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Is there a "pro shop" in Dublin?

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  • 07-11-2011 12:40pm
    #1
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭


    Hello all,

    Two questions: firstly, is there a bowling "pro shop" in Dublin? Looking to maybe get a lighter ball that has large finger holes. Currently, if I'm ever in a bowling alley the holes are either too small on the light balls, or too tight a fit.

    Secondly, are there any rules about which hand I use? Although a usually play with my right hand, due to having stretched a few fingers back whilst playing tag rugby last summer, they sometimes get a bit sore after a few games of bowling, and I switch to my left hand. I find that even though I cannot "aim" it as well as the right, I still can bowl very straight with my left hand, and if my fingers on my right hand are sore, I'd bowl better with my left. I ask as I read in one of the links in the newbie sticky that left handed bowlers get a lane with only 7 pins as opposed to a right handed 10 pin lane. Could someone clarify this?


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    #2
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    Well I haven't bowled in Ireland in quite a while but when I was a regular at XL Bowl (Superdome) in Palemerstown, they had a proper pro-shop with a good choice of polyester, urethane and reactive urethane balls. They would measure your hand span and finger positioning and drill the ball exactly to your needs.

    That leads to a slight problem for you in that if a ball is drilled properly then the drilling and hole positioning is completely unique to your hand and while you could switch hand you may find that the ball isn't quite as good in your left hand, if usable at all. However, you may find that because the ball is drilled exactly to your specifications you can bowl for longer without your hand getting sore.

    You could also explain your situation to the person drilling the ball and they could look at the options for you. If you like your hand to be stretched a bit more then perhaps installing finger plugs would be an option for you. That would also help if you wanted to learn how to hook the ball.


    On the subject of a left-hander only having seven pins, that's wrong. If you can find the link again, let me know and I'll remove it. Left and right-handers each have 10 pins.

    Have a look at this vid:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFWg4gNdiEU


    This is Parker Bohn III, one of the all-time great PBA bowlers and he's a left-hander :) You can see he has 10 pins on the lane :)

    The difference is that left-handers find hitting the 7 pin more difficult than right-handers, while right-handers find hitting the 10 pin harder than left-handers. It's due to their position on the lane and the amount of room on the lane for the ball to travel. Excellent bowlers don't have a problem with either the 7 or 10 pin, regardless of which hand they bowl with. It just takes practice. :)

    Hope that helps. Also, wow, a post in the bowling forum! :eek:


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    #3
    tariqbutt
    Registered Users Posts: 59 ✭✭tariqbutt


    ALSAA bowl near the airport have a great pro shop. I got my ball there about a year ago

    http://www.alsaa.ie/ten-pin-bowling-dublin.html

    They have a slightly bigger selection than palmerstown I believe.


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    #4
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    Also, Stillorgan used to have a brilliant pro-shop but following the Leisureplex takeover I'm not sure it's still there.


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    #5
    the groutch
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,096 ✭✭✭✭the groutch


    r3nu4l wrote: »
    Also, Stillorgan used to have a brilliant pro-shop but following the Leisureplex takeover I'm not sure it's still there.

    yeah, Barry's still there, his "shop" is hidden down beyond the pool tables.
    think this is his number, taken from the ITBA website: 086 - 2673955


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    #6
    the_syco
    Registered Users Posts: 37,295 ✭✭✭✭the_syco


    r3nu4l wrote: »
    On the subject of a left-hander only having seven pins, that's wrong. If you can find the link again, let me know and I'll remove it. Left and right-handers each have 10 pins.
    In http://www.amug.org/~a249/pinboy.html it says;
    When pre-game practice time arrives, be ready! These precious few minutes can make or break your series. The two most important things are to find the strike line and the 10 pin line (7 pin for left handers). Then, if you have time, the solid Brooklyn shot. If you can find these three, you should be able to adjust to whatever else happens.
    ...but this could be just in America? Thought I'd ask in case there were a different lane, or something.
    r3nu4l wrote: »
    Hope that helps. Also, wow, a post in the bowling forum! :eek:
    When I told my mate who I was bowling with about this forum, his response was "boards has a bowling forum??? :eek: " :D
    r3nu4l wrote: »
    Well I haven't bowled in Ireland in quite a while but when I was a regular at XL Bowl (Superdome) in Palemerstown, they had a proper pro-shop with a good choice of polyester, urethane and reactive urethane balls. They would measure your hand span and finger positioning and drill the ball exactly to your needs.
    Excellent. That'd be my "local" bowling place. Found they also do a "bring your own beer" pool & bowling night on Saturdays that I'll look into :D
    the groutch wrote: »
    yeah, Barry's still there, his "shop" is hidden down beyond the pool tables.
    Cool. May pop down on later today.

    Will probably check out the price of the balls, and maybe either get two balls, or see if I get a right and left thumb hole on the one ball :P


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    #7
    r3nu4l
    Registered Users Posts: 17,399 ✭✭✭✭r3nu4l


    the_syco wrote: »
    In http://www.amug.org/~a249/pinboy.html it says;
    When pre-game practice time arrives, be ready! These precious few minutes can make or break your series. The two most important things are to find the strike line and the 10 pin line (7 pin for left handers). Then, if you have time, the solid Brooklyn shot. If you can find these three, you should be able to adjust to whatever else happens.
    ...but this could be just in America? Thought I'd ask in case there were a different lane, or something.

    Ah, I get it now :) The link isn't saying that there's only 7 pins for left-handers :D

    So on a bowling lane, the 10 pin is located on the back row on the far right as you look down the lane and the 7 pin is on the far left.

    Basically it's more difficult for a right-hander to knock the 10 pin than any other pin (depending on how they hook the ball and the lane conditions. Conversely, it's more difficult in theory for a left-hander to hit the 7 pin.



    So being able to knock the ten pin as a right hander is important to pick up (convert) the spare, likewise with the 7 pin for a left hander.

    A 'Brooklyn' ball is basically when the ball crosses over the mid-line and hits the head pin on the opposite side of your normal strike line.

    So a right-hander normally has a strike line where he hits the pocket between pins 1 and 3 (i.e. hits the right hand side of the headpin), with a Brooklyn ball the ball hits the left hand side of the headpin instead of the right-side.

    For a left hander, they normally hit the pocket between pins 1 and 2 so a Brooklyn ball for him is hitting the right hand sire of the headpin.

    Hope that's not too confusing :o


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    #8
    bbability
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,504 ✭✭✭bbability


    the groutch wrote: »
    yeah, Barry's still there, his "shop" is hidden down beyond the pool tables.
    think this is his number, taken from the ITBA website: 086 - 2673955

    Just to let you know that Barry has a new shop back in the bowling alley in Stillorgan. Bought a ball from him last week. It's looking great.


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