Getting A New Performance Ball

Getting a new ball involves some research. Matching up your skills, your ball speed and the condition you bowl on using a specific performance ball is the key to success and a very involved process.

The first step in the process is to ask yourself some questions. What are you looking for a new ball to do? Will it compliment the existing equipment you own or replace a piece that's not working as well as it used to?

A performance bowling ball currently is made using a polyurethane base for the coverstock (commonly called urethane). When particles of various materials (ceramic, glass, etc.) are added into the urethane, the result is a particle ball with varying amounts of particles (called loads). The size of a ball's particles determine how easily the protrusions penetrate the layer of conditioner on a lane. A ball's surface finished rougher (or with heavier loads) bites earlier/quicker. A smoother surface (with lighter loads and/or smaller particles) on a dull ball, or a particle pearl pushes down lane longer before the spikes of material push through the oil and contact the lane surface creating friction. Last in the particle category are the hybrid or combinations of materials like hybrid particle and reactive resin balls.

Particle balls have lost a little of their luster (not many still being made), as they usually demand lots of oil or plenty of ball speed.

I have had good luck with particle pearl balls which have smooth covers to manage the oily front part of a lane but also have small particles or light loads which allow the balls to transition differently than a pearl reactive ball.

Reactive resin balls contain materials that remain uncured when combined with and molded onto a bowling ball core. The urethane base material is porous and the uncured goop, trapped in the pores of the coverstock, can ooze to the surface. When the ball gains friction which heats the surface, the heat warms the goop, goop expands and it bleeds to the surface. The sticky goop is why reactive resin balls transition so violently. They get sticky (gaining tremendous friction) as well as the other characteristics (core influence, surface texture) encouraging a ball to change directions.

Urethane balls are the last category (like the Lane 1 Liberator, Buzzsaw THS or Brunswick Groove). With different (less) reaction than particle or reactive balls, urethane's offer the potential of surface, dynamics of core (or lack of) to provide (usually) milder more controllable ball reactions.

With details like your rev rate, axis tilt and rotation, ball speed and type of lane condition you bowl on, you could START evaluating what might work for you.

Your local International Bowling Pro Shop and Instructors Association (IBPSIA) pro shop should be able to help with the details. Bowl Well!