I need a new ball!

Magic Pips

Firstly i haven't played in since i was 17 or so, now thats 8/9 years ago, and im sure my fingers have changed a tad since then!

I have an old ball, i was thinking i could -eventually- use this as my spare ball!

Now do balls take a re-drilling?

Also where should i get advice on what ball would suit, i want to get back into bowling, but i need a ball that will be comfortable first!

All advice gladly taken!

r3nu4l

Well a ball can be re-drilled without much fuss. Your local alley should be able to do this on-site...(although I'm not sure about reactive urethane balls)

The only thing I would say is that you ask that they fill the old holes with the same core material as the ball is made of. That is, fill the old holes with polyester if it's a polyester ball and so on...

Now if you are going to play in local leagues the following doesn't really matter too much but... if you enter a serious competition it is worth noting that the ball you use should be approved or your result may be scrapped and you could be thrown out of the competition. See here.

Again ask your local bowling alley if you can speak with a qualified coach. Play a few frames in your normal style and get the coach to assess what might suit you.

What were you using in the past? Did it have finger plugs inserted for hooking?

The big deal these days still seems to be the "reactive" urethane ball.

Magic Pips

It does have plugs in it, but from memory wasnt that "spiney" lol... It seems to have a matt finish, though the type of ball... no idear... I'll take a trip out to ALSAA one of these evenings...

cast_iron

It's been a few years since I've thrown mine, but had it out recently. My hands have grown slightly.
I'm guessing it's a Urethane ball, with some hook, but not a huge amount.
It was fairly cheap, but did the job pretty well.

I've been threatening to start back doing it more regular, so must make more effort.

r3nu4l

Okay, I've been having a think and with the changes in ball technology over the years some advice is definitely needed.

Basically you need to decide if you want straightforward bog standard polyester or not. This will allow you some hook but it takes effort and excellent technique.

A urethane ball is designed to hook and requires good, consistent throwing technique to get good scores. This is what I'd recommend.

A reactive urethane ball is the height of technology and more forgiving of inconsistency between throws. Once you hit the pocket you'll get a nice pincount

Here comes the tricky bit. Whether you go for urethane or reactive urethane you need to know a bit about the ball makeup. Do you want a ball with topweight (drilled) for 'flare' or a straightforward ball? Watch the video a few times and read the text to get the meaning.

I advise a straightforward ball with low flare potential until you are back into the swing of things (geddit ). To be honest I've never bowled a ball with high flare potential but if I were you I'd wait until my technique and scores have improved before trying it out.

Have a look at the Brunswick Ball Talker Cards and the attached Brunswick ball comparison chart. AMF and other manufacturers may have similar charts but you need to look for them.

Finally, don't settle on any of the Brunswick balls just yet, you need to find a stockist in Ireland first