Should Urethane Bowling Balls Be Used On House Shots and Leagues?!? 

As an already disliked two-hander in a league full of old farts; I have found that no matter what ball I use, I get just as much flak. I started using urethane (UC3) in league and even just having it on the rack makes many of my fellow leaguers rage. I find that as an advantage because it gets in their heads before the pins even drop and it gives them more excuses when my team takes all 9. I love it!

I throw urethane on league as needed. I don't care about the whiners on the other teams. Because of that whining my jersey has urethane pain on the sleeve. Losers blame others for their issues, winners adapt and overcome without excuses.

Good video. The core/cover combination on the UC3 makes it act like a benchmark ball in my opinion and that’s why it looks so good on the house shot. Personally I’m all for people using whatever ball works for them. I’ve had to use urethane in league before and I’m never bothered by someone else doing so.

Who cares what other people throw. Adjust and make yourself better.

I frequently play urethane (purple hammer) on house to avoid getting too deep with reactive resin. I've found that my carry playing a straighter shot with weaker urethane is greater than playing deep with reactive. My misses with urethane tend to be more forgiving. During transition I have been successful moving 1-1.5 boards right and increasing my speed.

IMO if a urethane ball gives someone the shape they're looking for, then they should throw it. Fuck what anyone else thinks.

As a two handed bowler that only threw reactive for a long time I just got my first urethane a little Over a month ago I have Fallen in love with it the people in my league don’t seem to mind it but I love it because I can bowl straighter and have a lot more control over the ball with urethane but I think it’s all a personal preference on what you want to do and what works for you

Depending on the house. I have a house that tends to be drier so I throw an 1990s Original Sumo

Recently, in our city tournament, I eventually had to throw my Pitch Black on a THS. Now, understand that this was for the singles and doubles events and there were only four of us on a pair. Add to that, none of them were left handed like me and we were all teammates. After 5 games on the same shot, the lanes were fried on my side with my rev rate. So I went with the PB to try to play inside the friction. Did it work? Nope. Either my skill with the PB or the lane conditions did not allow me to strike with that ball. I came away like you did with three wrap seven pins and quickly went to a less aggressive reactive ball that I polished the crap out of for those conditions. I ended the sixth game over 200. Urethane has a place. But I don't use it enough to be proficient. I don't bowl enough games on my side of the lane to usually have a use for it during league play. In fact, I have rarely used it during my senior scratch tournaments which is also on a house shot but with more lefties. The question I have about urethane is; why are people upset about a legal piece of equipment being used on a lane, but never complain about how a player's rev rate burns it up? It doesn't make sense to me. In conclusion, I think people just want to complain about their inability to adapt to the lane and deflect from their own ability. I see it as the same thing as a bowler taking a shot, missing their mark, and then spending 20 secs on the approach rubbing with their shoe like they stuck. Cmon dude. You didn't stick. I just threw a shot just where you did and didn't stick. You just threw a lousy shot!

So I bowl in a 4 man team on Wednesday nights. 3 right handers and 1 lefty. And guess what? Yes, all 3 of us right handers throw urethane. One deep outside around 5 to 7 board area. Me in the track area around 10 to 15 board. And last my 3rd team mate beyond 20 to 25 for a target. My first ball of choice is the Pitch Purple, then I switch to the UC3 by the 2nd half of the 2nd game. And yes my league hates us and we don't care!!!!

I started bowling in leagues in 1979 and my first ball was a rubber Johnny Petraglia LT-48. In the mid 1980s urethane balls were the best balls and that is what I used. But reactive resin balls are way more powerful than urethane so I don't use urethane anymore because it would be giving up pins. But there are power bowlers than have way more rotation than I do. For them urethane gives them accuracy while still having tons of power when it hits. Alleys put down a lot more oil today than years ago. If there is a problem with urethane balls having oil carry down, why would you blame the ball rather than the mechanic who put down a lot of oil? Skiers bellyached when snowboarders appeared. Some one handed bowlers complain about the existence of two handed bowlers. Some bowlers gripe about the reappearance of old school urethane balls.

I have a pitch black, I do throw urethane on house. Why? I wanted a controlled ball motion and I have high pretty high revs. It's also my first and only ball as of now. Maybe not the ideal choice, but hey it's what I have so I'm gonna work with it.

