A Guide to Bowling Ball Coverstocks: How to Select the Right Bowling Ball for Your Needs

Before You Purchase A New Bowling Ball, Ask Yourself One Simple Question – Throw it Straight or Hook It?

Bowling is a sport that has been around for centuries, and is still being played by millions of people today. The game can be enjoyed at any level, from casual to competitive play. However, bowling requires the right equipment in order to succeed- one of these pieces of equipment being the bowling ball. Choosing the right bowling ball starts with choosing the right coverstock.

Bowling Balls With Plastic Coverstocks

A Polyester coverstock ball is the least aggressive of all modern bowling balls. Plastic balls are good when a bowler needs the ball to go straight up-the-boards, for corner spares, or dry lane conditions.

Bowling Balls With Urethane Coverstocks

The regular urethane ball has a higher entry angle into the pocket and is capable of covering more boards than a plastic bowling ball. It can be used as the base material for reactive resin, hybrid, and particle coverstocks.

Urethane balls suit dry surfaces. They also have a controllable response from the break point to the pocket so they are good on medium/dry lanes, and if more control is desired in the mid-lane as well.

Bowling Balls With Reactive Resin Coverstocks

Reactive resin bowling balls are the strongest type of coverstock used in these balls. They are composed of similar materials as regular urethane, with additives added according to the desired behavior and feel.

Know The 4 Different Types Of Reactive Resin Bowling Balls

Reactive coverstocks are popular because they produce ball motion of all types and provide the highest level of consumer satisfaction. They also come in 4 variations that most bowlers use to build an arsenal with for different lane conditions.

Pearlized Reactive Bowling Balls

One kind of reactive coverstock bowling ball that’s worth looking into is pearlized coverstocks. Pearl balls are made with a blend of the usual reactive material and mica, which stores energy on dry lanes an gives extended length. The pearls reacts quickly to high friction at the back-end of the lane while adding some sparkle and overall aesthetics.

Hybrid Reactive Bowling Balls

Hybrid reactive coverstocks are a combination of solid and pearl covers with the purpose of taking advantage of the benefits of both type of coverstocks. Hybrid coverstocks offer the mid-lane reaction of a solid coverstock but also provide more backend movement like that found in pearl reactive coverstocks. They range from being very aggressive to very smooth for use on a variety of lane conditions .

Solid Reactive Bowling Balls

Solid reactive coverstocks have a greater number of microscopic reactive pores on the ball surface than other types of this type. Solid covers come in polished or sanded finishes, and can be buffed to change the level of friction with the lane.

Particle Bowling Balls

Particle coverstock classifications are similar to the makeup of reactive resin balls with the big difference being an addition of microscopic pieces of material in the coverstock blended to reach through the oily lane conditioner and make responsive contact with the lane surface.

Finding the correct ball motion is critical for scoring. Typically you need to find the right mix of entry angle to carry the corner pins, without creating to much angle down lane that will create inconsistency. Also you need a ball that does not try to hook to early but also will slow down in the midlane and store enough energy for creating the angle needed downlane.

Working with any local BowlersMart will help you create the arsenal you need to achieve this!