USBC White Oil Pattern
By: bowlingball.com
Publish Date: 11/3/15
USBC offers several types of oil patterns you are likely to experience if you bowl leagues or tournaments in various bowling centers.
One such oil pattern is the USBC White Oil Pattern.
As the USBC has publicly stated:
“While all three patterns (Red, White and Blue) are “house” shots, they provide a variable range of difficulty.
The USBC White pattern is designed to be the medium scoring pattern of the three for a typical USBC pattern.
While the Red typifies the “typical house shot,” the White pattern may be utilized in local or city tournaments as well as competitive leagues as it is a step up in challenge level for the average player.
It is interesting to note that the White pattern can actually be the highest scoring of the three patterns among higher caliber players.
While the Red pattern often plays “over-under” for scratch bowlers, it is blended evenly while still showing a crown of oil from inside to out and gradual taper from the foul line to the end of the oil pattern.”
This type of pattern is easy for an advanced player to gain and maintain a reliable ball reaction because you can swing the ball and get the ball to react properly in the mid-lane and again at the breakpoint.
Advanced players do not require unlimited “hold area” in the front ends of the lanes so long as the cross lane blend of oil is defined enough to provide good ball skid when swinging the ball and yet allow the ball to react toward the edge of the lane and not reach oil build-up and continue skidding.
For players going up-the-boards, the White Pattern can be tricky. It is best to work with your bowling equipment and make sure the coverstock texture is prepared to best match with the White Pattern blended condition.
Typically on house shots, the White Pattern is blended cross the lane from the 10 board to the 10 board and the distance usually is carried to about 40 feet from the foul line.
If you know of a bowling center who presents the White Pattern for given competitions, it might be wise to bowl in this pattern and learn which equipment and angles of attack work best for your game.
