How does lane play differ in winter vs spring?
Do you ever go bowling at league this time of year and think, “My ball is dead!”? Well if you bowl in a part of the country where winter is just over and spring is in the air, there might be another answer.
In the northeast, it literally and figuratively turned spring over night. That means no heat in the bowling center. This week is probably a good example for many of us in the Northeast.

What’s really going on?
No one answer is the whole story, but here’s a factor you may not have considered before. During the winter, the heat at your bowling center will be on. This will tend to make the conditions slightly drier and progressively so over the night. The heat is simply contributing to drying out the oil. So this is the time of year where your reaction might be a bit more aggressive. Of course, this all depends on how the center is maintaining their lanes. All things being equal, when the heat is on, the lanes will play on the (slightly) drier side.

Spring is in the air!
OK, so this week was in the 60s and 70s in the northeast up from freezing whether the week before. No heat in the center. People start to complain the ball doesn’t seem to hook as much. You may find yourself a couple of boards farther to the right (if you’re righty) to get the ball to finish in the pocket. The lanes will not dry out as quickly as they would when the heat is on full blast.

Other factors…
Remember, this is all relative. It’s just one of many factors that affect lane play. I just wanted to call it to your attention as a factor to consider, if it’s applicable to you. If you’re in sunny LA, you probably worry less about this than a “4-season” part of the country 🙂

Just something to think about next time you visit your local center.

Thanks for the suggestion Brian, I hope the article is helpful.