The way I see it, if you're a competitor, why would you ever not use the best possible equipment allowed if you have it available to you. Makes no sense. If you want to win, take every bit of advantage you're allowed to.

Urethane was used before the radical cover stocks we have now so the ONLY a reason for disallowing urethane is $$$$$$ just to sell more balls for bigger bucks. What if I want to use plastic or wood in league are they illegal too? Their are people in leagues that have all 4 finger holes drilled and still have balance holes. One ball leagues are split between urethane and entry level balls. If urethane is ever made illegal then no one should be able to use a SPARE ball either.

People waste so much energy on getting upset about what someone else is doing 😆 if someone wants to throw urethane, more power to them! My teammate and I get so much slack in league bc we have high rev rates and the oil is gone by game 2 😂 its so funny

Last two weeks, I have been using a 900 Global Burner Pearl and UC3. My bowling center usually puts out a medium to medium/dry oil volumn. Both balls go through the front part of the lane very smoothly and have plenty of energy to go down lane and to the pins. Shot 723 two weeks ago and 656 last week. Last week could of been much better if I would have made my spares.

You should use whatever ball gives you the best opportunity to shoot high scores. Good bowlers can adjust to carry down. House hacks complain about urethane ruining their shot.

What's the layout of the uc3? I don't have a urethane ball yet. But I am with you. They are tools to get the job done so why not

It is funny what people get upset over. If I took a 500 grit pad to my hell raiser blaze and absolutely blew up the fronts for everyone, no one would bat an eyelid because I've done it with reactive. But the second I bring out the urethane to create a bit more hold, everyone goes crazy because I'm using urethane.

I'm 66 years old. I throw the Pitch Black because I don't have the ball speed for reactive. But, I sure leave a lot of corner pins with the PB. Going to look into a UC3. Informative video, thanks..

As a bowler in a high school league I tend to go to urethane when I can’t get anything else to work or if I don’t have a look with any of my other balls,on house it helps me control the friction up front and it is really controllable especially after the lanes have already transitioned

I had deleted the previous post. Sean Rash used the Rubicon during the Players Championship finals and not the US Open. I just thought it was strange considering his past with urethane type balls. “If you can’t beat em, join em”?

East Tennessee my Leagues we have a big mix oil soaked balls urethane and new big oil soakers. It’s high friction u never see carry down and I’d say theirs probably more carry down from balls I see ppl throwing they’ve had one ball since 1992 one guy 1984 so it silly to complain about a urethane ball. The lanes always cliff either way they all dump on the 10 board and dry a path. Seems like the carry down also gets picked up. Balls don’t soak oil while on the lane they get oil on the ball then absorb on the way to the holder u see it soaking up and disappearing when they arrive. I see most difference from Maby humidity from the crappy AC and oil thickness and settling from how they don’t oil at a given time before leagues it’s varies every week

Can you? Yes. Should you? No. Why? Because most of the time, urethane on a house shot causes for a more difficult breakdown. The oil on a house shot is already easy… why try to make a house shot harder? Pros on tour understand the breakdown process much better, and the patterns are different. That’s my opinion. But I don’t get mad and I do know how to deal with Carry down when people throw urethane on house shot.

I know many ppl who do the RAGE. Its easy to screw with ppl. I never really used it til beginning of this season as the volume was reduced soooo low that i was forced to start out standing 30ish throwing over 20 to keep anything reactive in pocket and thats not a good recipe starting out. Got the purple hammer and controlling the pocket was much easier. Already have added the Fast pitch, and i have a pink widow drilled and ready to practice with in the morning. I'll never understand ppl who let someone get in their head that much over a bowling ball that anyone can use.

Just got my pitch purple today an can't wait to throw next three weeks league starts for 34weeks weather permitting to go longer. Don't think they will complain about it seen about two others but 👍. Can't complain when I seen three banned balls cough.

You throw what is legal and fits for you. Unless your league bans it for some reason. Ppl arguing need to learn to adjust, I had the same bs talk for throwing backup ball style for years. You're messing up my shape, oh sorry I thought we were competing not me trying to help you win.

