Q. Help! The guy's I bowl league with are always telling me I am standing on 30 and aiming at 13. This is Greek to me what are they talking about?

A. They are talking about the boards they are using on the lane to play certain shots. Let me explain. The arrows on the lane are put on boards on the lane. The arrows are placed five boards apart. The first arrow is the five board it is placed five boards from the gutter. The second arrow is the ten board; the 3rd arrow is the fifteen board. The 4th arrow or center arrow is the 20 board. Counting from the right then the next arrow is the 5th and is the 25th board. Next is the 30. So standing on the 30 is lining your foot up on the board two arrows to the left of the center arrow. Then shooting the 13 board would be trying to hit the spot 3 boards to the left of the 2nd arrow. That is the thirteenth board. Right-handers count from the right hand gutter to the left starting at one. Left-handers count starting at the left hand gutter and go right. Boards one to forty.

Q. I started bowling about 5 years ago; I am an 180+ average but still struggle with thumb fit. I feel at the start of league bowling the thumb is a little loose and I have a tendency to grab, as the thumb swells it feels better. But I am not comfortable with having a tight thumb as some suggest. Any thoughts other then using tape?

A. The answer here is to tape or use something to help adjust your grip. I also am not a fan of taping the ball as such. I have found a great product that really helps me with my thumb problems. It is called Magic Carpet it goes in the back of the thumbhole just as tape does. But the yarn of the carpet keeps from building up suction. So you can keep the hole fairly tight but still get out without squeezing. One of these takes the place of 3 pieces of white tape so you don't have to layer it. You can also place it in the hole two different ways. One way with the yarn down for a slower release and the other way with the yarn going up for a quicker release. It is not a product that is widely available in pro shops. It is a grass roots product. I am a distributor so if you would like to try it send me a self-addressed, self-stamped 2 stamps please #10 envelope with $20.00. I will send you 10 Magic Carpets. These last a long time. I will also send you instructions for their use.

Bob Korth
750 Hemlock Ave
Central Point, Oregon 97502

 Or email me if you have more questions about them. askbob@clearwire.net

Q. I needed a ball that would go longer. I went to the pro shop and asked about getting a weaker entry-level ball. The pro shop told me I would not be happy with a cheap ball. They suggested a more expensive ball then tweak the drilling and the cover to get more length. What is your opinion?

A.  I don't want to make any pro shop operators mad but in most cases the shop will make more money on a more expensive ball. They are in the business of making money. I used to be in the pro shop business and my first concern is to help the customer. Your pro shop may have had some bad experiences with entry-level balls. I never did if one of my customers wanted a certain ball I sold them that ball and drilled it to the best of my ability. What your pro shop suggested will work and may give you a little more hitting power than an entry level ball but I have had good luck myself with entry level balls as a part of my arsenal. They are generally weaker but still a very good piece of equipment to have for some shots. Sometimes weaker can be better. If they won't sell you the ball you want go to another shop. I am sure someone will help you. A sale is a sale.

To ask a question write askbob@clearwire.net