Is Bowling Really Easier Now?

[Toon]

Here's a conversation starter...is Bowling really easier than 20/30/40 years ago?

No, I am not crazy. Yes, a 300 is bowled daily. We have ditches that allow people to bowl huge scores week after week.

But at the end of the day, if you are a tournament bowler. Your aim is not to bowl a 300, it is to WIN!

Back in the day, and I am just spit balling as I can't speak from experience but I welcome opinions of some bowlers who were bowling back in the day.

It was all about accuracy and consistency.

It is still about accuracy and consistency, but now there is lane pattern breakdown, 1000 different lanes patterns, reverse block. There are lane patterns where you need more than bowl straight down 10 board.
There are endless ball layouts you need work into your game. There are like 1000 different balls that may or may not work for you.

There are 1000's of different angles and rev rates. Some people take years before finding the one that works.

Is a 300 easier these days? Of course it is. People might bowl 30 in a career. In the US, Jeff Carter threw 20+ in a single season.

The scores have gone up dramatically, but so have the averages required to win a tournament.

People will complain that there are bowlers with no accuracy that bowl big scores and win tournaments.

In a way, all this says is that relying on 100% accuracy is no longer the only strategy.

Not everyone can hit the same board every shot, so some bowlers use a balance of power and accuracy to compete.

So is the modern game easier? Or is it harder?

In my opinion, is it easier to bowl a higher score than 30 years...hell yes it is.
Does it take more work, knowledge, practice and skill to be the top dog and win tournaments than back in the day. I think so.

DISCUSS!

 

[John_Velo]

Hey Toon,

I have had this conversation to many times with new and old bowlers. Having spent 24 years out of the game, leaving bowling pre-super balls and synthetic lanes and in an era where I saw only 6 x 300 games bowled in 16 years, coming back 2 years ago to all the modern equipment like a kid in a lolly shop for the first time. I would agree that bowling is easier now than before to bowl a 300.

BUT, and this is where the argument comes into it for me.

Bowling today is far more technical than ever. Just being accurate is no longer enough. You need to know more now about your equipment than ever, you need to be able to play lines and angles that 30 years ago were unheard of. Two bowling balls is no longer enough, how many people just take two bowling balls for league and expect to bowl well.

Sure years ago you played more games in a tournament, qualifying was 2x 16 game blocks. But you did not throw the ball as hard as you have to now. You could stand on one spot, a big move was 2 boards! Times have changed. Bowling is now in a place were the best physical game does not always win, giving more people the chance to win.

It is truly unfair to compare the game today to the game of yesterday. There is no comparison.

For me, I loved the sport as a young guy, I love it even more now as an old guy. So much more to learn, there are more people capable of winning. I love the technology of the modern game. Embrace it and enjoy our wonderful sport for the sport it is now.

Remember the past and move with the times….!

 

[jimcross]

In my opinion, is it easier to bowl a higher score than 30 years...hell yes it is.
Does it take more work, knowledge, practice and skill to be the top dog and win tournaments than back in the day. I think so.

DISCUSS![/quote]
I'll just modify your 30 years ( above ) to 50 years and say that you've got it in one. Using accuracy and consistancy and a strong self belief was what was necessary back then. Huge scores were the occasional 270ish game. 228 / 230 were the normal 'BIG' game. If you averaged around 187 / 190 you were 'way up there'. Any time I bowled a game below 175, I had difficulty believing I could be so stupid. I once bowled 6 games to qualify for a T / V Prime time Show, of 228, 23?, 25?, 25? 268, 279, for 1526, averaging 254. I've never done anything even vaguely like that again, and the real point to address Toon's question is, that the last ball I put down, was on the same spot, on the same line and at the same speed and the same release, as the first one. ( and all those in between )
Try that today over 6 games, without making adjustments, or changing balls, without all the knowledge of changing conditions, etc., etc., and you might get lucky and average 200. Today is Harder. Doesn't matter what your scores are, only where you come in the field says how good you are.

 

[twenban]

It is definitely easier to score but as always still very difficult to win, I am still quite happy that I have won more events than 300's by heaps. Today you need to read conditions and match that with your equipment much more than previous but that has taken away those that rely on skill as a priority to some extent.

 

[John_Velo]

Hi Terry,

That is a record I think most bowlers would love to have, "more wins than 300's by heaps" heck, I would love to win just one event!

It is also a statement that sums up todays game really. Natural ability is no longer just physical as years gone by, it now includes the technical understanding in the ability.

 

[twenban]

Maybe also means I haven't bowled too many 300's .....

 

[twenban]

Another interesting issue now is that since 300 games have become so revered or focused upon it has turned attention away from tournaments .... just an opinion but worth a discussion.

