Search found 72 matches

by vicsmyth
May 17th, 2019, 8:46 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Weak resin balls for slower ball speed
Replies: 7
Views: 1643

Re: Weak resin balls for slower ball speed

I've owned 3 Tropical Storms (aka Tropical Breeze). But one of them cracked. A buddy of mine also had one that cracked. The coverstock seems 1/8" thinner compared to other balls. Other than that it's a great ball on dry lanes.
by vicsmyth
May 17th, 2019, 8:40 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Summer - The season of?
Replies: 24
Views: 3888

Re: Summer - The season of?

...I'd be curious to hear more about this, the type of lane surface, patterns, your observations, lessons learned... Here's the info you're looking for: https://beverlylanes.com/INFO/HISTORY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Their house shot has a bit of an OOB area, no free ...
by vicsmyth
May 16th, 2019, 8:27 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Summer - The season of?
Replies: 24
Views: 3888

Re: Summer - The season of?

Try a different house, local mom and pop owned (actually father and son, both PBA members) that is well maintained, that is into the sport of bowling, not entertainment.
by vicsmyth
May 14th, 2019, 2:56 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Summer leagues
Replies: 6
Views: 1453

Re: Summer leagues

In the NW Chicago Suburbs I have 3 houses with summer senior leagues 10 minutes from home. $6 with 50 cent practice games; $13 with 7 free practice games, $11 with 3 free practice games a day. Plus loads of evening summer leagues from THS, to Sports Leagues, to no tap. I don't care for no tap. Knock...
by vicsmyth
May 11th, 2019, 9:27 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Question on lateral pitch on fingers
Replies: 13
Views: 4016

Re: Question on lateral pitch on fingers

I ended up making a splint similar to Steel Fingers except that it binds my two fingers together with a spacer in the middle so that they work as one. Pain is gone and even increased my rev rate a bit. Though I do get a lot of weird looks from other bowlers as in, "What the hell does he have on...
by vicsmyth
April 18th, 2019, 10:24 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Anyone bowl a pro-Am?
Replies: 5
Views: 1277

Re: Anyone bowl a pro-Am?

I bowled in 3 the past 3-4 years. A PBA pro am that followed the pros practice session so we got a burned out Cheetah pattern. A PWBA pro am that was a fresh house shot. A PBA50 pro am that followed the pros practice session so we got a burned out Wolf pattern. In each case it was handicap (USBC ver...
by vicsmyth
April 18th, 2019, 10:02 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Availability of Sport or PBA patterns in a house near you.
Replies: 6
Views: 1248

Re: Availability of Sport or PBA patterns in a house near yo

Two out of the three houses near me in the Chicago NW suburbs offer Sports leagues. One of them it was so popular that they offered a second sport shot league. That house, owned by father and son PBA members, cycle through the popular PBA patterns and offer them at various times during the week for ...
by vicsmyth
April 1st, 2019, 2:30 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: The most important issue facing the bowling industry today
Replies: 29
Views: 7956

Re: The most important issue facing the bowling industry tod

I went to practice bowl yesterday (Sunday) afternoon at my local Bowlmor center. Sometimes I have the place to myself. Yesterday the parking lot was full. The place was packed with younger people. It was the first day that they had the projectors going. Right above the pins they have a wall of scree...
by vicsmyth
March 29th, 2019, 11:44 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Why are the lanes so wonky this year?
Replies: 16
Views: 3004

Re: Why are the lanes so wonky this year?

The lanes are back to "normal" for the past 5-6 weeks. I'm averaging over 235 for that period. No carry down oil, crisp back ends. I'm back to using polished pearl balls, the hybrids with surface quickly hit a dead zone and burn out. Not sure if they changed to a different oil, made sure t...
by vicsmyth
March 26th, 2019, 12:17 am
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Question on lateral pitch on fingers
Replies: 13
Views: 4016

Re: Question on lateral pitch on fingers

Correction, 9/16" lateral on both fingers.
by vicsmyth
March 25th, 2019, 3:11 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Question on lateral pitch on fingers
Replies: 13
Views: 4016

Re: Question on lateral pitch on fingers

Thank-you for your responses. I have not had a lot of luck with PSOs in my area, so I learned to drill my own balls. So I have to find my own solutions by trial and error (based on suggestions) to ease the pain in my middle finger. I ended up going with a 1/8" bridge, 7/16" lateral on both...
by vicsmyth
March 21st, 2019, 2:46 pm
Forum: Layout Advice
Topic: Layouts are critical!
Replies: 8
Views: 1927

Re: Layouts are critical!

