Control Bowling Ball Drilling Layouts
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Originally Posted: 5/5/2014; Updated: 11/5/2022When it comes time to decide on how to drill your new bowling ball, it is important to first determine if you have a control bowling ball drilling layout already in your arsenal.
Control drilling options are the most popular drilling options and rightfully so.
It is surprising how many bowler use strong layouts on every ball they drill and suffer from the ball reaction they produce on given lane conditions.
Strong layouts are useful on certain conditions and by certain delivery style players but every ball should not necessarily be drilled with a strong layout.
With the modern technology
bowling balls on the market today, it is key to any competitive bowler to be able to control when the ball hooks in the mid-lane as well as the skid distance in the front ends of the lane.
It is also important to know whether you have chosen a symmetric or asymmetric ball before selecting a layout. Typically, the symmetric core produces a balanced ball reaction and a controllable motion as the ball travels down the lane.
The asymmetric cores tend to produce a more angular motion in the mid-lane and an increased back end reaction compared to the symmetric core. Of course, the coverstock texture and the given bowler’s rev-rate influence the ball reaction as well.
Control layouts offer you the chance to avoid over-reactions on given lane conditions. In the case of a wet/dry condition, a control drilling, or even a weak layout option, can provide a mild mid-lane motion and avoid your ball either over-skidding in oil or hooking sooner than desired and hooking unpredictably.
Since the name of the game is to hit the pocket, most house conditions provide an easy oil pattern by which to play the lanes and get to the pocket. It is key to not work against the oil pattern.
Using a control drilling to shape your ball motion is one way to take advantage of the conditions and become a consistent shot maker.
Power players who hook the ball a great deal and who generate a high rev-rate prefer a control drilling over skid-flip, angular drilling layouts.
Since a power player can get the ball to react aggressively on most any condition, it is important then for that player to control the hook in the mid-lane and get the ball to react consistently from the break point to the pocket on the back end.
Players who are between the power game and the stroker (down-and-in direction players) also must be careful to avoid using bowling balls with exceedingly aggressive coverstocks and strong drilling layouts unless their rev-rate and the lane conditions match well with strong drilling layouts.
Up-the-boards type players can use control drillings to make sure that they can play the lanes using their strong suit in alignment strategies by lining up with a fairly direct delivery angle to the breakpoint and still get the ball to react favorably in the mid-lane without hooking too soon or too late.
Strong layouts have their place in bowling ball arsenals just as weak layouts have a place in a complete arsenal for the serious competitive players.
Overall, a control bowling ball drilling layout works best for most players more often than not.
A given ball reaction with a control drilling can be slightly altered by either extending the skid distance or reducing the skid distance simply by adding or reducing texture to the ball surface. This fine tune adjustment is something you can do as needed after the ball has been drilled based on the reaction you seek.
If you are undecided on choosing a drilling layout, consult your pro shop professional and discuss your present bowling ball arsenal, the new ball you are considering purchasing, how it is constructed, and which layout will serve you best.
Make sure you have control drilling layouts in your bowling bag for most lane conditions you encounter.
