Bowling Ball Technology Trivia Quiz

Answer: Particle resin

In the terms of coverstocks, the softer a coverstock is the more friction the ball will make and hence creating more of a hook. These are the four main coverstocks used in bowling balls today. Polyester coverstocks, many incorrectly refer to this as plastic, is the hardest coverstock creating minimal hook which is why most bowlers use this coverstock for their spare ball. Most bowlers aim for their spares straight and they would rather have a ball that would create little to no hook. Urethane coverstocks are the second hardest followed by reactive resin and then to the softest resin, particle resin.

Answer: Mass Bias

Mostly balls with asymmetric cores have the mass bias labled on the ball. When drilling a ball, the position of the mass bias will determine the backend reaction of the ball also known as the shape of the hook. Asymmetric balls are effected more by the mass bias than a symmetric core which is why asymmetric cores always has the mass bias labeled while symmetric cores typically do not.

Answer: 6 3/4"

The center of gravity is sometimes mislabeled, but this method will always accurately find the mass bias of any bowling ball. When labeling the mass bias, most ball drillers will use a wax pencil to mark it.

Answer: Asymmetric

A core's asymmetry is measured through its mass bias differential. The higher the mass bias differential, the more asymmetric it is. Symmetric cores do have a mass bias differential as well, but it is very low and does not have much impact on the core's performance.

Answer: Both of these

Reactive resin balls first came out in the 1990s and there were two types, solid and pearl. The solid version of a coverstock is sometimes sanded but can also come out of the box polished. Its reaction typically has an earlier roll with a more predictable backend reaction when compared to a pearlized ball.

A ball with a pearl coverstock is most of the time polished and would skid more in oil than a solid coverstock. However, a pearl ball would have a much sharper back-end reaction often getting better carry and recovery than a solid ball, but pearlized bowling balls are more sensitve to oil pattern changes.

These are the basic concepts of these coverstocks, but reactions can be altered by certain drill patterns and surface adjustments.

Answer: .060

The American Bowling Congress and the Women's International Bowling Congress originally had the limit to be .080, but when the ABC, WIBC, and the Young American Bowling Alliance (YABA) merged to become the United States Bowling Congress (USBC), they lowered the differential limit to .060. Bowling balls that have been approved prior to this new rule that have a differential higher than .060, have been grandfathered and are still legal to use in USBC competition.

Answer: 600

When either sanding or using scotch brite on a ball, the lower the grit used, the coarser the surface will be and that will cause an earlier roll on the lanes. This applies to polishing a ball as well, the higher the grit of polish, the shiner the ball will be and the later the reaction.

Answer: Roto-Grip SD-73

The Roto-Grip SD-73 had a differential of .075. When drilled to its highest flare potential, the ball can flare up to nine inches. At the time, high performance balls flared up to at the most six inches. Flare potential is another factor of back-end reaction and entry angle, the more flare a ball has, the sharper the ball hooks.

The controversy was that balls with a very high core differential or flare potential, wore down the lanes much quicker. For the sake of protecting the lanes, the ABC and WIBC set a core differential limit to .080 that all approved ball manufacturers must abide.

The limit did get lowered when the ABC and WIBC merge to become the USBC.

Answer: Absorbs the oil

Over time when bowling on any oil pattern, when using either a reactive or a particle ball, the ball will absorb the oil creating a drier spot than what it was before. This can also be called a hook spot, and when using the same ball at the same speed and revolution rate, the ball will hook earlier.

When using a polyester ball, the hard surface will push the oil further down the lane creating carrydown. For bowlers who like to hook the ball, this will make bowling more difficult. It often causes what is called an over/under reaction, where the ball either overreacts when rolled too slow, or it will not hook enough when rolled too fast.

Answer: Sarge-Easter

This drilling is specifcally designed for bowlers who have a very high revolution rate. This drilling will prevent the ball from completing a full rotation hence controlling the bowler's ball reaction. A semi-finger tip grip is a drill pattern where its length is half way between a finger tip drilling and a conventional drilling.