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Should you bring a Urethane bowling ball in your bag?
Many bowlers are seeing a rise in the use of urethane balls across the sport. From pro players to amateurs, urethane balls are being used more frequently and it is important to understand how to best use them for the conditions you are bowling on. This article will help you learn more about urethane balls and hopefully provide insight to help your game.
Background on Urethane:
Urethane bowling balls have been around for several decades. Mostly prevalent in the 80s, these bowling balls have since advanced in technology and have made their way back into the sport.
With updated tech, urethane balls have been built with strong cores with a strong ball motion in mind. Typically, these balls are used for a smooth ball motion when compared to reactive bowling balls.
As players began increasing their rev rates and with the rapid rise of 2 handed bowling, urethane has become a must have ball for any tournament or professional bowler. It is now common to see this type of ball used on any oil condition, especially sport shots or tricky patterns.
Should I use urethane balls for tournaments and tough oil patterns?
If you are a tournament or sport shot condition bowler, the answer is pretty easy:
Yes, you should have a urethane ball in your bag as a viable option.
Should I use urethane balls during league on a house shot?
This topic is becoming a common discussion among bowlers around the world. It is important to understand the characteristics of urethane balls before picking a side on this debate.
Urethane bowling balls are designed to react in the following ways:
- Smooth and arcing ball motion
- Earlier hook and not as aggressive off the breakpoint
Results can differ from bowler to bowler as is the case with all balls, but these are the typical reactions when using urethane. This type of ball is generally reserved for shorter oil patterns (37ft. - 38ft. or less) or patterns that are flat and don’t have a lot of forgiveness.
Verdict:
For house shots, our team does not recommend using urethane bowling balls.
With urethane equipment, your entry angle will be a lot less than if you used a reactive ball. When bowling on easy or house shot conditions where finding the pocket isn’t difficult, pin carry becomes the number one factor in scores. Urethane won’t give you the same entry angle as a reactive ball would, ultimately resulting in less carry.
Many people think urethane is a good option later in the block or league night when the lanes have dried out. This is not a good way to look at it. Since urethane balls typically hook early, they are not great balls to use on broken down lanes where you are looking for equipment to push through the front portion of the oil pattern.
Our team at Bowler’s Review has put together a recommendation guide on when to use urethane balls:
When to use Urethane:
Short oil patterns
Patterns or houses where the backends are hooking a ton.
Tournament bowling where scores are lower. Urethane on the right condition can strike as much as any reactive ball, but will also result in more 9 counts and less splits.
How to use Urethane:
Play straighter up the lane
Try to hit the pocket higher on the headpin. Since urethane deflects more often than reactive, this helps combat that.
Try to find an earlier breakpoint than you would with a reactive ball
Slower ball speed to help the ball get into the initial roll
If you think a urethane ball is a good fit and are curious which is the best, check out the Bowler’s Review Urethane Rankings here.
Good luck and high scores!