Tips For Dry Bowling Lanes

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 12/2/2013; Updated: 2/1/2023

If you are a mid-range average bowler and are struggling to bowl well on dry lanes, consider a few of the following tips to help combat these lane conditions:
1. Widen your delivery angle. Since the breakpoint down the lane is not going to change much, you must use a slightly wider delivery angle to get your ball to skid far enough before hooking and rolling to the pocket.
2. Adjust your sighting target one board for each three board you move your feet. Since the lanes are dry, you likely will move left (if you are a right handed bowler). Move your feet and sighting target the same direction with your feet adjusting three boards for every one board with your spot on the lane.
3. Increase your bowling ball speed. Do not try and hurl your ball down the lane, rather deliver your ball at about 90% full power so you can still maintain balance and control of your swing.
4. Avoid rotating your bowling fingers more than one half inch of rotation. Staying behind the ball with your bowling hand as long as you can, let your ball flow smoothly off of your fingers. Only rotate the ball perhaps one half of an inch of rotation. This will keep your ball rolling in a forward direction with very little axis tilt.
5. Use a bowling ball with low track flare. Low track flare balls tend to hook much less on the back end of the lane than high flare bowling balls do.
6. Use a coverstock that promotes a long skid length as opposed to one which is aggressive and tends to create excessive traction on the lane and hooks far too soon to control.
7. Use a weak drilling layout which influences your ball reaction to not hook sharply on the back end of the lane.

8. Use a coverstock with a fine grit and smooth surface texture to encourage a long skid motion.
Any of these tips can work. You may implement multiple tips to help you combat dry lane conditions.
Your pro shop professional can help you with your bowling ball equipment and help you maintain the surface texture for bowling on dry lanes.
Your coach can help you make swing and release adjustments to bowl effectively on dry lanes. Your coach can also help you make alignment and adjustment decisions by setting a strategy for you to follow when bowling on dry lanes.