Do's & Don'ts For Plastic Bowling Balls
bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 7/1/2012; Updated: 11/20/2023
bowlingball.com has offered an array of
polyester (plastic) coverstock bowling balls for many years. It is time now to discuss some of the
Do's & Don'ts for plastic bowling balls. Many people believe if you are brand new to the game and wish to purchase your first bowling ball, that a plastic ball is the way to go. Choosing a plastic ball can be a good decision for a new bowler but there are limitations to using a plastic coverstock ball. So learning a few
Do's & Don'ts for plastic bowling balls can help you understand what advantages and limitations plastic balls provide.
Do: expect plastic bowling balls to be used by top players in the game such as those on the PBA Tour and by top amateur players in the country. Choosing a plastic ball for a beginning bowler (or bowlers of all skill levels) can certainly be a useful idea.
Don't: expect a plastic bowling ball to provide strong hook potential but rather a long ball skid and a controllable, modest ball motion on the back end.
Do: understand that plastic balls are the least aggressive of all
modern day coverstocks available in the market.
Don't: expect plastic bowling balls to combat medium to heavy oil conditions as effectively as urethane or reactive resin bowling balls.
Do: understand that plastic balls favor slow ball speed players for both strike and spare ball deliveries. Plastic balls will not hook as quickly as urethane balls because of the lesser amount of friction generated on the lane surface. Polyester or plastic bowling balls are factory finished with a polished and shiny surface which further provides the longest skid potential and least amount of back end ball reaction of all choices of bowling ball coverstocks.
Don't: expect high ball speed players to get a strong ball reaction using a plastic ball.
Do: consider using a plastic ball when you are bowling on wet/dry lane conditions such as on most house conditions. Plastic bowling balls will not over-react in the dry area of the lane nearly as quickly as will aggressive reactive resin bowling balls.
Don't: expect a plastic ball delivered in heavy oil to produce a strong angle of entry to the pocket. Plastic balls would be in danger of over-skidding in heavy oil and do not have a high hook potential rating to recover on the back end of the lane.
Do: understand that power players, those who hook the ball a great deal and have a very high ball speed and rev rate, will sometimes use plastic balls to control skid length and prevent an early hook motion on dry lane conditions.
Don't: expect a "stroker" type delivery, one with little hand action and only a slight axis tilt providing a small hook reaction, to make a strong back-end motion when using a plastic ball.
Do: trust using a plastic ball is you are an up-the-boards player and only hook the ball a slight amount. You can still get a reliable ball reaction when lane oil conditions breakdown in league or tournament play by not fearing playing in the dry portion of the lane.
Don't: expect to get the same hitting power or angle of entry into the pins using a plastic ball as opposed to a urethane or reactive resin coverstock bowling ball.
Do: expect to use a plastic ball for spares, particularly if you hook the ball and are trying to convert the difficult corner pin spares.
Don't: use a plastic ball to be accurate converting spares by trying to deliver the ball at a much faster speed than normal. If you are not well practiced using a very fast ball speed, your control and accuracy will suffer.
Do: expect plastic balls will help you gain control when the lane oil conditions break down, on fresh wet/dry conditions, and when shooting spares, particularly the tricky corner pin spares.
Don't: expect the best pin carry or hitting power when using plastic balls. Plastic balls must be used for control as opposed for power.
It is recommended to consult with your pro shop professional or a local bowling instructor to help you develop your equipment arsenal. Please don't be afraid to add a plastic ball to your personal inventory if you have not already done so.
You can find plastic models of bowling balls by simply browsing our site and checking out the great prices immediately available which include free shipping, free insurance, and no hidden handling charges. Ordering is easy by following our simple online instructions. Thanks for visiting
bowlingball.com.
