Senior Bowlers Maintaining Bowling Ball Surfaces

By: bowlingball.com, 1/2/16

If you are a high average senior bowler interested in learning how other senior bowlers maintaining bowling ball surfaces get the job done, then follow these few simple coverstock strategies and keep your equipment ready for use.

If you find your bowling balls lose their reaction capabilities but notice there are no appreciable changes to your routine bowling center oil patterns, then it may be likely your ball surfaces are in need of some attention.

It is always a good idea to keep your ball surfaces prepared for your next competitive session, but what specifically can you do?

Once you amass from 30 to 60 games on each bowling ball in your arsenal, it is likely time to get to the pro shop and refresh or resurface the coverstocks.

Normally, bowlers will randomly visit a pro shop and decide to clean, texture and/or polish their bowling ball coverstock only when they appear very dull or scuffed and in need of immediate attention.

To return your bowling ball equipment to its new and out-of-the-box condition, however, or to restore the surface texture which best matches your game to the local lane conditions, it is important to establish a simple maintenance schedule to follow.

Here are simple keys to perform coverstock surface maintenance:

*Re-polish shiny bowling balls and scuff them with chosen grit Abralon pads so they grip the lanes as you prefer after 30 games of use...

*Dull bowling balls can be scuffed after ten games (10) of bowling to restore their traction capabilities...

*Full resurfacing is needed and finger inserts should be replaced after 60 games (60) of bowling...

*Repeat steps 1-3 for the next interval of 60 games of bowling (60)...

*To reduce oil absorption, clean your ball coverstock with a ball cleaner during and/or after each use in competitive sessions. Many ball cleaning substances are cleared for use by the USBC during competition.

*If there is a visible track on your ball, ask your pro shop to refinish the ball to remove the track marks and restore the ball to its original factory finish.

Your pro shop professionals understand the multiple systems available for resurfacing bowling ball coverstocks.



Some preparations will help your ball read the lane surface earlier and some later, depending on the amount and location of oil on the lanes. Given methods will serve to control the hook motion of your bowling ball when transitioning in the mid-lane and on the back-ends of the lane.

Coverstock maintenance services are available for modest fees at most pro shops.

You can, however, re-texture your ball surfaces yourself if you merely purchase varying coarseness of pads available online or in pro shops.

With a little effort and a minimal amount of money, you can get several grit pads and restore the surface texture of your bowling balls after each time you bowl.

Simply hand scuff the coverstocks after cleaning the oil and dirt off of them first by using hand pressure evenly across all sides of your bowling balls.

If you prefer to have routine maintenance done by a professional, consult with your local pro shop operator regarding when to initiate a maintenance schedule to prepare your bowling ball surfaces to match with local lane conditions.