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Bowling Ball Selecting
Discount Bowling Balls
The advantage of owning your own ball.
Having a personal ball means you can have it drilled to fit your hands. Proper ball fit feels more comfortable, causes less fatigue of the hand and arm, and lessens the chance of injury through pulled muscles, tendinitis, blisters, deep calluses and so on. If the ball is comfortable to the feel and can be held securely (without effort) during the delivery, it is possible to develop a natural, consistent and well-timed delivery.

Choosing the right ball can pay big dividends.
If you bowl a couple of times per month or throw the ball pretty straight, we suggest going with a plastic(polyester) or urethane ball. This line of balls are considered straight balls because they pretty much go where you send them. Pro bowlers also uses these for shooting spares. If this matches your style of bowling, then click here to check out the balls we have selected just for your style. When you get there, don't be confused by all the different designs, they all function the same way.

You are not limited to just polyester or urethane balls. You can opt for lower end reactive balls as well. They provide greater hitting power and are more controllable. Our mid-range balls are great for occassional or beginner bowlers who desire a little more hook.

We also offer a line of performance balls for bowlers who bowl a fair amount, can get some hook on a ball and realize how to use it to their advantage. If this matches your style of bowling, then check out our performance balls.

Why are there Straight balls and Hook balls?

Selecting the proper ball weight.
The weight of the ball should be roughly ten percent of your body weight. Another good rule to go by is to choose a ball that is one to two pounds heavier than the house ball you are bowling with. The reason being is that the grip on the house ball is incorrect and a custom fit ball will feel much lighter because it will be easier to hold on to.


The four types balls.
Four types of balls are available on the market today: plastic(polyester), urethane, reactive, and particle. Each uses a different production technology. Understanding what each one does will help you choose the right ball.

To help you find that ideal ball, we offer Advance Ball Search. You can perform searches like—show me only 14 lb. reactive balls under $75 by Brunswick and it must be polished.

Plastic(polyester): The type ball that most recreational bowlers will recognize is the polyester bowling ball, which is commonly referred to as a "plastic" bowling ball. Polyester bowling balls have been available since the 1960s. They have a low cost compared to the other types of bowling balls and they are very durable, which is why they are used as "house" balls on the racks of most bowling centers. The durability comes from the hard, low friction nature of the polyester cover. This low friction nature causes the "plastic" ball to skid more and maintain a straighter trajectory. "Plastic" balls are primarily used by beginning bowlers; however, many experienced and professional bowlers use them for spare shots and for very dry lane conditions.

Urethane: In the late 1970s, bowling manufacturers experimented with coverstocks softer than polyester in order to create more hook potential. The result of these experiments was a polyurethane coverstock, or urethane for short. Urethane has a higher friction surface than polyester, so it will hook more. It can be easily sanded or polished to control its hook potential. Urethane is the preferred coverstock for beginning hook bowlers. It is also the dry lane choice for many experienced bowlers.

Reactive Resin: In the early 1990s, ball manufacturer started adding resin particles to their urethane coverstocks. The resin made the ball tackier than plain urethane which increased its hook potential. A side effect of the resin is that it makes the ball hydroplane on the oil more than plain urethane. The combination of the increased skid on oil and stronger hooking ability 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 experienced bowlers on most lane conditions.

Particle: Experienced bowlers preferred the smooth reaction and controllability of urethane, but they could not refuse the power provided by reactive resin balls. The ball manufacturers response to this situation was to add textured particles such as ceramics and glass to the resin enhanced polyurethane balls. The added texture gave the ball more grip in the oil for a smooth, controllable hook style, 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. This extremely high hook potential means that most particle balls are for use on oily lane conditions only. However, ball makers are constantly tinkering with the quantity and size of the particles used, so particle balls are becoming more versatile across many types of lane conditioning.


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