Coach, I’ve Got a Question! – January 2023

In this recurring feature, I answer questions from Bowling This Month readers. If you have questions, please leave them in the comment section below so I can address them in a future installment of Coach, I’ve Got a Question!

I bowl in a league and my current ball is a DV8 Turmoil Hybrid. I have also picked up a Motiv Forge Flare recently—it’s almost new, and I had it redrilled almost identically to my weaker hybrid. I have thrown the Forge Flare on the exact lanes as my hybrid, but it does not recover back to the pocket. Thinking that the solid cover is reading early and losing power, I have polished the surface. Same exact reaction. I’m not sure what’s going on. I would assume this ball can hook, but either I’m doing something wrong or I’m missing what’s going on with the lane. Any thoughts?

There are a lot of variables in this question that go well beyond the surface type of “solid” or “hybrid.” My first concern is the redrilled aspect of the Motiv Forge Flare. You mentioned that it is almost new, but how many games were on it? Was it maintained properly? This ball has an aggressive, oil-absorbant coverstock, so there is more potential for a decline in performance without proper maintenance.

Aside from that, how was the ball drilled for the previous owner? Ball plug can be used to fill the holes and make the ball round again, but it won’t replace the parts of the core that were drilled out. When combined ...