Where are the bowlers?

[B00T]

Lots of random talks about bowling...If it is ok with Salt if this can be the OFFICIAL bowling thread...

Anyone ever throw a 300?

I have 4 299's and an 800 to my resume but no stinkin 300.

This year I am averaging 208,211, and 215 in 3 leagues...

[stabn]

**stabn should shut up where bowling is concerned**

[kerssens]

[ QUOTE ]
don't bowl much, but i thought a 299 was mathematically impossible at bowling

[/ QUOTE ]

9 on the 12th shot

[jakethebake]

I hadn't bowled in like five years, but last time I did I bowled a 280+ (I don't remember exactly). And I was bowling two games at once. The other was like a 260+. When I used to bowl pretty regularly I was something like barely a 200 average bowler. Really weird. Next time it'll probably be a 120 or something. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[beerbandit]

all strikes and a 9 on the final ball = 299

third part of the tenth frame

i bowl a couple times a year -- my highest game is a 245 and ive had maybe 10 games over 200 -- actually i went bowing last weekend for the first time this year. i bowled three games and had 2 games around 150 and 1 around 180 --- i like drinking beer at the bowling alley

i remember that before i bowled over a game over two hundred, all i needed was maybe seven pins and only got six -- something like that


if its an offical thread youd better make sure and put it in the subject

cheers
beer

[stabn]

Hmm alright. I didn't totally work out, but i thought based on how the scorekeeping was done you'd end up with less if you got 9 there, but thinking about it now, i was way out in left field.

[kerssens]

I shot a 290 once and have at 3 11 strike games but never got the 300.

[B00T]

if you get a strike you get the score of the next two balls you throw in addition to the "ten" you got in the frame of the strike. If you throw three strikes in frames 1-3 you have 30 in first frame.

If you threw 2 strikes and 9 in the first ball of the third frame you get the first strike (10) the first ball bonus (10) and the 2nd ball bonus (9) and end up with 29 in the first frame.

If you get a strike in the first frame and a spare in the second you get (10) + 1st ball after bonus (9) + 2nd ball bonus (1) 10+9+1 = 20

So for a 299 you get 30 every frame except the 10th one...the 9th frame you have 270 (30 in each frame) since the 2 bonus shots are the first ball in the 10th, and the following ball (the 11th frame, or bonus shot for the 10th frame) the 12th shot is where you get 9, so your score for that 10th frame alone is the 29, (10)+(10)+(9). 270 in the 9th frame and 29 total in the 10th = a 299.



I am lefty and all 4 of my 299's were 7 pins...go figure.

[NoChance]

286 is my best (10 strikes and then an 8- in the 11th).

Had four 279 games and had a 203 average two years ago. No time for a bowling league now with new job.

Most of my games fell between 190 and 220.

[ThaSaltCracka]

I wonder how many more people will explain to you how to throw a 299 /images/graemlins/tongue.gif
198 is my best, damn you guys.

[fatmongo]

I think my high score is in the 110s. Come out here and try to get anywhere near 300. Or 200 for that matter. Oh yeah, I should mention all we have here is candlepin bowling.

[YourFoxyGrandma]

What is candlepin bowling? Is it anything like duckpin bowling? That's pretty much all we have where I'm from and it's hard as [censored].

[Nick B.]

I haven't bowled regularly in about 4 years. The bowling alley by my house went to new synthetic lanes, and they are so easy. I went bowling a couple weeks ago, first time in a year and had a 230+ and 250+.

I am bowling at an elks club too. They are really old lanes that are hand oiled, lots of fun.

[fatmongo]

I guess candlepin is similar to duckpin in that you use a ball that is smaller than a ten pin ball. I don't know what the weight is but its the size of a grape fruit. Also, in candlepin, the pins are totally different. They are taller, and almost cylindrical.

[WC64]

I bowl in 2 leagues right now and have a 204 and 203 average in them at the moment. I finished last year with a 210 average so, as any good bowler would do, I blamed my current year on my ball and just got me a new ball drilled lol.

Anyway I have a high game of 286 I believe. I had the first 10 then completely missed the head pin and got a 7. I don't recall how many I picked up after that. My high series is 745.

I use a Reaction Richochet (old), Scout Reactive (pickup), and my new ball is a Big Bully (yet to be used). Then I probably have about 10 other balls in my garage lol.

[beerbandit]

[ QUOTE ]
They are really old ladies that are hand oiled

[/ QUOTE ]

this doesnt sound very fun

cheers

[Leo99]

2x300, 1x299, 1x290, 0x800 :-(

[JeffO]

I've got two 300's and two 299's. Left a solid 9 and flush seven. Never shot 800 though. 795 is my best.

[B00T]

What balls do you guys currently use?

