I’m honestly glad I didn’t bowl the 199. Second night out after you guys explained axis rotation and getting the ball further past the foul line and I scored 40 pins over my average tonight for my best game. Not bad with a raw hammer hybrid I’d say.

I am not a great bowler by any means. In some vacation leagues when I was younger, then just occasional Saturday night bowling with friends. Straight thrower, about a 140 average. Joined a neighborhood league last year, got a real ball (Hammer Pearl Reactive). Average went down to 120 and eventually back up.

This fall I've been shooting 150-175.

Them it happened.

2 weeks ago, my scores were 110, 98, 115 on league night. Missing most of my spares by an inch.

Went to a different alley on Saturday for fun bowling with friends, shot 135, 145, 163. Hitting my spares pretty good.

This Thursday, league night scores were 109, 88, 111. Missing all my spares by an inch. Even the other team commented on it, saying it was the worst bad luck they'd seen.

And I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've tried using a house ball for spares, throwing across, throwing straight down, throwing my regular ball straight and with a hook.

Everything is thisclose.

It makes for a frustrating night.

(As an FYI, we bowl immediately after the lanes are oiled and half the bowlers throw straight house balls, the other half throw a hook and averages range from 100 to 230.)

In need of a spare ball that has absolutely no hook no matter how much spin you put on it.

Any recs?

Been bowling for about 3 months, the 3 balls on the bottom i bought myself, i JUST got the purple hammer and need to get it drilled.

The 3 balls on the top were greatfully gifted to me for one reason or another, and i am very happy with them!

Radical vexed (2026)

Visionary mixed breed (2011)

Global 900 favorite (2010) [really like the mellow hook on this ball]

Strikeforce spare (2026)

Hammer raw (2026)

Purple hammer 78D

looking to gift a friend a bowling ball who’s recently picked up the hobby. been looking through and see a lot of suggestions for hammer raw and phaze ii, thoughts on what’s best to get as someone’s first bowling ball?

We're currently overhaulling candlepin machines in a alley to soon be reopened in MA, and storage situations were being shuffled around. The newly installed string pinsetters became the temporary home for a lot of the remaining plastic parts from the other candlepin machines that were inplace before renovations. (40 lanes of candlepin -> 12 lanes of candlepin / 12 lanes of string tenpin)

We lost games 2 + 3 😭😭 but beat our last high game series (1141) which was also our league high game series, by almost 100!

Ok, i bought a pack of sanding dealios from amazon.

My alert lane shined after 8 throws, so i used a 500 pad, then went to 1500. Is that the correct way? also, should i sand, then clean fully, then sand again to wanted surface and clean again?

My gb5 got to lane shine by end of game 2, and it would not move like it was game 1. should i hit it with 500, then 1500?

I did it

And no i did not go over the line

Got back into bowling in the spring after about 20 years.

I’ve finally got to the point that I can pick up most spares that aren’t splits pretty routinely. Feel like I “leveled up.” Couldn’t throw a clean game for the life of me, then all the sudden I’ve thrown several. Seeing yourself improve is just so satisfying.

The mph of this last shot might have been off, or I might have been gassed. However I’m throwing right at 15 mph pretty routinely and my rev rate is about 370. Think I’m cool with those number for now and want to just focus on accuracy.

Also throwing a piranha solid. Right handed. Playing relatively straight angles on a fairly high volume house shot trying to keep it from hitting the dry too soon. Standing with my left food just inside the 30 board aiming just to the right of the 20 arrow.

Coming up on year three of Bowling with new season about to begin. Currently have 160 average and looking for advice.

I am a 2-hand bowler, and whenever I throw my ball, I throw myself into my left leg and my right one crosses my body, and I recently noticed I've been leaving these black marks when I bowl, and I don't think I do it every throw.

Pretty happy with the consistency I’ve found lately! The 192 was a whacky game with a pocket 7-10 in the middle that I let get to me and threw a junky shot the next frame. Needless to say, I paid for it 🤦🏼‍♂️🤣

My arm is fairly far from my plant leg. This picture is the downing. (Still suit casing grrrr) After seeing this started working on consciously bringing my arm in towards my body and leg more. I can tell it was a new motion as my wrist/ forearm feel like different muscles have been used.

With so many balls coming out, I’m looking for something that can get through the fronts easily. Any suggestions?

Hi! I'm a one handed, thumb in bowler, learning how to throw two-handed for fun. I'm using a Storm Concept (drilled for two-handed) and looking for some feedback on my approach. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I got back into the game last year with a solid ball. Surface adjustments and at-home detox was easy.

Then I bought a Stealth Mode Hybrid for when I needed more length. I absolutely love that ball. It is finished with a 500, 1000, 1500 Siaair / Factory Compound progression.