I'm a fairly new subscriber and I have to say I've been enjoying your content you're doing a great job and you're very informative

I don't know why there is so much controversy around urethane. In the 80s everyone used urethane because it was the next great thing and there were much shorter oil patterns being used back then. People complain about it being used in some of my leagues. Sometimes I use it just to piss off the whiners but if I can score with it on a light oil condition I'm going to use it. It's better than getting too deep with reactive resin and having the ball fizzle out or over hook on its way to the pocket.

Ok but tour-e-thane should really not be considered urethane. The uc3 is a great ball and storm made a new crazy chemical that they call it “urethane” but in reality, it’s just a really early hooking ball and overall really good.

I’m ok with urethane on a house shot it’s not like typical house bowlers hit same spot. I also have no issues with someone throwing 360 grit ball. If I see surface or urethane take hand out move to the right hit 10 and you should be ok not giving away the pocket.

Im still new to bowling. Are urethane balls cleaned/serviced the same way reactive does like with abralon? And i read that urethans like uc3 and purple hammer are a mix of pearl so do they need to be polished like pearl balls?

I’m a 2 handed bowler and I throw a pitch black at every league day. I play it really straight off the 10 board and then I let big black do the rest into the 1-3 pocket

I throw Pitch Black in league quite often. I struggled on house shot with controlling Hy Roads and Hustles for a few years. My rev rate is around 475 and I throw it ideally around 16-16.5 mph. I was highly uncomfortable walking around the ball return and hooking the entire lane. Pitch Black opened a lot of doors for me. I don't even wipe the oil off between shots because I want it on there so the PB doesn't pick up any earlier than it already tries to. Creating carry down for your teammates is not a bad thing at all if it's in the right spot. It's a good thing. I usually progressively move right (very slightly) until the lanes get too dry around the end of 2nd, or the beginning of 3rd game. It is NOT a good ball once the oil starts burning up. I also got an Electrify Solid which I like even more than the PB. Doesn't overreact on the dry and won't Brooklyn if I tug it a little like everything else I used to throw. Having marginal miss room both ways is something I've never had before and it's deadly. I can miss left and it holds without crossing over or miss right and it doesn't overreact from the dry. With my Hy Road, missing slightly left meant brooklyn, and missing slightly right meant brooklyn as well. I have to throw it pretty bad to miss the pocket with the E Solid. I'm definitely getting a UC3, though. The only reason I haven't yet is because the E Solid has been so successful for me and the Pitch Black is a great compliment. From what I've seen though the UC3 should fit right into where I'm trying to play the lanes.

Got my UC3 about a week ago and I absolutely love it. I like playing down and in. It’s a much easier shot to repeat. Plus the UC3 is just a special ball. Definitely doesn’t perform like your typical “urethane”

Yes!!! OG Burgundy Hammer. It hits like a Mack Truck. And I like when people make comments cuz if you thinking about what I'm doing and throwing your thinking about the wrong thing 👍

I start with urethane (pitch purple) on fresh house shot. As the lanes break down then I adjust and maybe switch to reactive

I throw my PH on the fresh house to create a breakpoint around 5 instead of 10. It will only last through the first game (sometimes less, depending on how many shots I get in practice), but it sets up my progression through my arsenal moving forward, and because I play it outside I rarely get any complaints... those were more common with the Tank straight up ten.

Does carry down matter when your the only southpaw on the pair

I use my Pitch black on a house pattern usally after several games an the lanes are burned up. I just got the purple hammer and I have to move farther left if the lanes are burned up.

my bag has 2 resin i old urethane and a antique rubber left handed and through what is working best ban balls pay the bowlers for their loss besides its all sbout one crybaby pro who could not read lane changes

so glad you’re wearing this mask to do this video. i’m no longer worried about getting sick.

Just bought my first urethane ball (Pitch Black) bowling house honestly only option i have atm. Thinking of joining league in order to join pba and enter tournaments. Prior to the pitch black i only had my Ebonite Big Time. They both work great just depends what day of the week it is on lane conditions.

I own a pitch black but was told it is not good to use on a house shot I don't have alot of revs and have slow ball speed and tend to loft the ball is it possible to throw a pitch black any suggestions?

I rarely threw urethane on house shot before because reactive just worked better for me. The UC3 however is a completely different animal. My house has a relatively long and higher volume pattern than most THS. With the UC3 I have more miss room than with reactive so I find myself throwing it quite a bit in league

been throwing urethane for the past 15 years...starting with a used Nitro and Gyro. have multiple awards scores. not my fault most people can't get the ball to the pocket. (scores with Mix, Black beauty and white dot also)

People can throw whatever they want.

