Bowling Ball Coverstocks

This article was written by Ryan Barker and Jordan Jung, IBPSIA Certified Pro Shop Operators, and Co-owners of JR Pro Shop, located inside Lucky 9 Lanes, in Richmond, BC, Canada

What does coverstock mean? When someone says coverstock or cover of the bowling ball, they are referring to the outermost portion of the ball. How important is the coverstock? The coverstock is the most important factor to a bowling ball’s hook potential, this is because the coverstock is the only part of the ball that touches the lane surface. In this article, we will break down and explain the 3 different coverstock types, as well as information specific to each. Understanding coverstocks is very important for making the correct ball purchase for your needs. 

Polyester (Plastic)

More frequently referred to as ‘plastic’, this type of coverstock is not designed to hook. For this reason, polyester is most commonly used for spare shooting where a straight and direct path is needed, such as a 10pin for a right handed bowler and a 7pin for a left hander. (We however, recommend using plastic for all spare attempts, as to remove the variable of hook and to avoid unneeded wear on your strike ball.) A polyester coverstock would also be ideal for bowlers with very low ball speeds, such as seniors and young kids as to ensure a straighter path and therefore more controllability. Polyester balls will be the most inexpensive balls in the pro shop, coming in all weights and nearly every colour. Some of the most popular polyester balls are, the Storm Ice (as seen pictured on the right), the Columbia300 WD, and the Brunswick TZone.

Urethane

Urethane coverstocks have seen a resurgence in the modern game after being prominently used in the early 1980s. The urethane material is much softer and has a much rougher composition that can be felt by touch compared to the polyester coverstock, this in turn makes the urethane coverstock have a slightly higher hook potential. In today’s game, the urethane material allows the ball to have a very controlled curve in the back part of the lane. Much like polyester, urethane is ideal for bowlers with lower ball speeds. Two of the most popular urethane balls are the Storm Pitch Black (as seen pictured on the right), and the Hammer Purple Urethane.

Reactive Resin

Reactive resin was the biggest revelation in bowling ball technology when it was introduced in the late 1980’s. This coverstock has a very unique surface profile, which is very tacky to the touch, and therefore will create a lot of friction with the lane. This allows it to have a very high hook potential, much more than polyester and urethane.  We can break down reactive resin coverstocks into 3 sub-categories: Solids, Pearls, and Hybrids.

Solid Reactive

A solid reactive coverstock includes the urethane coverstock from above and a reactive resin additive, this will typically create a matte finish and this chemical composition will create the smoothest shaped curve of the 3 reactive coverstocks. This may sound similar to the ball reaction created by urethane, but due to the reactive resin additive, solid reactive balls will create considerably more overall hook potential. Solid reactive balls are typically more suited towards bowlers with medium to high ball speed, and/ or low to medium rev rate. A couple of the most popular solid coverstock bowling balls are the Storm IQ Tour (pictured on right), Storm Phaze II, and the Brunswick Phantom.

Pearl Reactive

A pearl reactive coverstock includes the urethane coverstock and reactive resin additive from above and also includes an additional ‘pearlized’ additive which gives the appearance of sparkles in the ball. This will typically create a shined finish and this chemical composition will create the sharpest  shaped curve of the 3 reactive coverstocks. The pearlization will create a very similar overall hook potential to the solid coverstock but the shape will vary drastically. Pearlized reactive balls are typically more suited towards bowlers with low to medium ball speed, and/ or medium to high rev rate. A couple of the most popular pearlized coverstock bowling balls are the Storm IQ Tour Emerald (pictured on right), Roto Grip Idol Pearl, and the Hammer Redemption Pearl.

Hybrid Reactive

Hybrid coverstocks are simply a blend of solid and pearl reactive in a swirl pattern. Hybrids are mixed at  a 1:1 to 2:1 ratio and vary between a matte and shined finish depending on the manufacturer’s design intent. If you look closely at a hybrid ball, you will be able to tell which parts are solid and which are pearl by the sparkles in the pearlized portions. The hybrid coverstock will typically create a reaction in between the solid (smooth) and the pearl (sharp) coverstocks with a very similar hook potential. Hybrid bowling balls are typically suited towards bowlers with medium ball speed and medium rev rate. A couple of the most popular hybrid bowling balls are the Storm PhazeIII (pictured on right), Storm Physix, and the Brunswick Prism Hybrid.

BONUS

Ball Colours

In my years in a pro shop, often times I will have customers who are looking to move up from a polyester or entry level reactive ball, into their first true performance ball. When they purchased their first ball, there was a wide variety of colours to choose from, and are surprised to learn that the ball they are looking to upgrade to only comes in one colour, or colour combination.

What many people don’t know, including higher level bowlers, is that when a manufacturer is designing a new performance bowling ball, that ball gets tested in multiple colours or combinations of colours. Sometimes changing just one colour can have a dramatic affect on how a ball performs.

Last summer, I had a conversation with Adam Ishman, who at the time, was a Regional Sales Manager with Ebonite International. Our conversation was regarding the Columbia 300 Baller, which was to be released in a few months time. He said that during the testing phase, the Baller was tested in 2 different colour schemes, Yellow/Red/Black, and Blue/Red/Black. The ball with the yellow outhooked the ball with the blue by over 5 boards! And that was the effect of changing just 1 of the 3 colours!

Most performance balls that make it to market will be tested in 2 colour schemes. The reason why polyester and entry level reactive balls are produced in multiple colours is because most new bowlers tend to gravitate towards a bowling balls appearance, rather than how it performs. This is also the reason why these balls are almost always very shiny and polished, in order to look more visually appealing.

I hope you learned something new about how bowling balls are designed and manufactured, and how each type of ball can help your game. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to come visit us at JR Pro Shop!