Have you ever noticed the slippery stuff on your ball after it comes back through the return? That's oil or as it’s also called a conditioner. Originally it was put on the lane to protect its surface. Nowadays it’s used to direct the ball as it goes down the lane. You need oil to help control how much your ball hooks and to help you strike consistently.
The ‘lane machine’ puts oil on the lane. It’s programmed with specific patterns that tell how much oil to put down and where to put it on the lane. Different oil patterns affect the ball’s reaction and make each bowling lane unique, as oil isn't spread evenly across the lane. Typically, there is much more oil in the middle than on the outside. This allows more "hook" from the outside part of the lane to the pocket.
How much of the lane oil covers, really matters. The longer the pattern, the less your ball can hook. Knowing the pattern distance can help determine where the ball needs to be when it reacts toward the pocket.
In the game we have 3 oil patterns to choose, Short, Medium and Long. Depending on which pattern is selected hook potential of the ball changes, as well as the level of difficulty of the game. This feature is based on real physics, so your ball would be reacting as in a real life.
Play and learn with Bowling by Jason Belmonte!