I bring 2 with me, a Trauma (the original Blue one) and a Fear Factor. I almost exclusively use Storm but probably should get a new ball. Had both over a year and noticing a slight decrease in flip on them. I am leaning towards getting a Brunswick most likely a Raging or Blazing Inferno. Any ideas?

One house I bowl at is switching to synthetics in 2 weeks. The other one the conditions range so I am not sure what is the best to get at this point. I think I do better with a hard cover. I like the reaction from the Trauma as opposed to the Fear Factor which feels like a pile of butter.

[WC64]

I really like Columbia balls so thats what I use. I use a Reaction Richochet (old), Scout Reactive (pickup), and my new ball is a Big Bully (yet to be used). (Copied from above).

Both places I bowl are synthetic lanes and have recently switched in the last couple years so the only balls I have used there are Columbia.

[stabn]

That's why i edited it, so it would cut the number down. If i hadn't it probably would have been hundreds.

Ah well.

[bosoxfan]

So you are saying candlepin is only in this area? I need to get out more. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[fatmongo]

Yeah from what I understand, you can only find candlepin in MA and NH. I think its funny how we were brought up thinking 'bowling' meant candlepin. But for the rest of the country 'bowling' means ten pin, and they have no idea what our bowling is.

[jakethebake]

Candlepin? Duckpin? What the heck are you people talking about? I had no idea there were regional bowling differences. Live & learn.

[YourFoxyGrandma]

Duckpin bowling is a little different I guess. You still use a smaller ball, but the pins are smaller and fatter than regular pins. Also, they're arranged in 2 rows instead of the regular triangular configuration, making strikes really effing hard and only hitting 2 pins really easy. They call it duckpin because the pins fly all over the place when the ball hits them. You know. Like ducks.

Needless to say, I don't play that much. Too frustrating for my blood.

[nothumb]

I have three 299's... no 300's... I was slackin this year until the last few weeks. Ended last season with a 217 average, good enough to be a captain in my scratch league, averaging about 210 this year.

I have a ton of old balls... my best games were mostly with my X-Factor before it died and my Columbia Throttle Up... I still throw the Throttle Up sometimes, my main ball is a Storm Barbed Wire right now. I am thinking of getting a new ball, maybe a little more aggressive than the BW, which has a lot of games on it.

Our league bowls a 4-game series of which my high is like 940 something. Highest three-game series is only about 760.

I've never had a game over 279 that wasn't a 299. Lots of games in the 250-279 range, only 3 higher than that.

I throw with no thumb, but not screwing around like most of these kids doing that style... I stay under the ball and track right next to my finger holes, throw a more direct line than a lot of house bowlers, usually throwing a 16# ball in the 18-18.5 mph range.

NT

[B00T]

Your XFactor died already?

I have seemed to notice that problem with Storm Balls...After like 400-500 games they are absolutely dead.

[nothumb]

If by 'already' you mean after 700+ games, yeah, it died already.

It was also my first new ball and I didn't take great care of it. Tried resurfacing it but it's gone. Bummer, too. My next ball might be something out of the same line. It's a hell of a marble.

NT

[Leo99]

18.5 mph? I guess you are playing direct lines thumb or not. I'm throwing a TI Messenger 16# about 15.5 mph. I can get it up to 16 or down to 14 if I need to. I was thinking of entering the pro-am at Carolier lanes when the PBA comes to town to get the ball. But, the ball is an "Exclusive Brunswick High Performance Ball." I bowled it years ago and got the Danger Zone which was a great ball for me at the time.

[1337 skills]

Sounds like bowling sucks in the northeast.

[nothumb]

Hey Leo,

I bowled with a guy who used the TI last season, really smooth lefty, similar speed to yours. He did great with it, but started leaving a lot of corner pins when things got dry and he had to swing it...

With the BW, I usually start out with my left foot around 25, hitting about the 15 board and getting out to the 8 or 9. Last week the lanes broke down so much that I was finishing with my left foot around 35 (can't remember the last time I had to play that deep) and going out to the 5 board!!!

You're right, I try to stay fairly direct, it keeps me out of trouble. The shot I'm on right now gives me a little room to tug it inside for the first game or two if I miss, and after that I'm usually swinging it and there's a nice wall going. /images/graemlins/laugh.gif Gotta love house bowling...

NT

[nothumb]

Oh, and I'm not a huge fan of the new Brunswick Inferno and Warp lines... the Infernos roll out on me like a particle ball and they die even faster than Columbia balls... the only Zone I ever like was the original, which I still have in 14# and bring out if there's a lot of oil. That ball hooks right out of the locker.

NT

[TimM]

I haven't bowled seriously since the Blue Hammer was the ball to have.

