Checking your grip

Many of us league bowlers take the summer off, preferring to focus on bowling during the winter. But things happen during a long layoff that could affect the grip on your bowling ball.

Maybe you put on or lost weight during the offseason. Or perhaps you were put on medication or your medication changed in the last few months. There are many reasons why you should check the grip of your ball — especially the thumb size — as you start the season. A loose or tight fitting thumb will have a definite effect on your swing and bowling. 

If your thumb hole is loose it will cause you to grip the ball with additional pressure, which can disturb the free swing of the ball and will interrupt the release as well as the direction of the ball and follow through.

If your thumb is too tight, it will cause you to cheat and not put your thumb all the way to its base. This procedure will have basically the same effect as a loose thumb fit.

The importance of a good fit cannot be over emphasized because it helps you to establish a consistent grip pressure and a good free swing throughout the approach. This will help you develop a sense of consistency. To get a grip on your bowling ball, you may want to check out Roger D. Rowley’s innovative invention.

Roger D. Rowley and the Rowl Rite Grip Strips

Local bowler Roger D. Rowley is 51 years old and a member of the PBA Senior Tour. Roger has been bowling in the area for over 30 years and is currently bowling in three leagues and averages around 225. He has 19 300 games and six 800 series to his credit. But his talents do not end there. 

He created a product called Rowl Rite Grip Strips and they are designed to help bowlers bowl without squeezing the ball. After early successes with the Grip Strips, Roger realized the value of them and formed the Row-Del Company. He now has two partners.

The Rowl Rite Grip Strips are a one-of-a-kind thumb tape designed to give bowlers a solid rubber feel during the backswing so the bowler doesn’t have to squeeze the ball. The bowler is able to bowl with a more relaxed hand, making the delivery more accurate. More ball energy is generated and a much better trajectory down the lane is achieved.

Each Grip Strip will last three to five times longer than the white tape before having to be changed and leaves no residue in the thumbhole. You can also control how early or late you release the ball by moving the Grip Strip up or down in the thumbhole. 

Tres Bean, Derek Petty, Albert Utterback, Bill Bean, Rafael Medina and Ricky Wallace are among Prince William bowlers who have bowled 300 games or 800 series using the Grips. 

Other products

Rowley and his partners have other products too. Their newest product is called Dry-N-Slide, which is a moisture absorbing powder. By sprinkling it on the wet area on your bowling shoe and rubbing it in with your thumb, the powder actually clumps as it sucks the moisture out of your shoe and into the powder. Just brush it off and go bowl immediately without having to wait or change your shoe. 

They also have the Scuff Buster Towel, a towel with a sewn-in, non-abrasive pad to remove stubborn marks on the ball without scratching the ball itself.  To check out Roger’s other products, go to the Row-Del Company Web site at http://www.row-del.com. 

Gil Sanchez is a freelance bowling writer for the News & Messenger. He is a member of the Bowling Writers Association of America and the United States Bowling Congress Advisory Council. Reach him at 703-587-6792 or at .