Although it isn't necessary to own your own equipment in order to enjoy bowling, I strongly recommend that you do. All bowling centers have "house balls" available for use at no charge to customers, and your local bowling center will rent bowling shoes. But you'll find your scores mount when you have equipment fitted to your individual specifications. When you buy a ball your bowling proprietor or his pro shop will drill it for you at no charge. If you're really serious about bowling, you should buy your own ball and have it drilled for your own physical make-up. It's like buying a tailor-made suit. It will fit you perfectly; it's yours alone.

Today bowling balls come in almost all colors and weights. There was a time when almost all balls were black, and their weights were always sixteen pounds or very close to it. Now that women have taken up the sport however, bowling balls come in almost every hue; and the weights range from ten pounds to sixteen, though never more than sixteen. Black models retail for about $25; other colors and mottled balls are slightly more than that.

Bowling balls are made of hard rubber. The lighter weight balls contain a cork center, and cost about the same as the sixteen pounders.

Here's a good test to determine whether the thumb hole fits properly: place your thumb in the ball and turn your hand back and forth, clockwise and counter-clockwise. If you feel just the slightest bit of friction, the thumb fit is a good one. The thumb shouldn't stick at all; it should be a bit on the loose side.

The finger holes of a well-fitted ball will be neither too tight nor too loose.

The span—the distance between the finger holes and the thumb holes—can be determined in this manner: insert your thumb fully into the thumb hole and then extend the two middle fingers over the finger holes. The second, or middle, crease of these fingers should be directly over the finger holes if the ball's span is a proper one for you. You can also test the span by fully inserting the thumb and the fingers. If the sec­ond or middle crease of the finger extends beyond one-half of the ball, the span is too narrow. Conversely, if the second crease does not reach the inner edge of the hole, the span is too wide. Remember, an ill-fitting bowling ball will feel twice its weight.

Professional stars you meet may be using a fingertip or semi-fingertip ball. But I recommend the conventional grip (the one I've described above) for almost every bowler. Pros use the fingertip styles to get more hooking action in their delivery; but unless you completely familiarize yourself with all of the subtleties of "lift" and "turn," don't use it.
I hesitate to make any recommendations about proper pitch, since so much of this depends upon the individual bowler's style of delivery and the size of his hand. Let the man who fits and drills your ball recommend a proper pitch.
I'm also hesitant about recommending a specific weight for your ball. I say this: if you can deliver a sixteen-pound ball with ease, without hampering your accuracy or control, then use it. But if this weight isn't comfortable, switch to some­thing lighter. The most important element in achieving high scores is accuracy—not the particular weight of the ball you're using. So, by all means, sacrifice weight for accuracy.
The same applies to women bowlers. I've seen 5'3" gals, who couldn't weigh more than 120 pounds, handle a sixteen-pound ball with the ease of Sylvia Wene, current Women's All-Star champion. And I've seen real husky gals have trouble picking up a ten-pound ball from the rack. Why? Because they are poorly coordinated. Your own physical make-up and... [Chapter Incomplete]

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