Recently, Kegel has been continuously improving its automation, to the extent that today’s machines perform entire tasks without any human intervention.
streets you And I bowl because amateurs apply oil very differently than the professionals use it.
At your local bowling center, public lanes are oiled in “high” proportions: the oil level in the middle of the lane is eight to 10 times higher than that on the outside. Many public bowling alleys have no oil at all, both on the far left and right side of the lane.
“On typical patterns at your typical bowling center, there’s some autocorrection,” says Tackett. Since there is very little oil on the sides of the lane, shots going either way will be slowed; If the ball is thrown with proper spin to direct it back towards the middle of the lane, it will turn more effectively on a dry surface. “It makes it easier on the pocketbook.”
(By “pocket” Tackett means that sweet spot at the front corner of the standard 10-pin configuration. For right-handed bowlers it is the space between the first and third pins slightly to the right of center; for left-handed bowlers, it is to the left.)
However, in the pros, the patterns are much more difficult. Instead of 8:1 or 10:1 oil ratios from the middle to the outside of the lane, the PBA uses ratios of 3:1 and less – even as low as 1:1 in some cases. Learning how to oil each board at the beginning of a match allows professionals to map out their ideal shots. “You have to be a lot more precise, not only with where you’re placing the ball on the lane, but also with the speed with which you’re throwing it and what spin you’re putting on the ball,” Tackett says.
Oil patterns also vary in terms of their length, up to 60-foot lanes. Many common patterns run for the first 40 feet before the oil subsides near the pin, but many variations exist.
As lane oil technology has improved, understanding and adjusting lane oil patterns and ratios has become a greater tactical element for professional bowlers. Tackett compares it to golf in some ways.
“An oil pattern basically connects water, trees and bunkers,” he says. “It’s adding obstructions to the lanes.”
The PBA, the game’s governing body, loves those comparisons. Instead of using the latest advances in lane oil technology to standardize the lanes at each PBA competition, the organization takes the opposite approach, deliberately using different conditions at different events to challenge the top bowlers.
“It forces players to think, adapt and create, that’s how we test greatness,” says PBA commissioner Tom Clark via email. “That’s what makes the game more exciting, interesting and entertaining every week.”
The PBA has a library of 20 lane oil patterns for the 2026 season from Kegel, which utilize different ratios, lengths and even specific oil formulations, each with its own character. A different pattern is used in almost every event throughout the season. For example, the PBA Tournament of Champions the week of April 20 used the “Don Johnson 40” pattern, named after famous bowler Don Johnson, with the “40” denoting the length of the pattern in feet.
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