So Many Bowling Balls, Which to Choose?
Today, it’s getting harder and harder to choose the bowling ball that’s best for you. Some cost $50 while others cost $250; so how do you choose?
Let’s start with the basics. There is plastic, urethane, and reactive resin urethane to choose from.
A plastic bowling ball will work great for beginners who are just learning how to roll a bowling ball. These balls will generally go straight down the lane and not provide a great deal of hook. Typically, average to above average bowlers use these types of balls to shoot spares with. You can purchase these bowling balls for around $40 – $80 typically.
Regular urethane bowling balls are not as popular today as they once were in the 90′s, but a few bowling ball companies have started to offer them today. Urethane bowling balls will offer more hook potential than plastic, but still offer a great deal of control. Urethane bowling balls will roll well on drier lane conditions but will slide in oil. These can be purchased for around $80 – $120.
For bowlers looking to get the best performance and more hook out of a bowling ball, reactive resin bowling balls are the way to go today. Reactive resin bowling balls can range from $50 – $200 or more depending on the amount of reaction you’re looking for and how new the technology is.
There are many factors that go into selecting the right ball; type of lane you bowl on, your speed, weight of ball, what you’re looking for, etc. If you have any questions on selecting the right bowling ball for you, please feel free to leave me a comment.
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Hi Brian,
I just finished my first collegiate tournament and discovered it is time for me to have more than a strike and spare ball. The lanes dried out quickly and the black widow bite I have was too much for the lanes. For a dry lane ball I don't know whether to go with a urethane coverstock or a pearl coverstock. It seems to me that the higher rev players seem to like the urethane balls and I'm not a high rev player so I'm leaning towards a pearl one. What do you think?
Hey Thomas,
I know how the lanes can be at a college tournament. They certainly break down fast, and depending on where you're bowling, you never know what kind of shot you're going to get. What college are you bowling for?
For ball recomendations, Storm & Roto Grip have some great balls in their mid performance line. The Tropical Heat series by Storm works very well on medium to drier conditions, as well as Roto Grip's Dark Star. Those balls have pearl coverstocks.
As far as going with a urethane ball, it wouldn't be a bad idea depending on where you're going to bowl. I remember bowling tournaments like the Brickyard Classic & Colgate Invitational and the lanes were fried, so a urethane ball would be nice to have just in case you run into any of those conditions. The Storm Natural & Roto Grip Grenade are good options there.
Let me know if you have any additional questions about bowling balls or collegiate events you're bowling.
Leave your response!