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The Base of the Pyramid (Lane Play) by Charley Wilson

Updated at February 21, 2010 14:03

As the golfer needs to know about fairways and greens, the bowler needs to be familiar with the lane on which the game is played. Basic knowledge includes the types of lanes, the conditions in which one finds them, and the oil patterns used by proprietors to both protect the lanes and to change the way the bowler plays them. Different types, conditions and oil patterns, combined with the bowler’s style, dictate the best way to play the lanes for maximum score. This is where all the basic elements come together to make bowling the complicated sport it can be at the highest levels of play. However, even at the recreational level, knowing the basics of lane play will remove some of the mysteries of why some things work and some don’t.

Originally, lanes were made of wood, with harder maple in the front part (the heads), and pine or softer wood in the rest of the lane. These lanes are susceptible to friction, and balls eventually wear a “track” which helps guide shots to the pocket. To help protect the heads from this wear, some lanes are covered with a plastic overlay. Even softer than the wood, these lanes tend to produce more hook in the heads than wood, so proprietors often increase the volume of head oil to counteract that early hook. The newer lane surfaces are a synthetic product, which is harder than wood. These lanes, too, can eventually “track up”, but it takes a lot longer for this to happen.

The lane material, combined with the oil pattern, determines how and where on the lane the rolling ball reacts with the surface. In the typical “house” pattern, oil is spread more heavily toward the middle of the lane, lighter toward the outside edges. The oil is also heavier in the heads, tapering out downlane, with the last third or so dry, at least when the lanes are freshly oiled. Figures 1 – 3 show the relative thickness of the oil in the typical house pattern. Figures 1 and 3 show only the first 40’ of the lane surface, so imagine another 20 feet of dry surface beyond that shown. Also note that, in Figure 2, the first and last boards show no oil, a characteristic of almost all oil patterns.

Figure 1- Overhead view

Figure 2- End view

Figure 3- Side view

These patterns allow “miss room” toward the outside of the lane, where less oil increases hook back toward the pocket, and inside, where more oil increases skid, to prevent over-hook. “Flatter”, more challenging patterns reduce these artificial aids, requiring more precision and consistency to score well. The USBC checks and certifies lane oil patterns periodically to ensure they conform to USBC requirements. Using too much oil inside or too little outside (often called a “wall”) makes the conditions too easy. Unless conditions are met, USBC will not grant awards for honor scores.

Learning where the oil is on your lanes and how to maximize your room for error is the essence of beginning lane play. Where and how you lay the ball down and where you aim depends on how much (or if) you hook the ball, what kind of ball you roll, the type of lane surface you are on, what oil pattern is present, and whether it is fresh or well used.

The figures show the fresh patterns before they are bowled on. Every shot moves the oil around on the lanes requiring the bowler to adjust where he/she plays. Newer, more porous balls also absorb oil and eventually dry out the heads causing early hook, while harder balls “carry down” oil into the previously dry "back ends” reducing hook near the pocket.

Making the adjustments needed to maximize scoring is the real challenge to today’s bowler, especially for the intermediate and advanced bowler. The next block in the Smartbowler Pyramid, Adjustments, will deal with the changes that moving oil requires. The USBC, bowling’s governing body, has created a robot bowler (“throwbot”) that can exactly reproduce a ball swing over and over again. But, because it is not designed to adjust for changing lane conditions, it is said to have never rolled a perfect game.

Strategies: Learning to read the lanes is not easy. Doing it well takes all three strategies, dedication, coaching and self-education.

For the first, you either have it or you don’t. If you have mastered the fundamentals and know yourself and your equipment (at whatever level to which you aspire), but still don’t seem to score as well as you think you should, maybe this is where you should concentrate your energy.

Since the lane oil is virtually invisible, you have to depend on the ball to tell you where it is. Seek out a coach to help you learn low to watch your ball  to see where it skids, hooks and then rolls at the end. The best coaches will teach you to coach yourself by learning how to watch the change in ball roll. He/she will help you try different parts of the lane, different releases/speeds/lofts, and different equipment to see the effect of each change. As always, check the “Coaching” menu at http://www.bowlspot.com/ or the “Find a…” function of the USBC website at http://bowl.com/ or, again, through any Smartbowler Pro Shop, for a coach in your area.

And don’t forget to do your own research. The internet, books, and magazines abound with information to help you learn about lane play. Smartbowler.com has links to various websites that have lane pattern descriptions, such as the PBA “animal” patterns and magazines like Bowling This Month for articles on lane play, as well as bowlingbookstore.com for more information. Remember, as Yogi Berra said, “You can see a lot just by looking.”

Charley Wilson, a USBC Silver Level Coach, has been coaching professionally for eleven years. A retired USAF fighter pilot, he currently works as a coach and pro shop ball fitter/driller. Charley is married (Sheila) and lives in St. Louis, MO. Contact – CGWJR@charter.net

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