Does Bowling Ball Size Matter?

I have recently been asked this question.  I wrote this article back in 2004 regarding this topic.  Please let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below.

Recently, I was in a discussion about bowling balls and the topic of ball size came up. Not knowing if size really mattered, I decided to set up a test to hopefully provide some insight into the very heated topic. So, in this issue of Tech Tips, we will explore bowling ball size from a subjective standpoint.

For years, professional bowlers and amateurs alike have said smaller balls hook more, or can go deeper into the pocket, and as a result, will carry better. There has been an equal amount of talk about larger balls. Bowlers have said that larger balls hit better or that larger balls make the pins fly more. So, wondering myself how size effects ball reaction and pin fall, I decided to set up a small experiment to try to find out if size matters or not. The ABC/WIBC specification for diameter is 8.595" to 8.500". Knowing this, we set this test up to sample a range of the specification.

The Set Up

For this experiment we chose three different styles of players. Each player was given the same ball at different sizes.

The sizes were:

1. ABC/WIBC Maximum Diameter 8.595"
2. Ebonite Standard Diameter 8.585"
3. Test One Smaller Diameter 8.550"
4. Test Two Smaller Diameter 8.510"

One of the first things that we decided to look at was inertia or ball dynamic properties of balls. We tested each ball for Rg and differential.

The following is an average list of all of the Mass Properties for the balls:

We also weighed each ball to find out how much difference existed between the balls:

It is interesting to note that size does play a role in Rg as well as differential. Notice that the larger the size, the higher the Rg value and the lower the differential value. These changes are a result of the smaller coverstock allowing the core to play a greater role in the dynamics of the ball. Also, the balls differed as much as 0.36 lb between the highest and the lowest weighted ball.

The ball that was used in this test was the Ebonite V2 Clean. The players were instructed to bowl a minimum of 30 games with each ball in a variety of conditions and houses, and then to comment on each ball as well as select a favorite ball.

Player 1. Professional Bowler and Ebonite Pro Staff

Name: Jason Queen
Rev Rate: Low
Ball Speed: Slow
Style of lane play: in the track
Favorite ball size: 8.510”

Comments:

Player 2.  Mega Buck Amateur Bowler

Name: Andrew
Rev Rate:Medium
Ball Speed: Medium
Style of lane play: inside out
Favorite ball size: 8.510"

Comments:

Player 3. High Average League Bowler

Name: Ron Sr.
Rev Rate: Medium
Ball Speed: Medium
Style of lane play: outside
Favorite ball size: 8.510"

Comments:

Manufacturer Differences

We decided to test our balls as well as competitors’ balls for size. We purchased competitive balls on a random basis from several distributors. Our balls averaged 8.585". The competitor balls that we tested ranged from 8.545" to an illegal 8.607".

Ebonite currently uses the 8.585" specification on all bowling balls to allow for maximum
resurfacing of its products. The following chart is an average of two balls.

Conclusion:

There were some interesting results about size noted by all participants. Everyone noticed a significant difference in the feel of the balls. The radius of each ball was different based on the size and each player noticed this difference even though the balls have the same span measurements. The smaller ball felt like it was drilled shorter than the larger ball. The legal limit on ball size is also very noticeable when using a quarter scale (see pictures 1 and 2). Even though both of these balls are within ABC/WIBC specifications, there is a gap in size. Everyone also agreed that there was some difference between the balls.

Currently other manufacturer’s product diameters are different and vary from ball to ball. The ABC/WIBC specification for ball diameter is large enough to see differences by players of different types, styles and abilities. Even though not completely conclusive from our small test, it can be said that from a player standpoint that the size of a bowling ball does play a role in ball preference and performance. In this preliminary test, all players
seemed to prefer the 8.510" ball over the other sizes. A variety of reasons can be attributed to this, from the way the ball feels in a player’s hand, the increase in rev rate from a smaller ball or because the smaller ball was lighter and offers more control for a bowler. We will continue to test these different size balls, only now on a more formalized basis. We will also begin to collect C.A.T.S. data as well as use Ebonite BowlersMAP™ to help conclude an opinion on our early findings. Who knows? Maybe, as a result of this experiment, we might end up reducing our manufacturing ball specification. We won’t know for sure until we have more facts. For now, at least, it appears that bowling ball size does matter.