All Things Bowling

[Brett]

The only worthwhile movie that has bowling in it. Such a classic. Of course, nobody can throw the ball right in that movie either except for the guy who was on John Tuturro’s team. You see him throw a shot early in the movie and he throws the ball right.

We actually used Mark It Zero for a team name last summer. It was either that or Over The Line Smokey!

[Reckless Fable]

Dude, you kinda rule in your league. Multiple 300 games? 800 series is just ridiculous to me. That feels like the difference between going hang gliding and then landing on the moon. That Pat fella is a model of consistency.

You guys give up a lot of pts in handicap, don't ya?

Your team should be called, "No Women Allowed." Only because I know how much you love Extreme.

[Brett]

It’s been a long time since I shot 800. It’s a much taller feat than shooting 300. Yeah, we give up 180-200 pins a game every week. One week we gave up almost 380. We used to be able to overcome it. We haven’t had a very good season this year so it’s been harder. We just haven’t been consistent. When Pat and I are on together and stringing a shitload of strikes, we’re very hard to beat. But Pat hasn’t had a Pat year and we just haven’t been in sync together. Tonight was a really good example. He shot 720 which is great, but in the third game I couldn’t string strikes until the 8th frame, and by then we were well out of the game. And I shot 661, which just isn’t good enough. I was under my average. We both need to shoot 700. Had I shot 700 tonight, we probably would’ve won three out of four instead of losing three out of four. But that’s been our season.

Plus, there are some really fucking bad teams that just have an enormous amount of handicap and it’s impossible to beat them. They need to change the way they’re calculating it. It’s 90% of 240 which is way too many fucking pins for bad bowlers. It should be 90% of 230 which would make it better. When you’re giving people that much handicap, you’re not incentivizing them to get better.

The games that I’ve shot 300, we barely won.

[Little Intruder]

Boss, you are badass! There is no other way to describe it.

[Brett]

The funny thing is the tougher league that I bowl, which is the scratch league (that means no handicap for those wondering) on Wednesdays we won a round. And we are not one of the stronger teams. That’s at the other Simi bowling alley where I bowl like dog shit, and am 12 pins worse. But I did shoot 300 there somehow a few months ago lol. So did my teammate. We actually shot them the same game which I’ve never done. We’re like the Bad News Bears. Nobody knows how we won one of the rounds, but we did. It’s a big deal to get into the playoffs because the league fees are so much, if you win the league you split like $9000 between the three guys. I don’t think we can win it, but we at least have a shot in a few weeks in the rolloff. I think after all is said and done, of the eight teams that will be in the playoff, we’re probably going to be seeded 5th, which means we’re gonna have to win a bunch of games to win the thing.

I know I need to get another ball for that place, but I’m not spending $250 on a new ball because I’m not going to bowl that league next year. And I’m not going to bowl at that house at all.

They also have a $1000 rolloff for anyone who has shot 300. So what happens is everyone who has shot one goes on a different pair and you bowl one game, and whoever has the highest game wins the grand. Again, I don’t think I can win that, but I at least have a shot at it. If it was at the other bowling alley, I might have a more realistic chance. I think there are six of us who have shot 300.

Anyway, sorry for all this blabbing in this thread. I know this was a thread asking for advice and here I am talking about all this shit that nobody cares about lol.

RF if you’ve got more questions feel free to ask.

[Reckless Fable]

Dude. Dude.

No one loves a good digression more than I do. Tangents at the Links are like bonus fries at the bottom of the In-N-Out bag--unexpected, vaguely greasy, and always better than whatever I was doing before.

What's a proper digression at the Links without speaking of In-N-Out...yes. Yes. Let’s talk proximity. Earl Anthony’s Dublin Bowl has one three minutes from the front door. That’s not a coincidence. That’s urban planning at its finest. That’s the gods whispering: “You deserve meat and cheese after 27 frames of existential frustration.”

Why don't we just rename this thread and call it: All Thing Bowling? I'd love to keep chatting through all the things here for folks that either want to dabble and jump in the deep end.

Bring the digressions.

[billy007]

good idea, and i'm moving to Play Ball! as well, because in spite of what some folks think, bowling is a sport!

[Reckless Fable]

Thanks billy!!

Update: Today, I'm picking up my bowling ball that I got used from a fella who bowls in League at Dublin bowl. roto Grip Hustle X-Ray. I'll probably have to get the thumb plugged and redrilled (that's what she said...).

The fam went bowling on Sun night. I went 131, 140 and 183! That was with my step-son's ball. I've got the technique for getting a consistent hook down, but I'm throwing it like a nancy. My speed according to the sensors says I'm around 12.8 mph which is crawling. I'm actually hitting "Brooklyn" most of the time. I need to learn how to get my speed back (I know it isn't about throwing "harder" -- feels like I'm not quite getting under the ball and really throwing it).

[Brett]

There’s a guy who I follow on YouTube named Forrest Kritzer who is a very good bowler who bowls out of Dublin Bowl. If you feel like watching a guy who throws at that house, check him out.

I think you’ll be fine with the Hustle. It’s not a big hooking ball, so it should be easy enough to control. And those speed machines aren’t accurate. First of all, it depends where they have the electric eye that’s measuring your ball speed. In my experience, the electric eye is put in a place where you’re probably throwing the ball 4 to 5 miles an hour faster than what is up on the screen. So you’re probably closer to 16. I don’t throw the ball hard, somewhere between 17-18.

If you’re going Brooklyn a lot, try moving your feet left on the approach when you start.

[Little Intruder]

RF, I've been to a few bowling alleys that served pretty good grub. Here's one:

https://thealleysantafe.com/

[Reckless Fable]

There’s a guy who I follow on YouTube named Forrest Kritzer who is a very good bowler who bowls out of Dublin Bowl. If you feel like watching a guy who throws at that house, check him out.

I think you’ll be fine with the Hustle. It’s not a big hooking ball, so it should be easy enough to control. And those speed machines aren’t accurate. First of all, it depends where they have the electric eye that’s measuring your ball speed. In my experience, the electric eye is put in a place where you’re probably throwing the ball 4 to 5 miles an hour faster than what is up on the screen. So you’re probably closer to 16. I don’t throw the ball hard, somewhere between 17-18.

If you’re going Brooklyn a lot, try moving your feet left on the approach when you start.

And hit the same "mark"?

[Reckless Fable]

RF, I've been to a few bowling alleys that served pretty good grub. Here's one:

https://thealleysantafe.com/

Do you live in Santa Fe?

Very cool town. I was just out there a few years ago and had a blast.

[Brett]

And hit the same "mark"?

Obviously, I haven’t seen you throw the ball. But I would try moving 3-4 boards left with your feet, 2 boards right with your mark.

[Little Intruder]

RF, yep! I also love Taos and Las Cruces. Here's a pretty cool lane in ABQ:

https://www.holidaybowlabq.com/

[billy007]

"Brooklyn"?

I find when i do bowl, I do better when i throw slower (though not too slow) - my key thing is keeping my arm straight back to front and not "crossing over".

(talking to someone whose best game ever was 197 and was running about a 138 average when COVID shut things down. I was going pretty much every week before COVID - never got back into the groove again after things opened back up, plus i moved and the bowling alley in my new hometown doesn't have the same availability as the ones I was going to pre-COVID)