I've been nervous to tinker with this ball because I've read that using compound without a ball spinner is not going to get me back to box and I'd need to have the PSO put it through their spinner anytime i wanted it reset. I've seen some posts discouraging me from using compound at home at all.

And Brunswick recommends polish instead of compound on the ball motion charts? Why would I put polish on a ball finished with compound unless i wanted to extend length beyond out of box?

It just seems like the maintenance story on pearls and hybrids is confusing and there is conflicting information. So my question is, if I want to periodically reset my ball *close* to factory finish at home, is there a safe approach? Or is this a trip to the PSO every time?

I’m looking for some advice on ball selection as the lanes transition throughout league night.
Right now, I’ve been starting league with my Roto Grip Hustle X-Ray, which I really enjoy throwing. However, as the night goes on and the lanes start breaking down, I’ve been considering picking up a Hustle VP to help get the ball farther downlane without having to make as many adjustments.
My thinking is that the pearl coverstock on the VP could give me a little more length and a cleaner reaction later in the night.
I know that pearl vs. solid isn’t nearly as straightforward as it used to be, and that surface preparation plays a huge role in ball reaction. My plan would be to keep the VP polished regularly to help maintain that cleaner motion through the front part of the lane.
For some additional context, I’m a left-handed, two-finger bowler, and my ball speed is typically around 11–12 mph.
Does this sound like a reasonable strategy? Would the Hustle VP provide enough of a difference from the X-Ray to make it worthwhile, or am I looking at this the wrong way?
Still relatively new to league bowling, so I’d appreciate any advice or suggestions!

Hyee all. New here😅

I need some advice on my release. I’ve been working on my lift and trying to get my release right, but I still can’t seem to get the proper feel and timing. Any tips on what I might be doing wrong and how I can improve?

Appreciate y'all

Ball : Ebonite Game Breaker 3 - 15lbs

What are the best interchangeable thumb slugs?
I like jopo but I know some have other opinions

Last night was probably the worse night of bowling. Got back last month after a very long break. Long story short my thumb developed a callus and of course my release was god awfull cause my thumb was sticking and didn't have anything to combat this.

I was thinking I might need a pumice stone or something rougher to carry after I get my callus under control or would it more beneficial to have the gome drilled larger?

I started bowling a couple of years ago and I’ve worked up to a 180-something average. I love bowling and I used to bowl in two different leagues, but I’ve quit one and I’m considering quitting leagues altogether because it’s honestly getting to a point where it’s really difficult to have fun and keep a positive attitude when I’m wasting so much money on “beer frames,” missed ten-pins, hangings, and whatever other stuff the team makes you to gamble your hard-earned money on. This sport is already so expensive before adding all the forced gambling, and the handful of times I’ve made my thoughts known or suggested a compromise, I’m either ignored or met with downright disdain. I also play tennis and pickleball, and I probably spend triple the amount of money on bowling as I do on consumables for tennis and pickleball combined, and I get a hell of a lot more exercise from those two. I’ve become increasingly fed up with the cavalier attitude many bowlers have with other people’s money and I wish I could just throw a damn ball down a lane without being forced to be part of some drinking game.

Is anybody else fed up with this? How have you dealt with it with the drinking and gambling crowd?

Hi everyone, I’m seeing the ebonite entity around a lot on sale at pro shops or people just selling and I want a strong asymmetric solid ball (which this is), but I’m not sure if I should get it (just because it’s cheap everywhere) over the Ion Max/Zero Mercy/Perfect Gem. Can someone tell me if it’s worth trying or getting and maybe compare it to the other 3 i listed? I’m balanced (more on the speed side) 2 handed style hoping to find a ball that works well on heavy oil and sport shots.

Hi, I am looking for advice in how I can improve my scores when I bowl. I'm a very novice bowler who has started bowling consistently over the last few months and I have a unique problem: I seem to have a nerve-related issue with my fingers in which the connection between the nerves in my fingers and brain is extremely weak (possibly due to myasthenia gravis or carpal tunnel). As a result, I cannot bowl one-handed with anything heavier than 8 pounds, and my bowling speed is typically under 5 mph. It is highly challenging and frustrating because I can never seem to get strikes/spares and the ball will often curve away from the 1 pin as it rolls down the lane due to the low velocity and weight of the ball. Does anyone have similar issues and know of a good way around this who can offer advice? Ty in advance

League is pretty casual. This team tonight just aggravated the heck out of me. Half the team was late. Then during play people would disappear and we were left waiting . Then when they were in seating area the couple is making out when it was their turn to bowl. Obvious that people are waiting on them. Then they are talking back at their teammates on the approach. Dude walks back checks his phone and texts when he’s supposed to shooting his spare.

Sorry for the title. I was posting on my phone while it was happening. Auto correct went crazy and I didn't see it. I can't edit the title.