A heavy object dropped on the floor creates a force, a big force: did you know that a 16lb bowling ball hits the lane with a force of over 2000lb per square inch - ouch! So proprietors put a conditioner on the lanes to reduce the friction and to protect them. It's as simple as that. But oil can be placed on the lane in different ways ('patterns') and a skilled bowler with the knowledge to adjust the line will score more than their opponent.


Flat Oil, A little History


The simplest pattern is "flat oil": the oil is applied in equal measure across the width of the lane. In the very early days of bowling this oil (which was actually "shellac") would be applied for the full length of the lane. After World War II lacquer was used and, again, this was applied for the full length of the lane. In the 1960's a urethane based finish was developed, but this "migrated" - was picked up by the ball and got into the pinsetting machinery causing problems - hence a "limited dressing" procedure was adoped where the final few feet of the lane (the "back-end") were kept dry.


Oil is clearly a "slippery" substance and the back-end, being free of oil, creates greater friction between the ball and the lane. This friction creates the potential for added hook and more angle of entry into the pocket to carry strikes (read more about hook bowling). On a flat condition the length of the oil governs when the ball will start to hook: so a short-oil condition will play differently than a long-oil lane. Now, because the oil is not visible to the human eye, we enter the complex domain of Lane-Play, where skilled bowlers solve the puzzle of how best to play a lane by adjusting Angle, Release, Speed and Equipment. A big hook is exciting but can be hard to control too. Many have commented that complaining about lane conditions started to escalate after the big back-end developed.


Crowns & Reverse Blocks


Flat oil is simple, but because the balls move the oil around, picking it up and depositing it further down the lane (as "carrydown") a dried out track can start to develop. In open-play many straight bowlers also roll balls right down the middle part of the lane, creating a condition known as a reverse block (dried up in the middle and oiled on the outside of the lane). The reverse block is not normally created deliberately and is very hard to play. So, to combat the open-play syndrome proprietors will put more oil in the middle part of the lane. Viewed in a side-profile this pattern resembles a "crown".

Walls, Blocks & Top Hats


Remember that friction creates the potential for hook. A dry back-end allows the ball to hook in the latter part of the lane. In leagues in many parts of the USA it was common to apply oil only to the middle part of the lane, leaving both the back-end and the outside boards dry. Usually the oil is applied 10-10.


This lack of oil on the outside created a wall of friction, what some people mockingly call "adult bumper bowling": if a hook bowler missed the target a few boards to the outside the extra friction in that part of the lane would bring the ball back - on flat oil it would probably slide on, or even off the edge of the lane! A wall is clearly a very high scoring shot and proprietors favoured this for leagues, but, ask yourself, do you prefer artificially inflated high scores on such an easy condition, with the "bumpers" up? For a casual/social league that's fine, but removing the skill of lane play and reducing it to one of equipment selection is not good for the sport. To restore the integrity of the game and bring respect back to skilled bowlers the wall is not a desirable condition.

The ABC (American Bowling Congress) ruled that no sanctioned event could have fewer than 3 "units" of oil across the width of the lane. The International governing body (the FIQ) version of this rule requires a minimum of 5 units.


Christmas Trees


At the time of writing the Christmas Tree is thought to be the fairest possible condition. Because there are different styles of players using a single condition could easily be unfair to one particular style and many bowlers have felt 'victimised' by the lanesman's choice of condition for a tournament. The Christmas Tree tries to cater to all styles, allowing the cranker to move inside and swing the ball out to the break point while, at the other extreme, the low-rev hook bowler can play up the outside lines.

A Fair Shot?


Is there such a thing. The general concensus is No. The Christmas tree is probably the single fairest condition, in that it tries to allow all styles to compete but highly aggressive bowling balls can lift oil off the lane at such a rate that the condition that is put out in the morning can change dramatically within a few games. It's often said that a good bowler can adjust to any lane condition, but with the realisation that this means certain styles don't have to adjust to certain conditions some people are now advocating that we stop pursuing the holy-grail of a single "fair" condition. Instead, they say, a tournament should be played on multiple conditions so that all styles have to adjust and at the end of the day the best bowlers are recognised.