Now you know that not all bowling balls are created equal. Because they are not designed for it, House balls are harder to hook. The next time you watch someone with their own bowling ball making it beautifully hook to the target, remember that it may be more the bowling ball than the skill of the bowler.
The density of the filler material used to make a bowling ball will change based on the desired weight of the ball. In essence, because all bowling balls are nearly uniform in size the filler is what enables the uniformity in bowling ball circumference while enabling different bowling ball weight classes.
Watching more skilled and experienced bowlers, nimbly hook their bowling ball down the lane and score a strike can be a bit frustrating for beginner bowlers. I first learned true mechanics of bowling when I was in college. I remember wondering how my bowling skills could fluctuate so much on a day to day basis.
Just like the core of a bowling ball can affect the action of a bowling ball as it rolls down the lanes, so can the coverstock. A softer (duller ball color) is better for more oily lane conditions and a harder (shinier ball color) reacts better to drier lane conditions.
The weight of a bowling ball is between 6 pounds and 16 pounds. There is a wide variation between ball weights to accommodate different physical strengths of bowlers. And to some extent, like in baseball with a baseball bat, the weight of a ball used can depend upon the skill level of the bowler.
A bowling ball is made up of three distinct parts; the coverstock, the filler and the core. The core of the bowling ball is a complex mixture of dense materials that controls it spin and hook.
The intent was to give you some practical insight into bowling balls that might help you with your bowling game.
What had changed were the characteristics of the lanes that I was bowling on, and the bowling balls that I was using. For practical purposes I want to concentrate on bowling ball basics and not on lane characteristics.
Bowling balls used when playing ten-pin bowling have several set physical characteristics. It makes bowling balls seem smaller than they really are.
For the most part these variations are forms of either five-pin bowling or ten-pin bowling. Ten-pin bowling is the most popular and the most widely played form of bowling.
I hope by reading this you now have a better understanding of bowling ball basics. There are definitely more complex issues surrounding bowling balls. The intent was to give you some practical insight into bowling balls that might help you with your bowling game.
The filler makes up for the weight between different balls the two most important parts of a bowling ball are actually the coverstock and the core. The shape of a bowling balls core can influence whether it hooks and by how much. Public use bowling balls at bowling alleys will have cores that are of uniform shape.
Bowling balls used when playing ten-pin bowling have several set physical characteristics. In essence, because all bowling balls are nearly uniform in size the filler is what enables the uniformity in bowling ball circumference while enabling different bowling ball weight classes. Just like the core of a bowling ball can affect the action of a bowling ball as it rolls down the lanes, so can the coverstock. The next time you watch someone with their own bowling ball making it beautifully hook to the target, remember that it may be more the bowling ball than the skill of the bowler.
