Bowling Equipment You Should Own
If you are new to bowling and just beginning to take the game with some interest, then it is important to understand a little about which bowling equipment you should own. Bowling centers do provide equipment with free access to the general public. Among the equipment provided by
bowling centers are bowling balls and bowling shoes.
There are four types of consumer products we at
bowlingball.com highly recommend for any newcomer or beginning bowler as bowling equipment you should own. First, and most importantly, is a bowling ball. Although bowling balls are provided for use free of charge by bowling centers, you should strongly consider purchasing one customized for you personally as opposed to using ones found at local bowling centers.
We also recommend you purchase a pair of your own bowling shoes as opposed to renting them at the local bowling center each time you wish to bowl. Third, we recommend you purchase a new bowling bag, one with sufficient storage space to accommodate bowling shoes and accessories as well as your bowling ball. There are several types of general
accessory items which should be carried in your bowling bag along with your ball and shoes so they are ready to use while you are on the lanes.
Bowling balls provided by bowling centers are usually inexpensive plastic bowling balls available to use in varying weight ranges from 6 or 8 pounds for kids and from 10 lbs up to the maximum allowed weight of 16 pounds for adults, all of which are drilled very randomly and with overly large holes to fit bowlers of all ages and sizes of bowling hands. This means that you will undoubtedly not get a ball to fit your hand properly and can be at a disadvantage for two important reasons. One reason is that if a ball does not fit properly, you run a risk of injury to your hand or gripping fingers. Another reason using a “house ball”, as they are called, is a disadvantage is that you will suffer from pinpoint control because the ball does not fit properly and therefore, accurate and precise releases become extremely difficult to make consistently.
Also,
plastic balls are typically usually used on very dry lanes with limited lane oil conditioning. If you bowl with a house ball in heavy oil, you will find it difficult for the ball to get good traction on the lane surface and it may not roll effectively upon impact with the pins.
Our staff at
bowlingball.com recommends you purchase your own bowling ball and have a professional pro shop operator measure your hand and fit you properly. It is important that gripping holes are sized to fit your fingers and shaped to accommodate the contour of your fingers and thumb.
The pitch angles the holes are drilling into the ball must also conform to your specific fingers and thumb shape and sizes. Each bowler opens and closes his or her hand uniquely so, as we stated earlier, properly drilled holes can actually help you release the bowling ball effectively and develop good accuracy as well as protect your hand from injury.
There are many, many makes and models of
bowling balls to select from at our site along with articles and videos demonstrating new bowling balls rolling down our test lanes designed to help make it easy for you select your new bowling ball.
Another staple offered to the public at local bowling centers which can be rented each time you bowl are bowling shoes.
Bowling shoes available at your local center for rent are called “house shoes” and are not custom made nor nearly as comfortable nor offer good foot support, durability, or comfort as do bowling shoes sold at our site or in a pro shop.
House shoes are universal shoes designed to fit anyone wishing to rent them and are never as sanitary as owning your own personal custom shoes. For the fee it takes to rent shoes each time you bowl, it would not take long to own your own shoes in a model with colors and styles you prefer. Bowling shoes can be a definite advantage to any bowler and will provide the stability you need for bowling on various approach surfaces.
Owning a
bowling bag makes sense so long as you can store shoes, accessories and your bowling ball or balls easily. Bags on the market today come in tote varieties designed to hold one or two bowling balls, shoes, and accessories. There are the popular roller models with retractable handles available inexpensively allowing you to easily wheel the bag into the lanes and back to your vehicle after your bowling session is completed. We recommend a bag for any new bowler which can accommodate at least one more ball than you intend to carry into the bowling center. If you own one ball, using a two ball bag gives you extra space for storage of garments or other goods while stored in the settee area during your time on the lanes. If you eventually purchase another ball, you will not have to purchase another new bag to bring both bowling balls into the lanes. Planning ahead and investing your money sensibly is something we always recommend our customers take seriously.
There are a few accessory items we suggest you purchase with your new bowling ball, bowling shoes, and bowling bag. The
bowlingball.com Microfiber Bowling Towel is one good accessory every bowler should have ready to use on the lanes. These towels are used for keeping your hands dry from perspiration, to remove dirt, rubber markings from the pinsetter equipment, or lane oil from the ball surface. This microfiber towel retains up to seven times the moisture as cloth towels and is easy to wash and re-use any number of times you choose.
Carrying a brand of skin protection liquid will prevent possible skin irritations from releasing the bowling ball frequently to become painful or become more severe than when they first develop on your bowling fingers. Better safe and ready than sorry. There are liquid
bowling ball cleaners available in 4 or 6 ounce squeeze bottles you can carry in your bowling bag which work great to clean lane oil or dirt off of the bowling ball surface when you complete your time on the lanes. Polishes are also available inexpensively to apply after cleaning the surface of your ball to restore the skid ability the ball requires on the front end of the lane.
Of course, there are many more accessory products available at
bowlingball.com which will be of use to you as you get more deeply involved in the game. Just click on the “Accessories” button at the top of our home page to check out the multitude of useful products offered at our site.
Please be reminded that any and all products you purchase at our site come with free shipping, free insurance, no hidden handling charges whatsoever, and with prompt delivery to your doorstep. bowlingball.com has become the No. 1 e-Tailer of choice for bowling products by the consumers of America. Simply follow the easy online order instructions around the clock when you are ready to make your purchase. Thank you.
