Bowling Ball Maintenance a Must

Today's new resin coverstocks require much more maintenance than the rubber, plastic or urethane coverstocks of the past.

Because of the huge amount of hook potential that these balls create, they are more susceptible to the absorption of oil into the coverstocks and to picking up dirt or residue from the lane surface. Cleaning, refreshed surface, baking and resurfacing are common terms that you need to become familiar with.

Based on a USBC research study, it is documented that a bowling ball can and will start to lose reaction after 7-14 games. What this means to you is that  in order to continue to get optimum ball reaction from your new ball, it should be cleaned and the surface sanded or polished back to its desired finish after  that 7-14 games.

Bowling balls that may need to be cleaned or refreshed after the 7-14 games tend to not hook as much on the backend and may seem to hit flat and not carry the corner pins! You may find that some bowling balls start to lose reaction sooner than others. For example, a matte finished (sanded) bowling ball may tend to lose reaction faster than a shiny finished (polished) ball. 

After a ball has 30-60 games on it, and simply refreshing the surface doesn't seem to work, resurfacing and/or baking it should bring it back to life. The resurfacing of a bowling ball will require it to be sanded  starting with a low grit of sandpaper to remove the nicks and track lines and continued sanding until desired surface is achieved leaving the ball looking almost new.

Another way to bring an oil soaked ball to life is to have it baked (no not in your oven, unless you want a scorched bowling ball for turkey dinner). Many pro shops have machines that are especially designed for bowling balls called Rejuvenator or Reviver. These machines use rollers to rotate the bowling ball at a set temperature for a specific period of time and literally bake the oil out of the ball.

Other ball maintenance things you should consider include: During your league session, use a microfiber towel to wipe your ball off after each and every shot.  Clean your bowling ball after each and every bowling session with a USBC approved cleaner. Avoid using alcohol or acetone regularly, because it could possibly damage your resin coverstock . Keep all your equipment in a room temperature environment, avoiding extremes in hot or cold! Don't let your ball sit for long periods of time in the same position, even at room temperature. It can crack!