Holy smokes bro you cant miss with the ub3.. i bet this ball is definitely going into your bag lol..

Yes i do and will continue. I paid for the ball and the bowling. Until the bowling alley tells me no, then you got to deal with it.

I do not normally use urethane on house, but here in orange county CA,most of the house shot have fast backends and low volumes of oil in the middle. That being said, some nights you have to make a shot for later. I see a lot of lower average bowlers using urethane as it gains popularity on the tour. Of course you have the purple hammer, but now I see the uc3 everywhere.

100% agree. But the condition of the house is so important. In my house, the lanes are older Brunswick lanes and the fronts don't hold oil well anymore and tend to get a lot of inconsistencies with hook/skid/hook. That alongside being extremely wet/dry, you have to do whatever you can to control the pocket. I use a weaker urethane about 10 to 8 and it blends the wet dry enough that it actually helps my teammates (and myself when it's time to change).

Do you think I have to mention that I’m changing to urethane if I’m a lefty and everyone else is a righty

I appreciate this post. I’m ok with throwing urethane on a house shot because i prefer to play straighter. Way more consistent than when I have to hook the lane. The UC3 has been my first ball outside the Motiv brand in a long time because it looks THAT GOOD.

It's very true that reactive causes carry down. Especially when people don't clean it. I bowled against a bunch of guys the other night that never clean or wipe off their reactive balls and it was worse than bowling the "urethane team". It was really inconsistent too. One lane stopped hooking all together and the other one was so erratic it would end up going Brooklyn. Didn't seem to destroy the heads as bad as urethane though.

People can throw urethane all they want. Im ok with them leaving flat 10s on house

I have uc3 and purple hammer that I do throw on house normally can stay in uc3 all 3 games

I feel like this subject along with 2 handing is a kind of “toxic” part of the bowling community. I have heard a lot of people hate on urethane and they even will give you dirty looks for using urethane. I have gotten a lot of hate for being a two hander because it isn’t “real” bowling. I just want to be able to enjoy the sport like everybody else if urethane or 2 handing is your thing then by all means go for it. That’s just my take.

Simply said EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT If you’re comfortable with a urethane, use a urethane, if you’re comfortable with reactive, use it, personally i use urethane to make a backend for some of my shiny balls, reactive tends to leave me with 8-9 on fresh just because it wants to flatten out or completely skid

recently if i throw urethane in league its with that badass uc3!!!

Yeah, go ahead and carry some oil down. Give me some more hold. No downside for me...

They gonna lose there shit when i get in a league Imma be a steight bowler no,no rev no problem

I couldn’t imagine caring what someone else was throwing especially in league lol super weird to me

I think people should throw what they feel gives them the best chance to bowl there best

Originally, i had bought a pitch black literally to mess with high average league bowlers in my house. Now as im using it overtime, its becoming a necessity because my house has alot of friction. Now i love my urethane and if you cant adjust to it, i dont wanna hear it😂

I can't decide between the UC3 or the fast pitch..im a 2 hander

i throw urethane on house because most of the time that is what is working on that day

3:20 finally someone said it. Where do all these people think carry down came from if most pairs sometimes don't have anything but reactive and plastic thrown on them? Well said!

I use a purple hammer on a house shot at league. My team knows how to adjust, sorry if your team doesn't.

I have a friend in league that ONLY owns those two balls lol

For Luis second question, yes I will and have shot urethane on a house shot. Urethane allows a much more predictable reaction than reactive. In fact, I spent a full year throwing nothing but the Black Widow urethan, Purple Pearl, and Black Hammers and increased my average 10 sticks.

I do not have a urethane ball at the present time. I started bowling again in leagues after 15 years. I have been in the process on building my Arsenal and that will probably be one of my next purchase. I agree with Luis 100%. It is a tool and available to everyone. Besides, gives me another reason to buy another toy to play with. If someone is using a urethane in league folks, just make adjustments.

