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Yesterday I told you that I was close to buying my first bowling ball.
After calling my wife to discuss about it and thinking through the whole day, I made my way to the Endah Parade bowling pro shop to buy the ball.
I walked in to the shop and was immediately stunned. Standing there was our Malaysian bowling team head coach Holloway Cheah!
A very nice lady (I assume it is his wife Joy) explained to me the bowling balls they stocked, and I selected the Brunswick Power Groove Urethane Black Purple Solid (what a mouthful!)
The shop had a package deal. RM450 for this ball, a bowling bag and a pair of shoes. I didn’t add another RM100 to upgrade to a two ball bowling bag with rollers.
Too bad they didn’t have any skull bowling balls, which would have looked really cool!
I paid another RM49 for thumb and finger inserts.
I selected a 14 pound ball because the 13 pound ball was in pink.
So I was shaking there and really nervous as Mr Cheah came to measure my hand.
He kept telling me to relax. At first I wanted to drill the ball with a standard grip, but he recommended a fingertip grip instead.
If you remember yesterday’s post, I was so nervous about getting the ball drilled properly. I had Malaysia’s bowling ball specialist / head national coach doing it for me!
He spent 15 minutes drilling the ball while I sat there and read magazines (on my best behaviour I tell you)
After drilling the ball, he came over to have me test it out. It fit perfectly, and the 14 pound ball felt more like a 12 pound ball.
And then… he gave me a quick tip on how to release the ball to throw a hook. O…M….G!!!
That in itself made everything worth it. A lesson from the national team head coach is priceless!
In the end, his wife even gave me a complimentary ball cleaner.
Thank you! (I think I must have said that to them ten times)
I walked out of the shop cradling my new bowling ball like a baby. I was so happy because of the friendly people, great price and because I finally had my own ball.
The story doesn’t end there.
Later that night I was excited to try out my ball, so I made a trip to the 1 Utama bowling alley.
I couldn’t stop smiling. I lined up my first shot at the second arrow and the ball hit the mark perfectly. Then the ball started to hook… and hook… and hook… and hit the 7 pin (the last pin on the left).
So I spent the night just adjusting, trying to find the correct line to use.
I was trying to get used to the heavier weight, and by the end of my bowling session I looked like I completed half an hour of cardio at the gym.
The heavier weight also meant that I had to adjust my timing. I kept throwing the ball with late timing.
I tried to throw the ball with more ball speed, and with slower ball speed just to see how it will behave. It was a session of adjustment, of practice, of trying new things.
The ball was everything I thought it would be. I didn’t have to grip the ball anymore on my swing because it didn’t feel like it was going to drop off my hand.
If I threw it just right, I could get the ball to hook without much effort on my part. The ball seemed to send the pins flying (or maybe I imagined it) compared to using the normal house balls.
My average for that night was one hundred…. and…. ten. Okay I know that sucks. But its okay, I’m still adjusting to the new ball, it will take a few sessions.
I’m really happy with the ball. It’s money well spent.
If you are getting bowling equipment, I highly recommend the bowling pro shop at Endah Parade (a.k.a. Carrefour) Sri Petaling.
[tags]Bowling, Ball, Pro Shop, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia[/tags]