On the recent Brunswick Skins game, it seemed that when the bowlers didn't strike, they often left big splits. I've been bowling for a few years, and it seems the professional bowlers didn't leave as many big splits during the tournaments years ago. What is happening today that's so different?
- F. Gallandrino, St. Petersburg, Fla.

THERE ARE two major changes in the game that cause even top professionals to leave big splits when they don't strike. The first is the synthetic lanes. These lanes are much smoother than wood lanes, and when they're dry, the contact between the ball surface and the lane surface is more "intimate" (as used in the scientific context) than on a wood lane. Accordingly, when the ball starts its hooking action on the dry backends, it will hook much more than on an equally dry wood lane. Second are today's bowling balls. The reactive resin balls hook a great deal more when they encounter a dry area than their predecessors. Combined, the two factors create a high-risk, high-reward sport. If the ball is thrown correctly - or even close - it will strike more often than in the past. But should a bowler get slightly slow or pull the ball inside target, the chances of big splits increase. So get used to the change; it's here to stay as the game's technology improves.

The color man on a recent PBA Senior Tour telecast commented that John Hricsina was using a ball on one lane that was drilled to be "very calm." The bowling ball he was using looked exactly the same as the ball on the other lane. What did he mean?
- Michael Faxton, Boca Raton, Fla.

IN SIMPLE terms, drilling a bowling ball to be calm means that the ball is designed to hook less in the back-end portion of the lane. This often means using some type of negative side or thumb weight, or possibly both. These weights induce the ball to enter the pocket on a straighter path, deflect a bit more as it enters the pocket, and impact the pins with less force. For a bowler like Hricsina, who hooks the ball a great deal, this may be beneficial on a lane surface with dry backends. In his case, the drilling pattern helped keep his ball off the nose on the right lane, and Hricsina, in fact, won. Contact your pro shop operator if you want to see how this type of weight configuration is drilled.

I've been practicing to get a little more side turn on the bowling ball rather than end-over-end roll. Can you give me some tips to create the side roll that I desire?
- Patty Bennett, Benton Harbor, Mich.

THE FIRST recommendation would be to shorten the length of the ring-finger on your bowling ball, so that finger will stay in the ball a bit longer during the release and create some side roll. Second, during the release, picture the thumb going from 1:00 o'clock to 9:00 o'clock in a counterclockwise motion. This is the type of release that creates the side turn on the bowling ball. A good example of this type of release is Parker Bohn III for the lefthanders (he goes from 11 to 3 o'clock clockwise), and David Ozio on the right side.

A recent PBA Senior telecast used a format in which the No. 2 through 5 bowlers were all involved in a round-robin match, after which the winner bowled the tournament leader for the title. Why the format change, and what do you think of it?
- George Schuster, Santa Rosa, Calif.

THE REASON for the change is that with both Fox television and CBS, the telecast will be only one hour rather than the traditional 1 1/2 hour format. To keep five bowlers on the show, it is necessary for them all to bowl in this type of format to fit within the time configuration. I see nothing wrong with the format, but I'd like to see the score of the bowlers more often. It's difficult to keep track of who is winning without seeing all the scores at least four times during the game. Second, I'm having a difficult time adjusting to the constant cheering and clapping during the bowler's approach. I'm sure the telecast producers feel this is needed to keep up with the times, but it does make it very hard to hear the announcers during the match.

Mike McGrath is a PBA and ABC Hall of Famer. Send your questions to him c/o Bowlers Journal International, 122 South Michigan, Suite 1506, Chicago, IL 60603.