Bowling Ball Finger Bridge

A main concern the pro shop professional faces when mapping out a drilling layout is identifying the appropriate amount of lateral finger pitch angles, and the size of the finger bridge.
Since each bowler has a different size and shape of a hand and individual delivery techniques, the bowling ball finger hole pitches become an important part of the pro shop fitting and measuring process as does the size of the finger bridge.
The space between the finger holes on the surface of the ball is known as the “bridge.” The “bridge” can sometimes be as much as ¼” distance between the inside edges of the finger holes, depending on the angles of the holes that are drilled into the ball and upon the predetermined depth of each hole.
If your finger tips converge near the bottom of your finger gripping holes, the bridge will be smaller across at the bottom of the finger holes than at the top of the holes on the surface of the bowling ball.
It is vital that the ball driller uses the right finger pitch angles and the proper size bridge so your fingers avoid converging and make a hole creating an open space between each finger at the bottom of the holes.

It is also important that the ball driller factor in sufficient bridge width so if finger inserts are used, the remaining bridge will be less likely to fracture or crack upon impact with the pins.
If the bridge is too wide, it can impair a good delivery. Getting the bridge width right is a challenge your ball driller faces in the ball-mapping stages of the drilling process.
It is more likely that the bridge will crack when you use finger inserts than if you do not.
Manufacturers typically do not warranty a ball against cracking if finger inserts are used.
Drilling appropriate pitch angles for your gripping holes is an important task for your pro shop professional.
Not only should the distances between your fingers and thumb be measured correctly (known as the “span” of the ball), the pitch angles in each hole must match the way your hand is constructed to aide in the type of delivery style you use.
The ball bridge width must be properly planned to aide in a good delivery and to accommodate the use of finger inserts.