I live very close to Deer Park Bowl on Long Island, which used to be a little 16 lane dump with overhead projector scoring, but it was a big action house at the time. The local players used to know every lane - things like one lane had loose heads, another had water dripping on it in heavy rains, not to mention the wear patterns varied widely and made some shots unplayable on certain lanes. They used to take a good amount of money from the Pro's who would come in when there used to be a tour stop in Sayville, and from other action bowlers who would come in from the city or NJ. There would also be heavy betting between the spectators.

Someone even made a site about it, long after my time, but a lot of the same faces...

http://www.actionbowlers.com/

Click on the Action At Deer Park link.

[TimM]

Here's a good story. Basically I used to bet as a spectator, and the proper strategy for this was to always bet on the local player(s). If you were quick enough, or the other side had enough money, there would be enough to cover your bet, otherwise you would be shut out. There would usually be a call that money was needed to cover the other side, and of course, those who were just there to gamble would take the worst of it. There were usually a few grand bet on each side, with as much as 5K or more at times. Matches would start after the Friday Mens league ended, and continue until dawn.

One match I remember was a doubles match between two locals and two NYC bowlers. Doubles matches usually had long negotiation periods to find pairs that both sides would accept. One of the locals in this match was a little erratic, and the other was one of the best in the house.

Anyway, the match was very close, with the house bowlers a little ahead, when the erratic one left the 4-6-7-10 in the 10h frame. His partner says get the two, we need it. So the guy gets up and throws as hard as he can at the 6-10. He chops the 10 off, but it bounces back out of the pit and takes out the 7, for an extra two pins in count. After the rest of the shots were taken in the 10th, the locals won by one stick.

[nothumb]

Dude, is there a game you DON'T play?

I bet I've got you at bowling. You could house me at chess, no doubt. What other games do you play?

I am tough at table tennis, spades, hearts, shuffleboard. Not so hot at pool or bridge.

I know your type, you're a degenerate. /images/graemlins/blush.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[bosoxfan]

we have real bowling too. just candlepin as well.

[TimM]

[ QUOTE ]
Dude, is there a game you DON'T play?

I bet I've got you at bowling. You could house me at chess, no doubt. What other games do you play?

I am tough at table tennis, spades, hearts, shuffleboard. Not so hot at pool or bridge.

I know your type, you're a degenerate. /images/graemlins/blush.gif /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm the less degenerate guy who hangs out with the real degenerates (or used to). You do have me at bowling, I was like mid 180's at best. Probably table tennis too, I played a little, my brother is a lot better there too.

Anyway, I guess you could say I was raised on games. My parents owned a pinball/video arcade when I was a kid. My brother is about five years younger, so he got it even worse than me. When he was 8 he was beating adults out of a few bucks a game on our coin-op pool table.

We played just about every video game imaginable in the late 70's/80's. We also had Foosball, which we got pretty good at. When we were a little older we'd play poker, backgammon, and other games (even games like monopoly, and kids card games Uno and Mille Bornes) for money after closing with friends and employees.

I kinda stuck mostly to chess after that. I wanted to pick one and be really good at it, and chess was the most interesting to me. My brother's latest obsession is golf, and of course mine is poker. I guess he was always more into the physical games while I stuck to the mental ones.

[stationcalling]

jerome bettis has bowled multiple 'perfect' games

no idea how bettis got into bowling though

[Kenrick]

I've got a couple or three 300's, a couple 299's and 298's. I only remember my college "Beginning Bowling" class 299, and I remember my first 300 because I was throwing a Nitro/R straight down 4th arrow on one lane and hooking a Gold Rhino Pro about 40 boards on the other lane, and almost every Gold Rhino Pro shot was not very good.

Currently throwing a Green Monster most of the time, a Nighthawk M2 for more oil and more backend, (WICKED ball for carrydown, even when polished), and I haven't thrown my Track Enforcer particle ball in over a year because everything hooks too damn much when you throw like a cross between Bob Vespi and Robert Smith. And if you've never seen either of those guys bowl, you are missing out.

Whoever had the "dead" ball, put it in the oven on a pie plate on the lowest setting for an hour or two and let the oil bleed out. (Dishwasher works too.) Should be good as new unless it needs resurfacing, which would require a sander.

[nothumb]

Kenrick -

Tried all the tricks with the oven, etc. Not a chance. That ball was done for. I got a lot of miles out of it, though, that's really all you can ask.

One of my 299 games I was doing the same thing you talked about... playing the Barbed Wire, foot on 30, ball hitting the arrows at around 18 and never getting beyond 15. 19+mph every shot.

Other lane, swinging the X-Factor to the ditch and back. Unreal. Left a solid ten on that lane on the last ball...

Happens on the pair of lanes closest to a side door in our house... just about every week. A few of us have it figured out and make the move in advance... others complain week after week... /images/graemlins/cool.gif

NT

[Nick B.]

