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Lane Education by Patrick Mitchell

Designing Lane Patterns

Many people have asked me over the years, "Pat, how do you develop patterns that are used for tournaments? How do you decide the scoring level and make it fair for left and right?" In this long-awaited article, I will tell you the thought process and collection of data that is used to develop patterns for major scratch and professional events.

In my last article, I briefly touched on my experiences in the industry. I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I began my career by pin chasing and conditioning lanes at Bluemound Bowl in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when I was 14. I started resurfacing lanes with Bowl-Rite Resurfacing after graduating from High School. I was extremely interesting with that job because it held a lot of information about the lanes that many people do not know or understand. Being a bowler, I found this information could be very beneficial in the future. I found that every lane had specific characteristics (some more than others) and the finishes also had very distinctive characteristics. In the early 1990s, I started working for the ABC National Tournament conditioning lanes with Mike Stranney, a very good friend. Mike's ability to read ball reaction was far superior to anyone I had met at that time. Mike taught me how to use the oil to create a smooth reaction from foul line to pin deck. He also helped me with my game and to understand my reaction and develop my abilities - very useful information that was applicable to my game and allowed me to make some good money bowling tournaments.

It was after the 1995 ABC Tournament in Reno, Nevada that John Davis of the Kegel Company approached me about working with him. I accepted a position at Kegel and immediately was involved with the development and manufacturing of the DBA Phoenix-S and the generation of Sanction Machines that followed. I grew attached to this technology for one reason - the capability to control where the oil will go on the lane that could not be done with wicking machines. Late in 1995, I conditioned the lanes for the ladies US Open and the following year for the combined US Open tournaments. Both were very successful tournaments, which eventually led me to finish out the year with the PBA Tour in 1996. In 1997, Kegel was contracted to provide lane maintenance for the PBA. At this time I knew that the topography of the lane had an impact on the ball reaction, thus the research had begun on patterns.

In order to develop patterns for PBA, Team USA, and FIQ, which are very similar, certain information had to be gathered. The most important information for patterns are as follows: for wood lanes - age of surface, last sanding and/or re-coating, number of coats and type of finish, and center history (which side dominates); for synthetic - age of surface, manufacturer, last inspection of lane panels and seams, center history, and type of conditioner and cleaner used as well as the type of lane machine(s). This data is collected prior to the tournaments. The pattern is designed after the initial information is collected.

Once at the tournament site, physical inspections of the lanes are performed using lane levels with dial indicators (crosstilts/crowns and depressions), laser (lengthwise level), and thermo-couplers (recording temperature and humidity) which include a special coupler used to measure the temperature of the surface and a Rocker gauge which measures the hardness of the surface. I then follow strict maintenance schedules repeated daily which are signed off by officials (generally from the local ABC associations or tournament staff).

Due to my background in lanes, it is left to me to design patterns based on information collected prior to an event. The patterns were based on the "Christmas Tree" patterns developed in the early 1970s. This style of pattern had proven to be the fairest overall. Most of the patterns used very little oil on the forward pass with the machine running at a slower speed. This pass had very little definition, but created a smooth taper from the foul line to the pre-selected distance. On the reverse pass, the oil was laid at a shorter distance across a narrow number of boards (e.g. 15-15) with the machine travelling at a higher rate of speed. The pattern would steadily get wider and the speed of the machine would decrease allowing more oil to be applied as the machine moved closer to the foul line.

Early on in 1997, the oil provided too much transition off the backend of the pattern. This transition allowed players with greater axis rotation to have an advantage over the rest of the field. This problem continued for most of 1997. Another factor soon discovered was the amount of oil that was in the pine sections of the lane. The thicker the oil in the middle the better the power players did. As the lanes changed due to lineage, the midlane (22-28 feet) would break down quicker at the end of the pattern. This hook point reeked havoc with straight and tweener style players, while the boomers and higher axis rotations could move deeper, bypass the hook point, and throw around the carry down. This was very unfair and the players informed us of the inequities. Early on the pattern was equal on both sides and we found the scoring level for the left was a little higher than the right. This was very prevalent in the Tournament of Champions at the National Bowling Stadium in Reno. The lefthanders dominated the show, which showed that the lanes had characteristics that favored the left side. Similar circumstances were involved in the 1998 ABC Masters Tournament.

