Here's something taken from the Ebonite
forum.
The SURFACE of the ball and its interaction with the oil and lane
surface IS NUMBER 1 in the factors that can be manipulated by the
ball-driller. Too much surface texture and the ball will lose
energy prematurely, too little and the ball will conserve energy
too long. Both are equally undesirable. All of the time spent
choosing the correct ball and dynamic layout is completely wasted
unless the surface texture creates the correct breakpoint. The
factory surface texture of a ball is not always going to be the
correct one for you and the lane condition you are bowling on. You
can sand or scuff a polished ball, you can polish a sanded ball.
Can you sand a pearl ball? Absolutely. Can you polish a particle
ball? Yessirree! And you can change it back to its original state
and start over again. Whatever it takes to get the proper release
of energy. You will need to refresh the surface texture
periodically to keep it reacting consistently.
I can't tell you how many ball reviews I've read that state "I
threw the ball 3 games and it reacted horribly. I got rid of it.
What a piece of junk." There is no way on God's green Earth that a
determination can be made in 3 games. This person needs to work
with their pro shop operator to fine-tune the surface texture.
There is a myriad of choices for surface texture, from 80 grit (yes
I know individuals who have used this much surface) to 5000 grit
polishes and hook-reducing waxes, that will allow the ball to read
the lane correctly. Unless, of course, a huge mistake in ball
choice was made (like buying a polyester ball for medium to heavy
oil, a particle ball for light to medium oil, my grandfather and
his 12 MPH ball speed wanting a low RG, high flare ball).
Surface composition (polyester, urethane, reactive, particle) and
texture allow the inner core to express itself on the lane, much
like a tire provides the potential for motion for a car's engine.
There are several different tires available, from studded snow
tires to the smooth racing slicks. Each provides a different amount
of traction and friction. Put the wrong set of tires on a race car
and you will not be competitive, potentially even dangerous.
It's not just the drilling layout and the ball and the cg and all
that. It's the surface. To add on to Harmzuay's post, taking care
of, and preparing your ball's surface is very important. Have you
been doing it?
