Bowling again after 19 years

[Loose Cannon]

Hi Everyone,

A newbie here. I'm currently about to take up competitive bowling again after 19 year lay off. I have bowled socially in that time even with bowling house balls i am getting 150-160's, so i feel i have still got my mojo.

I was a junior bowler for 5 years and had an average of 180 at my peak and was a fingertip bowler,played and travelled to many junior championships at the time , when my local centre closed i gave up bowling when i was 17 and went and played rugby league. Now i'm 36 retired from footy im getting back to bowling as there is a new centre where i am living now, and like to bowl competitvely again. I understand alot has changed in the sport over this time especially with balls so i was wondering if someone can ask me the following questions.

1- Being approx 18-20 years old ,Will my old balls still be ok to use ? I would probably need re drilling as my hands have grown over the years, or best to get a new ball.

2- If a new ball is the case what would you reccomend? My technique would be fingertip again. I used to bowl with brunswick,columbia and the angle.

Any other feedback is much appreciated.

Cheers

 

[jimcross]

They'll all be pre-reactive balls you now have?
Seeing that you've been manageing socially with house balls, why don't you have one of your old balls re-drilled to fit ( if necessary), bowl with it for a few weeks ( Months?), during which time you can familiarise yourself with the current 'scene' and you will be in a good position to make probably a pretty good choice about new equipment?

 

[Roysa]

Definately use your old equipment first. Get it plugged and get your layout re measured by a reputable driller. Then get them to punch up your old stuff just to ensure the fit is good. You don't want to spend money on good gear only to have to plug and re drill them.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Thanx for that. Yep my old balls were the old urethane made ones, my brunswick rhino was the main ball i used with the columbia i used a spare pickup ball. Just unsure how these balls are now compared to the plastic & reactive ones of today. What are drilling costs these days? I'm happy to spend whatever to get the "right gear" as i'm serious about bowling again.

 

[Geoff300]

The Old Urethane Balls are NOTHING like the ball technology today, Reactive balls hook and hit like the preverbial outhouse, Layout is very important so go for someone
who knows what they are doing
Plastic Balls are still the same as the 40 year old plastic balls, Generally speaking we need one of those for sparing these days
You can buy an entry level reactive ball for under $200 and drill grips and thumb slug
will vary depending on who does it for you

Welcome back, Enjoy yourself

Cheers
Geoff

 

[jason_doust]

Well, they're a little bit like today's gear. As in round and the same size. After that, not so much!

If you've got a lot of hook, then 1 urethane ball might be handy, but it'd better have a modern performance core! Trust me, I've been down that path and while it improved my 10-pin sparing, it wasn't so hot for striking beyond game 1. The synthetic surfaces and modern oils have so much less friction for the urethane ball to take advantage of.

 

[Loose Cannon]

thanks for the advice guys

 

[Loose Cannon]

Heres a pic of my old balls.

 

[jason_doust]

Oh wow! Black Rhino and Original U-Dot. (With Orange-Aid grips, no less! I used to seek those grips for their flat edges way back when.) Great balls in their day. I'm afraid they're both spare balls these days. You could play some really dry houses with the Rhino off the edge, but that's about it.

I've tried and the old stuff just oils up and won't carry in about a game unless there's a really well defined dry edge to your house shot and you have a lot of hand. I have a Blue Hammer with a 500 grit surface for game one on our old house shot. Even then, in six frames, I'm moving right and by game two, moving straight into the dirt to get any carry. By game three, it's ball change time to a low end reactive like a Motiv RX-1 with a weak drill. Now the house shot has been unblocked a bit, the Blue Hammer sits at home waiting for it's next adventure.

On a brighter note, the trusty old rocks can be useful in some of the beaten up wood houses in the bush, as they allow you to stay in the track area and not give away the pocket.

Cheers,
Jason

 

[Loose Cannon]

Yes i have found this out already . They dont hook much , absorb the oil ,pretty much had to wipe my ball after very throw also and dont seem the have the penetration like i remembered they did. In the day i could bowl a brooklyn with the rhino and 95% of the time would always strike it was that destructive, today it had little impact. The old columbia u dot was great for sparing though, didnt deviate much at all , spun slightly and almost skidded to the pin(s) might be a keeper. Played a few games today and rolled a 183 ,148 & 153 . I think once i embrace the newer technology i should be able to get my game on

 

[Chosen]

Thanx for that. Yep my old balls were the old urethane made ones, my brunswick rhino was the main ball i used with the columbia i used a spare pickup ball. Just unsure how these balls are now compared to the plastic & reactive ones of today. What are drilling costs these days? I'm happy to spend whatever to get the "right gear" as i'm serious about bowling again.

Hey Welcome back to the greatest sport on the planet! My advice is since you are serious about the sport again & not afraid to spend some coin, then instead of spending dollars trying to relive the 90s (no offense hehe) step up into 2011 & invest in some new gear that has been made & therefore better suited for todays lane conditions.

Do not however throw away your old balls. Consider buying a 3 or 4 ball roller and bring your old balls along with the new one or ones because you never know when oil might become a pipe dream (i've bowled on conditions where my plastic ball hooked like a reactive beast lol). Plus the old balls can keep the new balls company & tell them old war stories lol & things like" i remember when I use to get splinters stuck all around me from those old wooden lanes " hehehehe......happy bowling

 

[cosworth]

As someone who is also thinking about re-entering the sport after a similar period of time, there is some good advice in this thread. It's great to hear I'm not the only one with some of the old Angles sitting under the bed.

Cheers
Jamie

 

[Captain Obvious]

As someone who is also thinking about re-entering the sport after a similar period of time, there is some good advice in this thread. It's great to hear I'm not the only one with some of the old Angles sitting under the bed.

Cheers
Jamie

I had completely forgot about them

 

[Loose Cannon]

The old angles werent a bad ball in their day , had a purple one myself.

 

[WAC4504]

Man, times sure have changed, back in the mid '70s I had a Brunswick Mixer II called the purple grape. I remember I thought that was the coolest ball on earth. Now days ball manufactures pump out 3-5 new balls a year, making it tough to choose. So don't let the new balls overwhelm you, just find you a pro shop or coach and get their advise. And welcome back to the greatest, and most addictive sport on earth.

 

[cosworth]

I only had the earlier ones as a junior, none of the fancy purple and blue Angles. The black angle was such a great ball for me. The gold was great for freshly oiled wooden lanes, and the grey for when things dried out too much for the black. Things were so much simpler back then. I did buy a Faball Blue Nail at the tail end of my Junior days. Man that thing hit hard, still have it in the bag.

I'm luckier in that I briefly re-entered the sport again in the late 90's, and bought a couple of used Zone's (swirly black one and a softer green one) along with two others that haven't even been drilled. Shiftwork put an abrupt end to any possibility of regular bowling, but now I'm back to 9-5 (more like 9-7 at the moment) it might be time to give it another crack.

Cheers
Jamie