Yes I throw urethane on a house shot typically I try not to. But the main league I throw it is my Tuesday night league where it’s five people per team. Everyone on my team except for one bowler has over a 500 Rev rate. Both one handed and two handed bowlers, Even our team captain switches out from one handed to two handed and he still has a 500 rev rate one handed and bowls on tour. So whatever lanes we are on we break them down way faster than anyone else. The other reason is the bowling alley I bowl at mainly has old gen one style AMF synthetic lanes. The house is a very high friction. And the last thing is I don’t necessarily have a lot of money to spend on equipment. I can’t keep buying stuff to try and figure out what layouts and what balls work. All my stuff that I have mainly works at the places I take and go and bowl tournaments. So I don’t have any equipment that is specifically for one house. But hopefully in a year or two I can work on trying to get a staff spot for storm that way I can start doing that kind of stuff lol.

I do not throw urethane on house unless it's a really torched house shot and I can't keep even the weakest reactive under control. Because of my lack of rev rate, urethane is condition-specific for me, so it gets left home 80 percent of the time.

My opinion is urethane for flatter patterns to control the back end. There are other options with reactive balls to help blend out the hook on house. (Layouts and cover adjustments) On house there is much more miss room with reactive when your feet are in the right spot with the correct core, layout and cover combination. Then it's a matter of the ball going through the pins the right way. This is a fair comparison from one ball to the other. But now mix in the reactive balls that would be thrown during a league session. Then it's time to change the tool as you say. Thank you again for doing this!!

I want a purple hammer and I'll use my own money. I have a raw hammer pearl and a spare ball, but I have a teammate that use urethane. I want to know can urethane can combat urethane?

Luis, Loving the videos dude. I have both the pitch black and UC3... unfortunately so far, i have not fallen in love with the UC3 like i thought i would (i absolutely love the original Rubicon, its my go to ball on almost anything), the UC3 is just a bit too strong for me right now, need to play around with the cover a bit to get it to fit........ For me, my pitch black is a short oil ball ONLY, i find its just too early to be able to use it on those heavier, medium length patterns (I also have a fast pitch and 900Global Boo-Yah which give me slightly stronger options over my pitch black) On using urethanes in league.. before i was completely against it (apart from using it as a spare ball)... but recently the centre i play league at hooks so much that i have absolutely no choice but to throw it! i would not say i am particularly rev dominant (im about 18 -19mph 4500-475rpm), so this season so far, i have started off with my fast pitch, ball up to my tank blitz and if its needed i ball up again to my iq tour nano pearl Keep up the good work Brian, From Scotland

I agree on what you said. I personally wont use it on house.

: I thow a blue hammer or my Black Pitch on all patterns and I never wipe it. And I am 86 years old with a 8 mph. I hit the pocket happily. I leave two diamond Lanemaster that I throw for fun but I never wipe it.

I had given up on Roto Grip after my 1st 2 balls from them, but I ordered the UC3 last night. Everything I've seen on it looks so good. Fingers crossed!

Smooths out the natural cliff there is on house patterns

Good point on the flare, hadn't thought if that before in regards to carry down

I got a pitch black and couldn't hit... I'm just not feeling it...

Yes I use the ball in most comfortable in that day and if I like the motion I'm seeing

I pretty much throw urethane exclusively on any pattern. I am a Classic Full Roller so the vintage motion of urethane suits my style best. Resin balls for me are very over/under. As to how urethane changes the lane and actually makes it better, listen to what Daren Tang has to say: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-e6SJeCvwVQ0.html

damn I need to get a UC3. I have a pitch black but I don't get to use it often because all of the houses in Virginia flood the outside part of then lanes...except BA Woodbridge lol... my arsenal is kind of old, mostly roto grip..2 wreckers, hypercell solid, disturbed, defiant soul, pitch black, ufo, idol pro, hustle au. ive averaged 215-220 for like the last 9 years and I've wondered what my next few ball purchases should be. storm/roto grip stuff has been good to me. multiple 300s/800s

