Well I'll confess.  I've picked out my centers.  For two years I've been bowling on the hardest left handed conditions in two centers that I have seen except for reverse blocks or FTL(which I can beat pretty good).

These centers are tough, no lefties over 200 for three years at both. Yes if you are a righty you would be very happy!  I should have done it this year except for a lot of neglect of my spare game!

BUt now I'm ready to reap!  I feel I've improved my game in many ways and learned a lot!  SO, I'm practicing at our local lefty honor emporium.  What I'm averaging I would hesitate to put in print!

Partly my style defiencies and tendancies point to the tremendous discrepancies in averages between these two types of centers for me!  But also as I was pasting out big games and 8 baggers in most of my games and a little gang of onlookers developed and asked how?  I found myself giving a surprising answer as I formulated it!

I stated that I wasn't really as good as the condition was making me look but the difference between where I struggled some average wise in the area and this
high score emporium for me were the fact that at the tough centers I had to use weaker designed equipment which also took away the potential for stikes that this center allowed me to use.  For example at this center I could use my Throttle R which the other centers almost took out of my hand.  It's big flare stacked drilling could actually work at the jumpy wet dry centers but the ball had to spend a trememdous amount of time in the dry to have a chance at hitting the pocket consistently(see Columbia wet/dry topic I've posted before in Columbia section).

Other balls that worked at the other centers that were tough for me were the Icon which smoothed over under but robbed me of speed at the break point, and the Panic which is so smooth but lacks the inherant power of the Throttle R which is totally contained on the blend.

To summarize the Throttle R in the crown has more speed more energy retention and with the hold area of the crown it's tremendous striking potential is beautifully contained.  So all it is raw pure energy retention at the breakpoint ready to rip the rack over and over! Yum Yum.

My thought!  Batter up.  The pins appear to be shakin!

REgards,

Luckylefty
PS get that same feelin yourself between your easy and hard centers?
PPS if I was a faster bowler(some bowlers at the centers I'm talkin about that are tough are near 18 mph at the pin deck and 400 rpms have no trouble on these light volume centers I struggle with).  When I go to the blended center above my 15 mph at the pin deck looks just ducky and just as energetic as their 18 looks at above!  (I think my ball is in the oil a lot longer at the blend center)

LuckyLefty: I feel I am in the same boat when it comes to picking out centers to bowl in. With my two local houses, they both used to be challenging but fair houses 5 years ago. To average 200-210 in either house meant you put a lot into your game, accuracy was at a premium and you were ready for the changes when they happened. Now the house I grew up in has been more of a challenge while the other local house has turned into honor score heaven. I averaged 189 in the tougher house this season (second high in the house, 195 was the high) and in the honor score house I'm averaging 226 (probably 20th in the house).

However, I feel as a result of bowling in the 189 house I've been better prepared for what I hit at tournament conditions, as I'm currently averaging 222.72 in 33 tournament games, 4 different houses across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont. At least half the houses in tournaments I've bowled this year have taken away the first 6 or 7 boards on the outside, forcing you to be much more accurate with the right equipment, leverage, and ball speed to score.

That's why this summer I will continue to challenge myself in a sport shot league- I don't care whether I average 150 or 190, I just want to see where my game is at on a variety of conditions.

Matt

Ball technology rules this sport.
--------------------

Bowling Tips and Articles at: www.bowlingknowledge.com
IRC: Internet Relay Chat on Dalnet #striketalk. 24x7x365