Bowling Ball Care: Polishing

If you are an avid bowler who throws the ball slower than most and has problems keeping the ball on the right side of the lane I have a few tips for you! You can start by trying to throw it straighter by not rotating your wrist at release, or if you are still over hooking it after that take your ball to your local pro shop and polish it!

Yes, polish! There are many companies out there that will make cleaning agents and polishes for bowling balls. It is a quick and easy process that is designed to keep the ball from griping the lane as much, therefore not hooking as much. The result is a straighter line to the pocket for those who are just getting started to hook the ball, or for conditions that are fairly dry in terms of the amount of oil that is on the lanes.

I personally throw the ball a little slower than most. I also like to throw the ball fairly straight with the ball only hooking about 10-15 boards before finding the pocket. My balls are set up so that I can throw my ball in the same area weather there is oil on the lane or not much oil on the lane. I definitely recommend polishing the ball if you like to go straight at the pocket with little hook.

If the polishing the ball does not do quite what you wanted it to, it may be a good idea to get the ball totally resurfaced. This process gets the ball to a factory condition, or to any other type of finish you want on it from rough to polished. A simple polish or sanding will cost around $5 where a total refinish will cost around $25. I suggest also purchasing some ball cleaners and a few new towles to do keep them clean after each game. Use a towel between frames to do your best to keep the ball from soaking up oil! This will prolong the life of your ball and lengthen the time between a refinish or polishing.

I just had a ball polished and tested it this morning. It goes down the lane much further and has a sharp break point back into the pocket to explode the pins! It has also given me another season's use out of my old ball!

Check my other articles out on bowling ball care and maintenance to get the most out of your investment.