[ QUOTE ]
I only remember my college "Beginning Bowling" class 299

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, I had a 289 in my college Beginning Bowling class.

[WC64]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I only remember my college "Beginning Bowling" class 299

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha, I had a 289 in my college Beginning Bowling class.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had a 279 in mine lol. Anyone have a 269?

[Ian J]

Oh boy, where to start. I've probably averaged being in a bowling alley 300 days a year for the first 20 years of my life. My dad owned a proshop until I was about 9 and then my parents purchased a bowling alley in the south Seattle area.

As for bowling, I've got 9 300s, 4 or 5 299s, and only 1 800. I bowl league one night a week on a super easy shot and average 230. I do practice 2-3 days a week though and bowl tournaments virtually every weekend in various parts of WA and OR.

All you Columbia lovers out there, keep on doing it. They recently signed me to an amateur contract and they are definitely the company for bowling balls. Someone mentioned the new Big Bully, what a ball. Lots of other stuff they make is really good too.

Well, there's my story. I guess you could say bowling's my thing.

[Kenrick]

[ QUOTE ]
With the BW, I usually start out with my left foot around 25, hitting about the 15 board and getting out to the 8 or 9. Last week the lanes broke down so much that I was finishing with my left foot around 35 (can't remember the last time I had to play that deep) and going out to the 5 board!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

38-ish on the approach and swinging it out from around fourth arrow is my standard shot unless the lanes tell me to throw a different line. Since it's a bit like a home-run hitter swinging for the fences, high-risk/high-reward, the general manager at my main center nicknamed me "Strike or Five."

Depending on how the lanes hold up, doing fifth arrow during the third game is pretty typical unless switching balls. Any further left than that and the ball return starts getting in the way. When that happens, I do the short approach from in front of it since I never got the hang of doing a full approach with the then drifting to the left part. One nice thing about playing deeper than most everyone else is that there's rarely anyone using up your oil. Just usually have to keep the breakpoint inside after awhile as the down-and-in'ers burn up the track area.

One time I saw Wayne Webb throwing on the right lane but starting his approach on the left side of the ball return and then drifting to the right. Coolest deep-line play I've ever seen still probably has to be Robert Smith on TV a couple years ago standing in front of the ball return and then lofting it over the gutter to the arrows to hit about 7 board on the left. Amazing stuff, especially with 21 revs and 22mph.

[1337 skills]

What's the deal with bleeding oil? I live in Phoenix and when it's summer time and I drive to the bowling alley with my balls in the trunk (no AC) there's always a little puddle. Should I get my ball resurfaced?

[tek]

[ QUOTE ]


Anyway, I guess you could say I was raised on games. My parents owned a pinball/video arcade when I was a kid. My brother is about five years younger, so he got it even worse than me. When he was 8 he was beating adults out of a few bucks a game on our coin-op pool table.

We played just about every video game imaginable in the late 70's/80's. We also had Foosball, which we got pretty good at. When we were a little older we'd play poker, backgammon, and other games (even games like monopoly, and kids card games Uno and Mille Bornes) for money after closing with friends and employees.

I kinda stuck mostly to chess after that. I wanted to pick one and be really good at it, and chess was the most interesting to me. My brother's latest obsession is golf, and of course mine is poker. I guess he was always more into the physical games while I stuck to the mental ones.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sounds like me, except my parents had a coin-op route. I too grew up around bowlers, pool hustlers and other assorted degenerates /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Played all the games and had a full size complete arcade in the basement.

Started bowling in grade school. Learned to handicap the ponies in Junior High. Played Blackjack at the Stardust in Vegas in 8th grade back when the cheap tables were a half buck.

Growing up around the people we did was very intereesting and educational.

[Slacker13]

I took out my daughter a few weeks ago with a solid 112. I was happy.

[Kenrick]

[ QUOTE ]
What's the deal with bleeding oil? I live in Phoenix and when it's summer time and I drive to the bowling alley with my balls in the trunk (no AC) there's always a little puddle. Should I get my ball resurfaced?

[/ QUOTE ]

The balls suck up oil over time like a sponge, and above-average heat brings it back out. Some people put the ball in the dishwasher, the heat brings the oil out and the soap and water washes it off, but I've always done the oven route. I used to take the ball out every ten or so minutes and wipe it down, but then I got lazy and just left it in for an hour or so. They've always reacted like-new again after that. There's a slight chance the heat can crack the core, but that's really rare, and the ball acts like crap anyway if you don't get the oil out.

There are differing opinions on if the stuff coming out is oil or if it's a liquid form of some of what the ball is made up of, but whichever it is doesn't really matter since either way it is what it is.

Resurfacing is sanding the track and nicks off the surface of the ball. Some pro shops have professional "rejuvenators" to get the oil out. These are basically high-priced ovens. Obviously not worth paying $20+ for.