Bowling Balls

There are various different types of material used to make bowling balls, otherwise known as the coverstock. As a general rule, the harder the coverstock the more likely the ball will go straight. Inside a bowling ball is what is known as a weightblock. This also determines how much your ball will hook. A list of all available coverstocks are detailed below.

Polyester

Also known as "plastic", the polyester bowling balls have been available since the 1960's. They have a low cost compared to other types of bowling balls and they are very durable. The durability comes from the hard, low friction nature of the polyester surface. This low friction nature causes the "plastic" ball to skid more, therefore going much straighter. Polyester balls are more commonly used by beginners, but more advanced bowlers tend to use them as spare balls

Urethane

In the late 1970's, bowling manufacturers experimented with coverstocks softer than polyester in order to create more hook. They came up with a material called polyurethane, or urethane for short. As urethane is softer than polyester, it produces more friction and hooks more. The surface can be sanded or polished to increase or decrease its hook potential. Urethane is the preferred coverstock for bowlers learning to hook the ball. It is also the dry lane choice for many advanced bowlers.

Reactive Resin

In the early 1990's, ball manufacturers started adding resin particles to their urethane coverstocks. The resin made the ball tackier than plain urethane which once again increased the friction, in turn creating more hook. However, this resin makes the ball skid more on oil than plain urethane. The combination of this increased skid and more friction on dry boards gives the resin ball a bigger backend reaction for more striking power than prior ball types. Reactive resin is the primary coverstock for most advanced bowlers on most lane conditions.

Particle

Since the reactive resin ball was so popular, ball manufacturers decided to add textured particles such as ceramics and glass to them for an extra kick. The added texture created even more friction giving the ball more grip in the oil for a smooth, controllable hook, while maintaining the powerful backend of reactive resin. The hook potential for most particle bowling balls is higher than all of the other types of coverstocks. As these balls are so aggressive, most particle balls are for use on oily lane conditions only.

Bowling Ball Tracks

After each delivery, you will notice that your ball will come back with a line of oil round it. This is known as your ball track and can give you useful information as to what kind of bowler you are.

Listed below are the different types of tracks.

Semi-Roller

This is the most common track for hook bowlers. Notice how the track is just to the side of the fingers and thumb. This shows that the ball is tilted a little as it rolls down the lane and then impacts with the pins. This tilt creates mix as it sends the pins in a more horizontal direction. This style is used by strokers.

Flare

Modern balls (since the mid-1990's) have introduced the concept of "dynamic imbalance" which means the ball moves off it's initial track and creates a new track with each rotation. This is called flare, and it means that more of the clean surface of the ball is in contact with the lane, potentially meaning more hook.

Full-Roller

This style was successful in the past, but is not that common in today's game, due to modern lanes and equipment. The track of the ball runs between the fingers and the thumb. If you measure the length of a full-rollers track, you will find it is equal or very close to the circumference of the ball (27").

Spinner

This is the sort of track you would find on a helicopter bowler's ball. The spinners release creates more axis-tilt, which reduces the size of the track. The end result is a ball that travels further down the lane with little lateral movement and deflects as it hits the pins. This style makes it easier to score on almost any condition.