Posted Jun 30, 2009 In: Bowling Balls
By Bowling.com

Are you ready to kick your game up a notch by buying a bowling ball of your very own? Congratulations! Be warned, however: with all the different types of bowling balls out there, shopping for the perfect match can be pretty overwhelming for a first-time buyer. To help make the task a little easier, start by eliminating some of the options. To begin with, you probably don't want to opt for a high-performance, expensive pro ball for your first purchase. Naturally, you're going to want to invest in a quality ball, but fortunately there are plenty of cheap bowling balls out there that will suit your needs just as well as an expensive Hammer or Ebonite. The cheapest bowling ball out there is made of polyester (yes, just like bad pant suits from the seventies!). The house balls that you're used to bowling with at your local alley are probably made out of this material. This ball is a real "straight shooter"; it's not great for any fancy hooking or curving moves, but it's pretty darn useful for picking up that spare. If you're a novice bowler, you may want to opt for one of these guys for your first purchase; they're cheap, easy to use and don't require a lot of maintenance. Even as you progress to a more advanced ball, you can still keep your trusty old plastic ball and bring it out when you need to score an easy spare. The next level up is the urethane bowling ball. These are also cheap bowling balls, but are a little softer than the balls described above, and are perfect if you're ready to start experimenting with a hook. These balls require a little more maintenance than the plastic ball, and will probably need to be polished fairly regularly. There are many more types of bowling balls out there that you'll surely discover if you keep progressing in the sport, but these cheap bowling balls are a great bet for beginners. Good luck in your search!