 

[Geoff300]

300 games today are a bit of a joke, generally speaking... You walk up to someone who just
bowled one and they go , oh yeah it's just another game !!!!!
Hello It is the perfect score !!!! We used to go crazy about people bowling a 300, hell my
first 300 was on Hey Hey its Saturday... Gee I'm old lol !!!!!
It was a big deal back then and having said that many bowlers in the old days were bloody
good bowlers and some never bowled any 300 games...

Today We have average bowlers now who have bowled several 300 games when back in the day they
would never have even bowled one 300 game.... Is that good or bad ??? I think it discredits the sport

Jim and Terry are right in what they say..... Miss your target by 7 boards in the old day and get 5, not a strike
so being accurate was vital

Bowlers now play league on the THS or Ditch and average crazy scores and bowl 279 like and old 220 game
Miss the target by 7 boards and still get a strike.....Some Centres are just set up to pander to bowlers egos
and do nothing to promote the game that requires skill

Put 99% of those ave league bowlers on a USBC pattern and they drop their average from 210 to 180 ish, where they belong

They don't see the Elite as elite because they only average what they do in League

There is no doubt that today there is much , much more to learn about playing the game and the equipment
and lane conditions have endless variations

Personally I would outlaw all Ditch , THS patterns in every Centre and have lower end USBC Patterns for all leagues
and then we would have Bowlers needing and wanting to learn the basics skills of technique and accuracy again
this would bring some credability back to the sport

Just part of my view !!

 

[Dougy]

I remember back wen the bowler had to turn the ball him/her self I bowl with a cpl of young ones in league who rely on the ball to fix they stuff ups.. And i have offen said to them lest get a old ball that u have to do the work and they did and now they relize that back in the day it was more skill than wat it is now.. I find bowlers these days dont wanna move their feet they expect the lanes to be suited to them, I havnt bowled a 300 even tho i would love one but 300's dont win u league's and the big comps all the time.. I'll rather be known for a bowler who can be on his game with a 230+ avg than a bowler who has thrown 15 300's

Just my thought

 

[Roysa]

This topic comes and goes every year. Sometimes numerous times.

What is anyone in a position to actually make a change doing about it ?

That isn't a shot at anyone it's a serious question.

 

[jimcross]

What is anyone in a position to actually make a change doing about it ?

Answer :- Nothing, and when you consider , in reality, who is in a position to actually make a change???, etc, Who do you find? Ball Companies and Equipment Companies. Not, repeat Not the associations ( by whatever name ), OR the Centres.
Even if there was, say, only one Ball Company, it would be financial suicide to revert to plastic, mushroom weight balls, which virtually never needed replacing. Seeing there's many more than one Company, just how do you persuade them all to go broke " for the good of the sport" ?

Generally speaking, I actually HATE the path that bowling took, because of 'lane' and 'ball' technology. I believe that that actually ruled out Tenpin as a legitimate sport in a world context. I don't believe, for instance it will ever gain olympic status. Probably not Commonwealth Games either.

I hate to say all of the above - despite everything, I'm still 'hooked', but that and others being hooked also, will not stop us eventually dying out; and leaving the centres as entertainment and birthday venues. Best of luck to the Ball Companies then !!!

 

[Roysa]

Hi Jim

I wasn't meaning ball companies. Geoff mentioned centres and patterns. Maybe that is an area where there is potential for change. But then it comes back to the bowlers. Can they accept the new challenge?

 

[becka_girl]

Unfortunately if we were to change the ditches to tough patterns, the sport would lose a lot of members because people these days expect to bowl good all the time. They dont like going to a tournament and struggling to make 180's when in league they bowl 220's

I do believe east coast for a couples of years did put some very very tough patterns down where the top bowlers only averaged 190 but then everyone threatened to not bowl so they changed back to the ditch house shot.

I am all for bowling on tough patterns because it makes the sport interesting and challenging and makes people really think about what they need to fix in their game.

 

[Roysa]

I agree.

Damned if we do damned if we don't.

Makes the whole argument we have on here every few months pointless really.

 

[willey]

" I WISH WE COULD GO BACK TO THE OLD DAY'S"
What a lot of Rot, the game has been changing since the OLD DAY'S.
Let's see they used to bowl with Wooden Balls which progressed to Rubber Balls, than on to Plastic Balls, than on to Urethane Balls, than on to Reactive Balls.