This situation proposed the question, "How do you make the patterns fair for both sides?" Like I said earlier, the data collected before a tournament is very important. This information allowed us to rate the surface based on data. I look at the pre-tournament data to find out what levels of bowlers bowl at the center. The number of lefthanders and their averages were compared to the right side. The house pattern itself gives clues to any advantages or disadvantages. The day prior to the practice session, the technicians collect physical data (crosstilts and crowns or depressions). I look for anomalies that show tilts and the topography favoring one side or the other. The topography can be very different from one side to another mostly with synthetics, but it can happen with wood lanes. Once all the data is reviewed, points are assessed to the sides that have advantages. These points are the determining factors of the types of adjustments made to the pattern for equity. Most of the time the "hold" and "swing" would be removed but not completely removed. There is a difference between making the lanes fair and shutting out the lefthanders. There is no guarantee to the outcome of the adjustments. As I found out, seven millionths of an inch could drastically change the outcome.

The transition is the most important piece in developing a pattern. A fresh condition is only fresh until balls are thrown. How a pattern changes during bowling eventually dictates the outcome. Keeping in mind that all bowlers deserve a fair chance, the patterns used must develop as equally as possible for all players. How do you design a pattern to achieve proper development? This led to the development of new lane machines specially designed for tournaments. These machines could slow the rate of the buffer brush to allow an even thinner amount of oil on the backend of the pattern. This also allowed us to run the pattern much further down the lane. The further the pattern the more predictable the ball reaction. When the reaction is predictable, the difficulty level can be increased and scoring levels can be maintained. The midlane still showed to have problems. After testing some theories, a way was found to control that area. The patterns were then designed to "feed" themselves. This means that the oil from the heads is used to feed the midlane and the midlane was used to "feed" the backends. This keeps the pattern stable for much longer and allows the backends to open before any other part of the lane.

This now leads us to the scoring levels. The patterns designed for many of the tournament done by Kegel were to allow all styles to play equally. This generally meant that most of the players would start outside. This had a huge impact on the scoring level. After about 12 games the lanes would open up, creating a similar scenario to many house patterns. The outside would end up with increased friction with a pile of oil in the middle to allow the players the chance to get deeper and find skid. Because Kegel never deviated from this type of pattern, it made it possible for yearly averages to increase. The midlane became the controlling factor to the scoring level. The ratio from inside to outside oil made the overall difference. The higher the ratio in the midlane the higher the scoring level. The midlane was more influential than any other part of the pattern. The midlane is the controlling factor for ball reaction. This gives the ball direction regardless what the shape of the rest of the pattern is. The same theory works for house patterns.

During my years designing patterns, there was no favoritism to what tournament would be higher or lower scoring. The players on tour felt that the "major" events should require a more challenging condition, so the best would shine. Being the political arena that the tour is, Kegel's reluctance to vary the patterns was low. If the scoring level dropped too low the players would openly voice their opinions. The same applied for higher scoring tournaments and the repetitious patterns. Many bowlers did not understand why the patterns had to be so similar, but this was Davis' comfort zone. He felt that it became more predictable to forecast the outcome of a tournament and was resistant to any other ideas.

In conclusion, the design of patterns contained many factors. It is a well-thought plan that requires much research and testing. There will be more to come in the future of pattern design. There is enough data now so that different types of patterns will be used in upcoming events. What will happen in the rest of the bowling world depends on the ABC. I, like everyone else, have no clue to what will happen in the future. More than likely there will continue to be a decrease in membership in the ABC/WIBC and more centers will break away to save their businesses. I assure you all that I will continue to educate and do my best to develop new patterns for the sport of bowling.

-- "If there are any questions or comments regarding this article or just bowling in general, please contact me at lanes101@attbi.com. I will be happy to serve you. Bowling proprietors may also contact me for technical support on any Brunswick/DBA lane maintenance equipment, lane surface, and maintenance questions."

Below is a complete list of Pat's articles:

• Understanding the Playing Field
• The Art Of Designing Oiling Patterns
• Topography ... What Does It Mean?

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