How to Choose the Best House Bowling Ball

For those bowlers without their own ball, we will show you how to choose the best house bowling ball.

Most people that bowl competitively, regularly, or in a league have custom made balls, their own bowling shoes and other bowling accessories such as a bag and wrist supports. For everybody else who may bowl casually now and then must use lane equipment, such as a house ball, and rental shoes. Finding the right size shoe and hunting for a good house ball that somewhat fits your fingers is somewhat nostalgic in a way. The search for a perfect ball can take up a lot of your time at the lanes.

When trying to pick a house ball, you want to pick one that is the appropriate weight. Using a ball that is too heavy can really damage your shoulder and wrist. Sixteen pound balls should be saved for the professionals. Men are more to blame when it comes to using a heavier ball than needed, trying to show their strength. Women are more likely to pick a ball that is too light which affects the amount of force the ball would need to hit the pins to knock them over. A ball no more than ten pounds should be used for adults with weak backs, wrists or shoulders. Children should also choose a ball ten pounds or less. A twelve pound ball should be a good starting point and work well for most adults and will get good results for the user. Larger men can use a 14 pound ball. Really only the stronger, more experienced male bowler should ever choose a 16 pound bowling ball.

Now that you know the weight of ball you want to use, it’s time to find a “gem” out of all those house balls. You have to find the right fit for your fingers. One thing to remember when picking a house ball is to look for cracks and major dents. Cracks around the finger holes are okay if they are small and slight but larger ones can affect your game and even cause an injury. If a house ball shows signs of damaged and dangerous exposed edges, do not use the ball and take it to the front desk.

To assess the fit of the finger holes, stick your fingers in the holes and pull them out slowly. We are looking for holes that are too small and grab back at the fingers. A snug fit is perfect but too snug can cause injury

Proper spacing between finger holes is important as well. The ally drills them or has them drilled to fit small, medium or large hands and the sizing is very general. Larger ball size usually means larger finger holes and vice versa. For the best fit house bowling ball, the thumb and finger holes should be the length of your palm. Bad fitting of a ball can result in injury and loss of control.

A good fit usually consists of being able to grip the ball with three fingers, if not the ball should be traded for a different one. The perfect house ball will fit you pretty close to carrying a six-pack of cans, as some would say. If you can’t find one right away, do not be discouraged, employees replace them pretty quickly usually. Some people that use house balls will choose two or so balls. Having two balls will help you decide during a game rather than at the rounder where the balls are.

Some good bowlers that use house balls will select different weight balls for different types of shots and strikes. A heavy ball moves with more force and can knock over more pins at once but a lighter ball will give the user more accuracy when hitting spares. The overall idea is to pick a ball that comes closest to meeting the basic fit requirements we discussed above. People with a weak shoulder that must use a smaller weight balls but has large fingers may not get a real good fit. The same goes for larger people that have slender fingers.

Most people that use house balls do not use them all the time like a professional bowler would use their custom ball. For this reason the ball does not have to fit perfectly and will not be used by the same person on a regular basis. If you decide that you bowl enough for a custom ball or have trouble with the house balls it is a good investment.

If you find yourself bowling more regularly, why not try to improve your game? Check out the Ultimate Bowling Guide. This is simply the best guide to teach you all the tips and secrets you need to know about bowling. The author, Eric Miller, shoes you how to improve every aspect of your game. After reading his guide, you will raise your average significantly.

Well, you now know what you need to pick out that perfect house ball. No more worries about coming home with a sore wrist or shoulder. Good luck bowling and have fun out there!