Oiled lanes and clean back ends

r3nu4l

Some of you are probably aware of this but if you are trying to hook a ball it makes a big difference to the effects you get...

The real problem with a lack of hooking of a ball is if the back end of the lanes aren't kept clean. When I worked in SuperDome we used to oil the lanes once a day but we always put on a double coat as it lasts a bit longer.

The last 15 feet of the lane are never oiled but after a day or so of people throwing balls down the lane, residual oil from the first 45 feet makes its way onto the back end. This oil should be stripped using a water/solvent mix. That way once the oil ends the ball stops sliding on the surface, suddenly grips wood (or plastic!) and hooks in rapidly.

If the back end isn't clean then when you throw the ball it will slide down the oil for the first 45 feet, continue for another five or six feet and then hook in but not to the same effect as it would otherwise.

In serious competition (not regular leagues) you will find that the lanes are freshly oiled and the back ends cleaned perfectly to produce maximum hook (Irish Open, Irish Masters etc).

It's something to look out for because if you bowl in an alley that doesn't clean the back ends at least twice a week (I don't think any of them do!) then it will affect your bowling when they do strip the back end.

If you do enter a competition in another alley try to bowl there at least once the week before the competition...Why? Because the lane people will have cleaned the back ends so that their own regulars can get used to the conditions while you won't be, thus helping them get better scores

Magic Pips

So the left handers will have an advantage?

Damn lefties, trying to take over the world

r3nu4l

It could explain why some left-handers show stronger consistency in their game...but I've only anecdotal evidence for that

Magic Pips

+1 vote for making the lefties play with their right