Well being 60 years young i grew up with urethane. Burgandy hammer in the late 80s, early 90s. Transitioned to reactive....purple rhino....early 90s. Im a stroker, 218 avg in late 80s early 90s. Traditional moves, move right if ball light to head pin, move left if hooking to high.....At age 55 i bowled last day in city tournament was 2nd scratch with a BTH ( Better than urethane), 775 singles, 750 doubles, 599 team. Players on my set of lanes didnt like the urethane but it was my tool of choice! Present day 60 years old, i been sick with bronchities and hard to shake it completly. Bowling stunk with reactive as it was rolling out, with lower ball speed....so i go my mix out spare ball and last 6 outings shooting over 220 with a MIX. 14 mph at speed sensor. Bump oil line at 8,9 and swing to 7 and to the pocket. Small carry down move right a board , if it starts hooking move left and slow down speed .5 and carry good again. I only move about 3 to 4 boards all night. Helps being accurate to hit your mark consistantly with ureathane. Good luck everyone with ALL YOUR TOOLS in the tool box. I do let my teammates know what im throwing, there all crankers and left of me, they have no problem with me throwing ureathane.

Ive used urethane on house shot i also have the pitch black. It worked for me for little bit but then just didnt give me pin carry left lot of ten pins

Thank you, Luis.. I've been waiting for someone to tackle this topic! I do have a few questions, though: First, in terms of assym urethanes, how would you compare/contrast the UC-3 to the Hammer Pink urethane, or is it that you can't, because you're a Storm/900 Global staffer? Second, as a lefty, with very high tilt, I've been told that I need top-shelf, strong cover/core assyms, because my tilt makes me the equivalent of speed dominant, and I therefore need the strong assym cover to overcome my elongated skid phase and get into a good hook and roll phase. Problem is that because they're assyms, they tend to jump off the house shot pattern, and become somewhat uncontrollable. If I move inside with them, the high tilt leads to wide-open splits. So, would a ball like the UC-3 allow me to stay in my outside comfort zone and not have to deal with these issues? Third, If a bowler is playing on outside line with urethane, how would carrydown be blamed on urethane, any more than carrydown caused by bowlers shooting corner pins with plastic, which is equally non-absorbent of lane oil? Thank you.....

I play close to the gutter because I don’t have any rev so maybe using urethane instead of a high powered reactive would actually benefit me more?

I have the UC3 and really have no problem throwing it during league. Anyone who wants throw flak my way can do that till the cows come home. It's a tool, just like any other ball. When it's putting X's by my name and my team is all good with it , that's all I worry about. They can make adjustments accordingly.

Yes. Because it is great for control and I'm like mid 400 revs and 16-17 mph. #purple 🔨 My teammates hate it when I use it though 😅🤣

I understand what goes on and kinda how to get around carry down, but, after the line is used up and all thats left is carry down does the ball pick that up and it "erase" it?

All bowling balls cause carry down.

Of course I throw urethane on house. But I'm also 50 years old and remember when thats all we had. Reactive, IMO, is far more difficult to control in transition. Now that said, Ive had success with both a purple hammer, as well as an Altered Reality this year. Just depends on the lanes.

Urethane is completely fine on house shot. Yes it’s gonna move oil around but majority of the time your gonna be playing in a public bowling alley and it’s not gonna matter because they should oil there lanes regularly and most people who play in them are just throwing plastic balls down the middle any ways

I’m a lefty and I actually love using urethane a lot on house shots… and some people don’t like when I do that but in the end I’m going to use the ball that gets the pins down so don’t let the urethane haters stop you from using it!

You already know my stance on the #heckinurethane debate. The first flat 7 for me is when I start considering getting out of it and going to my Lock or Hyped Hybrid. Now then, to drill a fresh brand spanking new Fast Pitch duplicate with the same layout to throw after the old one or drill a Pitch Black instead? 🤔🤔

Unlike Luis, I’m Team Motiv (Lol) so I throw the Purple Tank in league. It allows me to play straighter and have a more controlled reaction. I have yet to have anyone complain about it. It wouldn’t matter if they did. I’m throwing the ball that works for me. I always wipe my ball after every shot as well.

Thank you Luis for stating your answer to that question in the way that you did. I have never understood why anyone would think that they have any control or influence upon the equipment someone other than themselves can use. It is truly not even a question really. You bowl with whatever ball you feel gets you the best possible outcome for you. Bravo! Along the same lines, why has nobody thrown as much of a fit about reactive balls consuming oil like they do as opposed to them worrying about urethane. I think it can make a shot much more difficult with a lack of oil consumed by reactive resin, but I digress.

I have a pitch black, but don't use it often. I don't like the way it hooks. I've messed with surface, but still not good. I'm considering a UC3, but I'm on the fence