jason_doust
The Bowling Geek
Hi Matt and Frank,
Matt, I suspect that the ATBC would have recorded the games, as that was a pretty small part of their operation. But maybe you're right. I don't know.
Frank, OK. That makes some sense. Oil certainly has become more viscous over the years, but events like last years NSW Open prove you can lay down some serious soup and keep scores down to a very honest level. (Possibly a little too honest on that event. I liked it, but people will tell you I'm weird for that and other reasons.) Dry lanes would reduce scores for people who have worked hard to develop a good hand, but would give free friction and a major advantage to those who don't. It was done in the mid 80's when centre's oiled 15 ft and buffed to 25. Techs loved it (no out of ranges, no ball lift problems) but it meant that the guys with poor roll won everything as they could hold the pocket, but now carried as a result of the free friction. Scores went higher in that period.
Centres definitely have a lot more friction on the edge (compared to the centre) than they used to in the mid 80's. In most houses it's so dry ouside 10 board that you can't start the ball outside and hit the RHS of the headpin. The first and last time I got to play out near the gutter since returning to bowling was in Cow's sports event at Strikezone, where it was supposed to be OOB. With only 37ft of length though, there's lots of gear that will get back comfortably.
I suspect that more oil toward the edge to still have a crown that is commensurate with today's ball friction would change the scoring environment for the better. A wide shot would go wide. A tugged shot would end up left. The players would open up a hole in the pattern late in a qualifying squad and scores would increase toward the end for a bit of excitement.
Cheers,
Jason
Matt, I suspect that the ATBC would have recorded the games, as that was a pretty small part of their operation. But maybe you're right. I don't know.
Frank, OK. That makes some sense. Oil certainly has become more viscous over the years, but events like last years NSW Open prove you can lay down some serious soup and keep scores down to a very honest level. (Possibly a little too honest on that event. I liked it, but people will tell you I'm weird for that and other reasons.) Dry lanes would reduce scores for people who have worked hard to develop a good hand, but would give free friction and a major advantage to those who don't. It was done in the mid 80's when centre's oiled 15 ft and buffed to 25. Techs loved it (no out of ranges, no ball lift problems) but it meant that the guys with poor roll won everything as they could hold the pocket, but now carried as a result of the free friction. Scores went higher in that period.
Centres definitely have a lot more friction on the edge (compared to the centre) than they used to in the mid 80's. In most houses it's so dry ouside 10 board that you can't start the ball outside and hit the RHS of the headpin. The first and last time I got to play out near the gutter since returning to bowling was in Cow's sports event at Strikezone, where it was supposed to be OOB. With only 37ft of length though, there's lots of gear that will get back comfortably.
I suspect that more oil toward the edge to still have a crown that is commensurate with today's ball friction would change the scoring environment for the better. A wide shot would go wide. A tugged shot would end up left. The players would open up a hole in the pattern late in a qualifying squad and scores would increase toward the end for a bit of excitement.
Cheers,
Jason
