-60 deg Rotation. PAP 5 1/4 by 3/4 up.
                   R.I.P.
Mo Pinel. The Guru.
Larry Matthews “The Bowling Professor”
Sawbones.
Thong Princess.
Thanks for the FUN times.

MrNattyBoh

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 674
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2019, 07:57:18 AM »
Gamebreakers. Any of them really. I just recently polished up a GB3 for a tournament in a wood house. Ball looked exceptionally well. Played straight up the boards around 2nd arrow.

Edit:

A web tour may also be a great option. Take some surface off of it and I am it could be a good choice.
« Last Edit: October 09, 2019, 08:23:20 AM by MrNattyBoh »

billdozer

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4613
  • Goin' Global!
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2019, 01:49:54 AM »
I did for the first 18 years of my bowling career.

Anything $100 or less was what worked.

Guess what? By the time they got new lanes, everyone that knew how to oil lanes was out of the building.

We bowling on like 6 year old synthetics now that have far less oil and as much friction as the wood lanes.

It's a D@MN shame.
In the bag [Infinite Physix, Volatility Torque, Night Road, Phaze III, Burner Solid, Hustle AU]
*Now Testing* IQ Ruby, Renevant, another IQ Tour solid
Coming soon...???

michael.willis9

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 481
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2019, 08:12:37 AM »
After Dark Pearl.  i haven't used it on wood lanes, but you'll love the ability to control it and get good length and smoothness

Leftyhi-trak

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2288
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2019, 03:18:56 PM »
When you say well taken care of, are the heads burnt up at all? We have two houses one short oil (36ft), medium volume, outside 6 is the sahara. You can play any ball its about your speed and tilt. No bumping the dry, but staying just inside of the ridge and play off the end of the pattern with medium pearls or polished solids as they blend the backend a bit higher speeds do much better here. No looping shots towards the gutter you either brooklynn or ping corners all day. Second house 40ft (medium heavy volume) tapered edge not too dry, middle is puddle. Transitions usually twice on the right side once on the left in a set. Hybrids or polished solids work well its about energy retention for carry. Transition will either make you ping corners or go through the beak. Guys who get good roll through the pocket score well here. Watch and see who is throwing big numbers and see if you notice something in their roll or speed that makes them score compared to you. 

Juggernaut

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 6498
  • Former good bowler, now 3 games a week house hack.
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2019, 10:11:17 PM »
Old, original wood lanes, with the original Brunswick A model pinsetters.

NOT A2’s.  A model.  Original to the center when it was built, as are the lanes.


 Center is located in Mt. Pleasant, Tx. It is the one that Norm Duke grew up bowling in before his family sold it and moved away.


 Over the years, the center has set closed for periods of time. Being in a smallish, east Texas city, where bowling is just “something to do”, keeping it up and running has not always been a priority, and the money to keep things updated just has not always been there.

 Some investors who love bowling bought the place, and have cleaned it up, and have gotten it going again. They have big plans for the place, and I hope they are successful.

 Long story short, the lanes just were not resurfaced for many, many years. The new owner told me he had them looked at and inspected, and was told they should be good for a couple of resurfaces before needing synthetic overlays, and he plans on keeping actual wood lanes as long as possible.
Learn to laugh, and love, and smile, cause we’re only here for a little while.

Brandon Riley

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1156
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2019, 01:24:43 PM »
There are good and bad wood lanes out there.  I remember when I lived in St Louis the highest scoring houses in town were all wood as they were properly taken maintained and the track area was very defined funneling the ball to the pocket.  One house even had "home of high scores" on a long banner down the wall.

One of the houses I bowl at now in Burnaby, Canada has wood that has turned almost black covered in lane shield.  I am left of 3rd arrow in practice and sometimes end up as deep as 5th once the heads burn by the 3rd game in a 3 man league.
My bag usually consists of an Edge Solid, Mag035 Pearl and a tall pin Alley Cat for when they get really toasty.  More polish + less diff is the way I go as the lanes break down and I booked 220 last season.
Brandon Riley
Brunswick Regional Staff

BeerLeague

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 426
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #8 on: October 14, 2019, 07:59:46 AM »
The answer for me on wood surfaces has been Storm's iQ series of stuff.  You can't beat it.  The Brunswick Vintage Vapor Zone has been good too.  In short, you need a little surface on a weaker ball with not a lot of diff, but some.  -- like .030   - just dont make the mistake of polished covers if over/under is getting you.

Urethane can be a viable option too, but be ready to deal with the carrydown.

Bowl_Freak

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1216
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #9 on: October 14, 2019, 11:18:20 AM »
Yesterday we bowled at Tip Top Bowl in Seven Points, TX and they are all wood lanes. Now I love wood lanes and the roll they provide me. You need a ball that rolls. Skid Snap is not your friend on wood lanes. Given that note, I threw all urethane yesterday and came out averaging over 215 for the day. Started with the Shadow Ops before a disastourous 159 game 3, shot 637. Started 2nd set with Purple HB Urethane and progressed to the Burgundy HB urethane Polished and finished with 659. Now i was the high on both of my pairs those sets, there were other high games and such, but the most consistency i saw was with urethane.

AlonzoHarris

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1943
Re: Wood lanes... still
« Reply #10 on: October 14, 2019, 11:43:26 AM »
I've bowled on these lanes for a few years now and it funny the things that work and don't work.

They are resurfaced every years, 44ft medium oil patterns. A bit more blended on the outsides and not a huge cliff at 10 board, so balls don't bank off the edge all that hard. Still being wood, b y game 2 the line has migrated quickly in, and game 3 its 4+ arrow minimum, or 19 mph ball speed to keep more out.

I tend to use a Hyroad Pearl, but as the night progresses, I move in to get the length, but recovery gets questionable. I tried out my Code Black playing between 4-5th arrow game 1 and it was excellent. But if you let it get too far right, it will run out of energy to make it back.

The IQ Tour Solid is another current go to. It's ok, but 10 pins when I have to migrate in, as we know it does anyways.

I'm thinking I need the core to be a step down off the RAD4 in the Code Black, but the cover to stay around that R2S strength.

I'm ready for synthetics like our other houses though. I want to use more of the equipment on the market.
Current Rotation:
PhysiX
Code X
Code Black
Axiom Pearl
Phaze III
Trend
IQ Tour