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Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 3:47 am
by sestes71
Hi everyone new to the forum and just joined a local league. I'm trying to find a bowling ball that reacts to light to medium oil lanes and made for straight shoots like me, any recommendations?

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 11:03 am
by 44boyd
Welcome, what are you wanting it to do? Like dead straight (spare ball), see more movement up front/midlane, or react on the backend?

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 3:12 pm
by sestes71
Probably more like dead straight

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 3:58 pm
by boomer
You can get a vis-a-ball or White-Dot or any plastic ball that will go dead straight.

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 4:22 pm
by sestes71
Which one would be good on a light to medium oiled lane?

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 8:12 pm
by kajmk
sestes71 wrote: September 8th, 2021, 4:22 pm Which one would be good on a light to medium oiled lane?
Little if any difference. The surface of a bowling ball is analogous to the tread on a tire.
The two balls mentioned have a polyester (plastic) surface (cover stock).
If they were tires, they would have the least amount of tread and bite the road the least.
There are many polyester bowling balls, price and looks are primary considerations.
Most polyester balls have a pancake weight block. The pancake weight block has the least potential effect on ball motion.

Polyester is a great choice for beginners and casual bowlers, it is used by many bowlers as a spare ball to minimize any arc in trajectory.

You can search Amazon for polyester bowling balls to see variety and read user comments!!!

However, I HIGHLY recommend you get your ball at a pro shop and have it drilled there, they will analyze your hand and fingers properly. This will help prevent injury and maximize your enjoyment of the sport.

To improve your understanding and results, view this short video by Coach Ray Wong.




I wish you many years of enjoyment not this great sport

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 8th, 2021, 8:31 pm
by EricHartwell
sestes71 wrote: September 8th, 2021, 3:47 am Hi everyone new to the forum and just joined a local league. I'm trying to find a bowling ball that reacts to light to medium oil lanes and made for straight shoots like me, any recommendations?
Welcome to BowlingChat
sestes71 wrote: September 8th, 2021, 4:22 pm Which one would be good on a light to medium oiled lane?
Interesting, hadn't really thought about what ball/layout I would use if I was a Straight shooter.

Bowling with a plastic or non absorbing urethane is kid of messy. Constantly trying to wipe the ball off or handle a slimy wet ball by the end of the set.
Non flaring equipment creates a lot of oil carrydown. Which can hinder or help a team's ball reactions.

Do you roll the ball or skid it down the lane?
Check out this link...

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=373

Knowing your release stats will enable me to give you a good layout for the ball you choose.

There are some that say because you are a straight baller it doesn't matter.
I believe it does matter and your strike percentage will go up if you have the right ball and layout.
This is because it is about getting the ball to roll as it is entering the pocket.

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 9th, 2021, 2:13 am
by sestes71
EricHartwell wrote: September 8th, 2021, 8:31 pm Welcome to BowlingChat



Interesting, hadn't really thought about what ball/layout I would use if I was a Straight shooter.

Bowling with a plastic or non absorbing urethane is kid of messy. Constantly trying to wipe the ball off or handle a slimy wet ball by the end of the set.
Non flaring equipment creates a lot of oil carrydown. Which can hinder or help a team's ball reactions.

Do you roll the ball or skid it down the lane?
Check out this link...

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=373

Knowing your release stats will enable me to give you a good layout for the ball you choose.

There are some that say because you are a straight baller it doesn't matter.
I believe it does matter and your strike percentage will go up if you have the right ball and layout.
This is because it is about getting the ball to roll as it is entering the pocket.
I mostly roll but sometimes skid still trying to get the footing/sliding down

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 9th, 2021, 4:03 am
by TomaHawk
Bowling balls are similar to tires, there are slicks, there are also snow tires with studs and chains. It's the same with bowling balls. The least expensive balls are plastic (slicks), the more expensive balls will have dynamic compositions which will help the ball grab on higher volumes of oil (studs and chains). That's the basics to bowling balls.

The most critical part of a bowling ball is fit. You'll want to visit a bowling pro shop, they can fit you properly. They should also be able to guide you in your selection of bowling balls.

To further your knowledge base, if you enjoy bowling and feel you'll take an even greater interest, you might consider a low end reactive resin ball. There are several brands to choose from. Most everyone starts out rolling the ball fairly straight, but as your knowledge progresses you'll find, a ball that curves into the pocket will provide more striking power. A low end resin will grip the lane better than a plastic ball and provide greater strike potential.

Talk to someone at a pro shop, a good one will lead you in the right direction.

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 9th, 2021, 12:06 pm
by 44boyd
I’d look into the Radical Spy, spare ball with a big core that can be used for spares or strikes since it’ll hit just a bit harder.

Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 9th, 2021, 7:12 pm
by kajmk
EricHartwell pointed out
"Bowling with a plastic or non absorbing urethane is kid of messy. Constantly trying to wipe the ball off or handle a slimy wet ball by the end of the set.
Non flaring equipment "

A good point indeed.
Be aware that there are various oil absorbent towels specifically marketed as bowling accessories.

Each ball rolled down the lane changes the oil distribution by absorbing and or pushing oil down the lane.


Re: Ball for a straight shooter

Posted: September 10th, 2021, 3:49 pm
by boomer
All that said - if you're a straight shooter:

A: you probably don't care about what your ball does to the oil pattern. I wouldn't. :) It's not relevant to you and actually would probably help you in competition since it DOES affect your opponents who do hook the ball. So don't worry about the oil - wipe it off if you want, but honestly, just bowl.

B: fit, while important to your hand, is not as important in a straight ball as in a hooking ball. Yes - it must fit your hand to be comfortable and non-injuring so YES, get it fit properly! However, you can go with a conventional grip - fingertip grips are there to give us more leverage and to help us hook the ball to get a better entry angle, etc. If you're set with going straight, a conventional grip would work just fine.

C: a straight ball should not care about the oil pattern. Oil patterns are there to influence how a ball hooks (as well as to protect the lanes and balls from each other) - a long pattern makes the ball hook later; short pattern sooner; dry pattern burns up energy earlier and hooks earlier, etc. If you're bowling a straight ball, the oil pattern should not impact you at all.