Q: I am a 66-year-old bowler bowling in two leagues per week. I average 198 and 211 in those leagues, respectively. My only problem is that I am inconsistent. I do not generate enough ball speed to use the highly aggressive bowling balls on the market today. My balls are currently drilled with a full finger-tip grip. In the past (BJI contributor) Tom Kouros has spoken about changing to a conventional grip. Could such a change help me become more consistent?
— Donald Byarm, Somerdale, NJ
A: The advantage of using a shorter grip (semi-fingertip or conventional) is that it allows the bowler to keep
their fingers in the ball for a slightly longer amount of time during the release. For you, a shorter grip will
most likely create more of a “spinner” release, resulting in greater skid through the front portion of the lane and increased hook in the back portion of the lane. Also, there will be less likelihood of a ball rolling out. If that’s what you are after, give it a try. PBA Senior bowler Tommy Baker uses the spinner release to great effect. The great Glenn “Mr. 900” Allison also has used a conventional grip throughout most of his career, and he still is knocking down plenty of pins.

Q: I cut off a portion of my right ring finger many years ago. Currently, I use a fingertip grip for the shortened ring finger and a semi-finger-tip grip for my middle finger. Unfortunately, I get severe pain in the ring finger if I bowl too many games. I currently average 197, but I think I could carry a higher average if I did not experience such terrible pain. Any suggestions?
—Lonnie Heuer, St. Ignatius, MI
A: Off the top of my head, you might want to try drilling a ball with holes for the middle and baby fingers, so as to not put any pressure on the ring finger. Another possibility is to use the middle finger and the index finger for the drilling. This was a very popular way of drilling the ball way back in the 1940’s and ’50s The great Ed Lubanski of Detroit sometimes used a drilling with just the middle and index finger. A third and final approach that might be able to solve your dilemma would be to use a two-finger ball with holes drilled only for the middle finger and thumb. I recommend you take three of your oldest and/or most expendable balls to an experienced pro shop operator, plug them and have them re-drilled to match the aforementioned suggestions. See which, if any, of the new drillings feels comfortable and allows you to bowl without pain.

Q: One often hears about how it is necessary to match your rev rate with your ball speed, especially in the context of modern reactive resin bowling balls. But how does one determine
whether their revs and ball speed are properly matched?
— John Neskov, Mesa, AZ
A: To be honest, the only way to determine whether your ball speed and rev rate matches is to use a camera and meet with a qualified bowling instructor. A good rule of thumb, though, is to watch the ball roll and see if the skid, roll and hook pattern matches up on the lanes. Sometimes, if one’s speed is too slow, the ball will roll out and not hit the pins hard. On the opposite end of that spectrum, a ball thrown too fast may not grab the lane enough. If this happens, the ball may not generate enough entry angle to carry well, or it might completely miss the pocket. A great example of a bowler who matches his rev rate with his ball speed is Chris Barnes. A bowler who has a great deal of trouble matching up on a consistent basis, however, is Pete Weber, who, because of his unique release and slower ball speed, probably would win more often if every bowler were required to use urethane balls. As great as Weber is (his number of titles speaks for itself), he has had trouble at times matching up to lane conditions because of his speed-revs (and axis rotation) ratio.

Need help with your game?
Write to Mike McGrath at
Bowlers Journal International,
122 S. Michigan Ave., Suite
1506, Chicago, IL 60603, or
mikempba13@aol.com.