Bowling has been around for hundred’s, some even say thousand’s of years. There were articles of Egyptian carvings found with a sport very similar to bowling. Times have changed and there is so much new technology in the great sport of bowling. Think back to the days were there were pin boys. These were people who would sit behind the bowling lanes and set pins up. My uncle was one. From there we can consider the evolution of automatic machines. From the days of actually keeping score by hand, to now with all the computers that do it for you, heck they even have some computers that have coaching assistants to show you how you should stand and move to make the spare. The sport of bowling has evolved so much. Bowling balls have evolved too.  Have they evolved so much that the bowler can’t tell the difference? In this week’s article I will talk about some of the bowling equipment in the game and help you identify some of the differences in the cores of a bowling ball.  

With all the new bowling equipment out there we have coined a few new terms to describe them. You have new terminology like RG’S Differentials, symmetric and asymmetric cores. But what does this mean to today’s consumer?  If you don’t understand them then you really don’t know what you are buying. I know in our shop we make sure that we not only try to sell bowling equipment, but more importantly what the bowler needs. We explain what the terminology means to you and their benefits to your game and style of bowling. So with the new bowling ball technology, you need to sharpen your skills to determine exactly what you need. Below I will go over some of the terms used and give you a better understanding of what they mean to you, and the types of bowling styles that will benefit from them. 

RG’s or Radius of Gyration in simple terms means that the lower the number, the stronger, and faster the bowling balls core will rev up. The higher the number the longer the bowling balls core will take to rev up. So if you’re on a heavier oil pattern and you do not have a lot of revolutions in your release, would you go with a higher RG or a Lower RG? The answer would be a lower RG core. The reason, if you have a heavier oil pattern the oil itself will make the bowling ball travel further down the lane, and by utilizing a lower RG core, you have a bowling ball in your hand that will rev up in that oil.  Using a higher RG on this pattern will travel to far down the lane for that particular style of bowler and make it harder to get the bowling ball to the pocket.  

Differential in really simple terms amounts to the amount of flare on a bowling ball. Flare means that a new surface of the bowling ball will be in contact with the lane surface each time it makes a revolution. The higher the Differential number, the more the hook potential that bowling ball has. So would you use a high differential bowling ball on a short or light oil pattern with a bowler that has a high rev rate? The answer would be no. If you have a high Differential bowling ball, that means there is more hook potential. Given that the bowler has a high rev rate and is bowling on a shorter or light oil pattern, this bowling balls strength will be too much for the lanes and use all its hook potential to early on the lanes, resulting in a bowling ball that will straighten out.  I hope these two simple scenarios help you in the basic understanding of the two terms. Next week I will write about the three phases of bowling ball motion on the lanes, and why it is beneficial to have your bowling ball go through these phases in the correct sequence.  

Until next week everyone enjoy there bowling and if you have any questions feel free to email them to me. I have been getting some really good emails and they are starting to come more frequently. This means I have readers out there that are thirsting for bowling knowledge. That was the whole reason we developed this site. To help bowlers gain knowledge and become more educated.  

T.J. Yeip is the Manager of GLC Bowling and the Lead Technical Advisor. He is an IBPSIA Advanced Certified Member and former PBA member. He is a USBC Certified Coach. You can email your questions to him personally at thomas.yeip@glcbowling.com.