Oil Patterns
Oil has perhaps the greatest influence on scoring in bowling
today! Place too much oil on the lanes, and scores drop. Dry up the
oil, and scores can go through the roof! As co-founder Hal Kee puts it,
"Oil is the great equalizer!" In the EBT, we
have been studying oil patterns for some time now and have developed
some of our very own patterns specifically designed for league
bowlers.
Pictured below are the 11 Elite Bowlers Tour proprietary patterns.
The lengths
of all our patterns range from 36-46 feet. Keep in mind that all EBT proprietary patterns
are more difficult than a typical house pattern.
This is because typical house shots are designed to be extremely
easy and send the ball to the pocket regardless of the bowler's true
skill or accuracy. Most bowlers even average 30-40 pins higher on
them. For this reason, since typical house shots are designed to
inflate a bowler's average and ego, in our opinion, they serve no real purpose in
tournament competition and why they are not used in the Elite
Bowlers Tour, Professional
Bowlers Tour, State and National Bowling Tournaments, European
Bowling Tour, World Tenpin Bowling Association, and others to name a
few.
Consider when reading the overhead graphs, different factors
play into how best to adjust to the patterns or how you might score.
Factors such as lane surface, lane topography, oil conditioner type, temperature,
humidity, and other bowlers on your lane can vastly affect how
an oil pattern plays. Whether you are properly rested,
properly trained and practiced, or just had a fight with your
significant other can effect how quickly you can internalize and
adjust yourself to what you're seeing. Therefore, bowlers must be ready and able to
adjust to whatever style the lane dictates and be of clear mind when
trying to bowl. As a good starting point, use the Rule of 31 (take
the length of the pattern and subtract 31 to determine your
approximate breakpoint board). As always, every
bowler and every bowling center is different! YOU as the bowler are
ultimately responsible for YOUR game!
How To Read Oil Pattern Sheets by the USBC Bowling Academy:
Click this link for the YouTube video!
Elite Bowlers Tour Proprietary Oil Patterns
EBT PEGASUS 36' (Load Sheet) 27.00mL - #1 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 3.85(L)/3.45(R) to 1 Score Potential: Medium Difficulty: Moderate Shape: Asymmetrical
EBT Average: 179.71 Professional Average: 224.98 High Series: 802 Cristian Azcona High Game: 290 Cristian Azcona
EBT MERCURY 37' (Load Sheet) 22.65mL - #2 CHALLENGE PATTERN
Ratio: 5.59 to 1 Score Potential: Medium High Difficulty: Moderate Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 191.02 Professional Avg: 225.00 High Series: 715 Mason Ward High Game: 268 Danny Battles
EBT FREELOADER 38' (Load Sheet) 28.50mL - #3 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 2.17 to 1 Score Potential: Low Difficulty: Hard Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 164.90 Professional Average: 197.33 High Series: 731 Kevin Hoeppner High Game: 288 Chris Polizzi
EBT VENUS 39' (Load Sheet) 24.95mL - #4 CHALLENGE PATTERN
Ratio: 4.13 to 1 Score Potential: Medium Difficulty: Moderate Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 195.26 Professional Average: 218.59 High Series: 793 Brandon Hott High Game: 300 Karl Critchlow
EBT MILY WAY 40' (Load Sheet) 25.25mL - #5 CHALLENGE PATTERN
Ratio: 4.20 to 1 Score Potential: Medium High Difficulty: Moderately Easy Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 207.55 Professional Average: 206.37 High Series: 672 James Williams High Game: 289 Cristian Azcona
EBT MARS 41' (Load Sheet) 26.75mL - #6 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 3.75 to 1 Score Potential: Medium Difficulty: Moderate Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 184.00 Professional Average: 226.07 High Series: 726 Chris Polizzi High Game: 279 Chris Polizzi
EBT GOLD DIGGER 42' (Load Sheet) 27.85mL - #7 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 3.00 to 1 Score Potential: Low Difficulty: Hard Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 187.02 Professional Average: 222.57 High Series: 756 Jason Mahr High Game: 290 Colin Champion
EBT JUPITER 43' (Load Sheet) 26.40mL - #8 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 2.38 to 1 Score Potential: Low to Medium Difficulty: Hard Shape: Asymmetrical
EBT Average: 174.09 Professional Average: 217.71 High Series: 718 Tony Biondi High Game: 276 Allen Woodard
EBT ANDROMEDA 44' (Load Sheet) 26.60mL - #9 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 3.70 to 1 Score Potential: Medium-High Difficulty: Moderately Easy Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 205.33 Professional Average: 235.60 High Series: 816 Chris Polizzi High Game: Multiple 300's (2)
EBT NEPTUNE 45' (Load Sheet) 28.95mL - #10 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 1.23 to 1 Score Potential: Low Difficulty: Hard Shape: Symmetrical
EBT Average: 162.98 Professional Average: 170.10 High Series: 761 Bailey Purcell High Game: 266 Allen King
EBT PAN HANDLER 46' (Load Sheet) 27.55mL - #11 SPORT PATTERN
Ratio: 3.29 to 1 Score Potential: Medium-High Difficulty: Moderate Shape: Slightly Asymmetrical
EBT Average: 195.20 Professional Average: 225.50 High Series: 750 Chris Polizzi High Game: Multiple 299's (2)