This website has always been open for guest columns that bring value to bowling topics of interest.

When Erik Roy of Costa Rica sent me this column, he did something rare: he made a geezer bowling journalist look at a bowling topic in a way he never had before.

That immediately made me want to share it so others could perhaps look at the topic in a different way. 

The biggest difference happening between bowling in the U.S. and internationally

By ERIK ROY 

The word on everyone’s lips when it comes to bowling in the last decade is purple, purple, and purple. One bowling ball — created in 2015 as a backup to the original Black Hammer — completely turned the bowling community on its head. This, combined with the resurgence of Australian Jason Belmonte, created a perfect storm that transformed the sport into something entirely different.

As with any superstar, youth bowlers began emulating his style in their own unique ways, bringing into the sport a style that made the power game a must-have rather than a luxury. There have always been power players in the PBA — don’t get me wrong — going back to players like Mark Roth and Amleto Monacelli, just to name a few. But they were not the standard on the tour.

In the early 2000s, players like Tommy Jones, Chris Barnes, and Wes Malott were considered power players. In today’s game, they are considered tweeners, which boggles the mind.

The United States has always been the mecca of bowling, housing nearly 100% of the companies that produce everything from bowling balls to pinsetters and leading the vanguard of innovation in the sport. This, combined with its economic strength, makes it ideal for implementing changes such as new lane panels, oiling machines, oils, and even pinsetter technology — including string pinsetters.

Outside the U.S., it’s a completely different story. Bowling is not a blue-collar sport and tends to align more with higher economic strata, similar to golf.

Many public bowling centers simply don’t have the financial resources to constantly upgrade to the latest technology. Replacing lane panels or upgrading oiling machines is extremely expensive, and this cost becomes even more prohibitive in regions like Latin America, where minimum wages are significantly lower.

Synthetic bowling lane panels have a recommended lifespan of around 30 years, according to different manufacturers. However, much like someone who neglects to change their car’s oil on time, many bowling centers outside the U.S. not only fail to maintain them properly but also extend their use well beyond that lifespan.

This creates a vicious cycle: players now generate higher rev rates than ever before, bowling equipment becomes more aggressive each year, and lanes develop increasing levels of friction. As a result, oil patterns designed by World Bowling in the early 2010s are often rendered ineffective because the friction is so high that using high-performance bowling balls becomes impractical. If I had a dollar for every tournament photo from Latin America or even Europe where the ball rack is filled with Purple Hammers, I’d have a much larger bank account.

Players are forced to adapt to increasingly demanding oil patterns designed to guide them into specific parts of the lane. The problem arises when those areas are nearly impossible to play with modern equipment due to excessive friction and the high rev rates seen in today’s game. Urethane bowling balls — especially those with more continuation — help players remain competitive in these conditions. There’s a reason players like Jesper Svensson have built careers throwing primarily urethane, and why Mika Koivuniemi relied on loft in the late ’90s and early 2000s: bowling environments in Europe differ significantly from those in the U.S.

As a player outside the U.S. who has competed in over ten different Latin American bowling centers, I can confidently say that bowling in places like the National Bowling Stadium or South Point is a completely different experience. The lane motion differs dramatically because maintenance standards are top-notch, the oiling machines are state-of-the-art, and these centers are at the forefront of oil pattern design and implementation.

So, did urethane ruin the sport? My simple answer is no. It’s a tool that helps bowlers remain competitive in often treacherous conditions where early hook is the norm rather than the exception. There is a reason that a large amount of international overseas balls are different versions of urethane balls that never get released to the US market.