I voted "the same" because I do not feel that layouts are as critical to my game as I can do far more with my hand position and delivery to shape a ball. Ball choice (polished pearl, hybrid with surface, etc.) would be the second factor. Layouts are at the bottom of my list.
by vicsmyth
March 19th, 2019, 2:09 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: New USBC rules on pinky finger
Replies: 10
Views: 3329

Re: New USBC rules on pinky finger

So in last night's Cheetah finals, the commentator mentioned that Matt McNiel used only his ring finger and thumb on one spare shot. Is that not a violation? Or does the PBA play by different rules?
by vicsmyth
March 18th, 2019, 2:58 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: New USBC rules on pinky finger
Replies: 10
Views: 3329

New USBC rules on pinky finger

I understand that a gripping hole is allowed for the pinky finger. But what if I have a pinky finger drilled but don't use it, laying my finger over the top of the hole. Or if I use my ring and pinky finger, leaving the middle finger out and one of the gripping holes unused (as I sometime do to shoo...
by vicsmyth
March 16th, 2019, 4:36 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Question about a backup ball
Replies: 9
Views: 1699

Question about a backup ball

I recently saw Anthony Simonsen throwing a backup ball on the stepladder finals televised last Sunday night on FS1 (now available on youtube). It was the new Storm yellow urethane ball. It was drilled pin down, hole down, almost like a Rico layout. I was surprised that it would not track over the xh...
by vicsmyth
March 13th, 2019, 3:32 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Question on lateral pitch on fingers
Replies: 13
Views: 4016

Question on lateral pitch on fingers

My middle finger takes most of the weight of the ball, my guess is 75%. I've read that for most bowlers it's the ring finger that takes 75% of the weight of the ball (or lift?) I have 5/16" left on my middle finger, 7/16" right on my ring finger (5/16" bridge). I have 1/8" revers...
by vicsmyth
March 13th, 2019, 3:09 pm
Forum: General Bowling
Topic: Finger tip help
Replies: 7
Views: 1603

Re: Finger tip help

TonyPR wrote:You can do a fake vacu:
I tried this 3 months ago to see if it would alleviate pain on my middle finger, works like magic! Did it on all my balls.
by vicsmyth
March 11th, 2019, 2:40 pm
Forum: Ball Talk
Topic: Is there any relationship of the bowties to the PAP?
Replies: 5
Views: 1682

Re: Is there any relationship of the bowties to the PAP?

Tilt is also another factor because that determines where the initial track will be. Thank you for your reply. So there is not that much correlation between PAP and tilt as well? I saw a video where Mo said that a when a bowler changes hand position, coming straight up the back of the ball vs comin...
by vicsmyth
March 10th, 2019, 5:41 pm
Forum: Ball Talk
Topic: Is there any relationship of the bowties to the PAP?
Replies: 5
Views: 1682

Is there any relationship of the bowties to the PAP?

I am wondering if all bowlers with a 4-1/2 x 1/2up, 5 X 0, etc PAP would have their bowties in the same place?
by vicsmyth
March 9th, 2019, 12:34 am
Forum: Ball Talk
Topic: Absorption Rate Fact vs Friction
Replies: 44
Views: 10571

Re: Absorption Rate Fact vs Friction

Basically, from what I've experienced, I'm staying away from AMF/Bowlmor - Bowlero. It seems that they are the ones that are doing the most damage to the sport of bowling, turning bowling into an entertainment. But large, bureaucratic corporations also make bad decisions. Maybe their strategy will ...