Ahh but that's not the whole Story is it. We can't just Blame the Balls here. They used to Bowl with No Holes, than they had 2 Hole Conventional( I remember Ed Lubanski throwing Back to Back 300's with a 2 hole Conventional drilled Ball), progressed to 3 hole Conventional, than to Semi Fingertip, Full Fingertip, as you can see we Humans were not satisfied with that progression we started to Add Finger inserts into the Ball for comfort or more Lift, during this period we stuffed around with the best Weight set up in the Ball, most common being 1/2 ounce Finger and 1/2 ounce top but many people didn't stop there they added Weights inside the Ball to see how it Reacted, than we eventually came up with Weights that were in the Spirit of the Game Totally Illegal but they Fooled the only recognized Devise to Measure the Weight distribution the DO-DO SCALE (Outdated and should also be Extinct).

Now we can't forget the Lanes. Lets see we now have Synthetic Lanes, they are extremely consistent compared to the older Wooden lane, the Wooden Lane was usually Built on site with every Board nailed together and every Board different to the rest which meant every lane had it's own uniqueness, Just as an Example from my own experience Bowling in Sydney, all the Brunswick Built Centre's had Pine in the running area, I always found I scored Higher in those Centre's than the AMF Centre's, the AMF Centre's had Ash in the running area( this was due to having a % of local product imposed on the Building of such Centre's), the Ash had no distinct Grain compared to Pine, the Pine was nailed so as the Grain was directed towards the Head Pin.

Besides the actual Lanes themselves there is the Coating put on the lanes, now Synthetic Lanes do vary in their hookability from the many differing types now on the Market, before Synthetics they Coated the lanes in Urethane again differing types had different reactions to Balls, the humble Rubber was no match on an Oily Urethane surface, thank goodness for the Urethane Ball. Pre-dating Urethane was Lacquer, now Lacquer was the only Surface from the time Bowling first started in this Country right up till 1980. This is the Surface most of the Old Timers remember. Here's the facts on Lacquer, it only lasted 3 months than had to be re-coated, this certainly didn't happen in the old days I seen many a Centre go for 6 to 12 months between coating, the longer they waited the worse it got to Bowl on, in reality the surface was only at it's best for 1 week after re-coating than the surface needed polishing to take out the Track Shot, that develops from constant bowling over the 2nd arrow, now the Track Shot was a deteriorating surface that would not hold any oil for any length of time and dried out quickly, this was not knowledge to any Laneman or Mechanic until 1976 in Australia, so that's 16 years of terrible surfaces. This is what the Old Timers remember, this is what made it so hard to Bowl in those times, Pure lack of knowledge. Before Lacquer we had Shellack as the preferred surface, this was before my time, so my facts may be a little distorted, Shellack ground up Beetle parts? from memory this was done yearly, the surface was hand stripped and the coating of shellack was put on, this was a better playing surface to Lacquer, the constant bowling on this surface created a Groove to the Pocket, people like Dick Webber averaged 230 in league on this surface( whats that you say people are averaging that now), all the Scoring records that were broken in Witchita in 1988 were from the 30's 40's and 50's bowled on Shellack, I'm sure the Old timers bowling in the 60's would have looked back and Dreamed about the Great Scoring conditions they had prior to the 60's.

My point is it's not only the Bowling Balls, so stop whining, if you want to take out the Reactive ball just don't put any Oil on the Lane.

willey

 

[Schmicko]

Well said willey,

I think the idea was to bring consistency to the game also..
Timbers and a century 100 .. Full strip and oil once a week, oil the heads daily, strip backends twice a week.. Good luck with that
Synthetics and sanction technology.. Lanes are uniform across the house (to a degree) with only one or two boards difference on a pair (depending on how the 'dump and spinners' trash the lanes)
Now we have machines like the a22 that do board by board, inch by inch oiling .. Consistency at its best

Also lets not forget the newer urethane flat gutters, kickbacks, pin bases and non-skid pin decks which all promote crazy pin action

 

[corbo]

48 years ago I bowled for the passion of the game on wooden lanes with my house shoes and my plastic ball bowling centre championships and masters in one weekend did I love it bet you I did I did not see a 300 bowled for years did it deter me not one iota my sport was about spending every day and each weekend practising and bowling with my mates I knew everyone in the centre I knew everyone from interstate all the top men and women bowlers would take an interest in your progress over the years and each of these bowlers would give you a bit of their experience or advice and you sucked it up like a sponge as I spent many a year working behind a counter at centres there were many changes of course 300 has become common place but that has only added to the dimension and ever hanging sphere of the game has the game got easier or harder I thought it was a challenge in 1965 I still think I am still learning in 2012

 

[magpi17]

The people that bowled in the last NSW Sport Series Event would disagree that it's easier now, some pretty fair bowlers and 1 bowler over the card. Great pattern and made a lot of people sit back and think.
Please don't put good challenges and patterns in the same argument.
I think if a bowler wants to bowl on a ditch and score his high 200's and not bowl in tournaments well let them, then you get the guy's that welcome the challenge and want to bowl on the tough patterns, be challenged and still walk away satisfied, then cater for them also.