The End of The Bowling Ball Matter

In two previous articles, we covered ball and bowler types, cores, locator pins, and positive axis points. The articles were titled, "I Don't Understand My Bowling Ball," and "A Question of Balance." There are many more highly technical aspects that could be talked about; however, your favorite bowling pro shop person is the one who will be concerned about them as he or she lays out your ball for proper drilling to match your style and delivery. This final article will discuss the track, flare, center of gravity, and mass bias of a bowling ball.

When looking at your bowling ball, you will see some side-by-side rings alongside your "track." Your track is where your ball normally rolls all the time and those series of concentric circles are the "flare" (or, track flare) of the ball. Basically, the more the flare, the earlier the ball hooks and the less the flare, the later the ball hooks.

The center of gravity (CG) of a bowling ball is usually marked with a small punched dot ("punchmark"). Underneath this punchmark are a few extra ounces of weight that make up for the approximately 2-1/2 ounces removed by drilling the holes. This built-in "counter-balance" serves to prevent the ball from wobbling down the lane due to the top of the ball being lighter than the bottom of the ball.

If you look at older bowling balls, the three holes were always drilled over the label of the ball; however, as technology has advanced, it is now common to use the CG to its best potential by drilling the holes in other places on the ball. Ask your ball drilling pro about positive and negative side weight; finger and thumb weight; and top and bottom weight when he is fitting you for your next drilling. Here is a succinct summary of the different weights:

-Positive side weight tends to make the ball hook later and hook more. Negative side weight hooks sooner and hook less.

-Finger weight will make the ball go longer and snap harder into the pins. A Thumb weighted ball rolls sooner and will have a smoother arc as it starts to hook.

-Top weighted balls tend to go longer down the lane with a sharper snap. Bottom weighted balls roll earlier and arc more.

The mass bias of a ball is not a physical entity. It is a term used to describe the effect on your ball when the weights of the ball are shifted more to one side of the ball than the other and are no longer under the locator pin. Even with only the basics that have been covered, I'm sure you can easily surmise that the placement of the mass bias will affect the roll and reaction of your ball depending on where it is placed when you drill your ball.

There are many factors involved with choosing the right ball for yourself. As indicated earlier, there are other more technical aspects that are taken into account when laying out a ball to fit your particular style. I cannot overstate the fact, that you must consult with your pro shop ball driller before punching the holes in your ball. With the amount of money that can be spent on a bowling ball, it is all the more important for you to get the ball drilled correctly the first time.

I hope these three articles have given you some insight into the technical terms and aspects surrounding a bowling ball. I also hope that it will assist you when you purchase your next ball and help you get a better fit, thereby, increasing your scores and averages.

A Hui Hou, See you on the lanes!