2018 PBA Oil Patterns Part II
bowlingball.com 11/3/2017
There’s a song out there from around fifteen years ago I love, with the lines of, “Like a kid in a candy store, they’ll be coming back for more.” I’m coming back for more, and I bring with me more content that has been unveiled in the bowling community. PBA Experience leagues across the country hopefully will be using these four patterns that I will be talking about today, and we do know they will be used on the PBA circuit during the 2018 season. As I said in my most recent article of these patterns, they are the G.O.A.T.’s of the game. The PBA,as always, doing what they do best, honorsthe greats.
One of the ongoing greatest bowlers in the game is Johnny Petraglia. Famous for being instantly loyal to Brunswick for 25+ years,his pattern is 36 feet in length and a 1.58:1 ratio. This pattern will require you to play up the gutter as it is a short pattern. With 28.45 mL of oil, it has a heavy concentration of oil and you’ll be able to stay up the gutter for a longer period of time before having to play a tighter line, while still swinging to the friction. One-handed bowlers can throw basically anything, varying on their style of play. Two-handed bowlers should just use urethane and plastic and hope for pin carry and give yourself best entry angle you can.
Don Carter is truly an icon in the sport of bowling, and his pattern is unique. At 39 feet in length and 21.46 mL of oil, the length makes it a “middle of the road” type pattern but the volume of oil on the lane will have you making adjustments quickly and more drastic moves to continue to excel. At a 2.66:1 ratio, one-handed bowlers could start off with their upper-mid performance to mid-performance benchmark products and migrate from there. While two-handed bowlers, I suggest using mid-performance with some shine or even weaker, before you will see yourself throwing urethane. You know that time will come.
Don Johnson is infamously known for leaving the most massive wrap 10 on the 12th ball in the Firestone TOC way back in the day. The PBA Don Johnson pattern at 40 feet in length and 28.45 mL of oil is four feet longer than the Johnny Petraglia. At 40 feet it’s tricky when it comes to ball choice and lane play. Looking at the pattern and seeing how I would attack it, I would use a mid-performance ball and try and find a little swing room. One-handed bowlers, I would keep my angles as tight as possible, migrate in and hug that oil line when you need to square up.
The grand finale being the father of the modern power game, Mark Roth. The man. The myth. The legend. The bowler who was the first ever to make the 7-10 on television. At 42 feet in length and 21.12 mL of oil, this pattern will allow bowlers with the power game to create swing room. You will probably need just the slightest bit of surface, and with a ratio of 2.93:1. This is a pattern power players will create lots of high scores, just like Mark Roth did on his days of the PBA Tour. Two-handed bowlers, start with your benchmark ball and go from there and light up those pins.
There’s so much content, and so much about bowling, lots and lots of it, and it can all be found right here on bowlingball.com, it’s where bowlers go.
