Keep A Plastic Bowling Ball Ready For Use

bowlingball.com, Originally Posted: 12/10/2014; Updated: 7/31/2022

Keep a plastic bowling ball ready for use. If you are serious about your game and about spare shooting, having a plastic ball handy for use can be an asset to your game.

Not only can you use a plastic ball for shooting spares, particularly those testy corner pin spares, you can use it on very dry lane conditions to find the pocket with reduced risk of the ball hooking excessively and unpredictably.

It is very common to see plastic bowling balls being used by top players in the game such as those on the PBA Tour and by top amateur players in the country.

Choosing a plastic ball for a beginning bowler (or bowlers of all skill levels) is certainly a good idea because they are the least expensive of all bowling balls and are a great way to develop an effective delivery style.

It is unwise to expect a plastic bowling ball to provide strong hook potential but, instead, a long ball skid with a controllable, modest ball motion on the back end.

Players who are highly skilled bowlers often use plastic ball on very dry lane conditions.

Plastic bowling balls will not combat medium to heavy oil conditions as effectively as urethane or reactive resin bowling balls.

Plastic balls favor slow ball speed players, for both strike and spare ball deliveries.

Plastic balls will not hook as quickly as urethane or reactive balls because of the lesser amount of friction generated on the lane surface.

Polyester (plastic bowling balls) are factory finished with a polished and shiny surface which further provides the longest skid potential and least amount of back end ball reaction of all choices of bowling ball coverstocks.



Plastic balls will not over-react in the dry area of the lane nearly as quickly as will aggressive reactive resin bowling balls and will not provide a strong angle of entry into the pins as will reactive bowling balls.

If you are an up-the-boards player and only hook the ball a slight amount, plastic bowling balls can serve multi-purposes as strike and spare shooting equipment.

It is recommended to consult with your pro shop professional or a local bowling instructor to help you develop your equipment arsenal. Please don't shy away from using a plastic bowling ball. Keep a plastic bowling ball ready for use.