Are you confused about which bowling ball to purchase now that your interest in the sport has been piqued? We know it can be a daunting chore to find the best bowling ball for beginners. We hope to narrow down the possible choices for you since countless bowling balls are available in the market, each with different features and configurations.
We’ll emphasize their differences and make comparisons so you can identify which bowling ball suits your budget, taste in design, skill level, playing style, and preferred lane condition. Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
Top 6 Bowling Ball For Beginners
- Hammer’s Black Widow Gold Bowling Ball is best for strong carry-through, high backend motion & durable construction at $299.99
- Pyramid Path Rising Bowling Ball is best for numerous color selection, affordable price point, and great for beginners at $89.99
- Brunswick Lizard Eye Glow Viz-A Bowling Ball is beginner-friendly, great design selections, and glows under black light at $79.95 – $155.63
- Pyramid Curse Bowling Ball is best for the affordable price point, sleek design and performs pickups in mids at $119.99
- Pyramid Path Rising Bowling Ball is great for beginners with numerous color selection at an affordable price point of $89.99
- Motiv Venom Shock Bowling Ball is good for beginners at an affordable price point with a strong backend at $110.95
Comparison Table for Best Bowling Ball for Beginners
6 Best Bowling Ball For Beginners, Product Review, Features
01- Hammer’s Black Widow Gold Bowling Ball
We begin with one of the best bowling balls out there: the Hammer Black Widow in Gold. It comes at a higher price point but is the very definition of value for money. Its eye-catching pearlized color is sure to turn heads as it rolls down lanes and demolishes pins.
This bowling ball is a force to be reckoned with its strong angular core, which has been a staple for the Hammer lineup for many years. It comes out of the box with a 500/1000 Abralon combination, shined with Powerhouse Factory Finish Polish which offers good lane length.
It also features a hybrid coverstock that suits various lane conditions, from medium oiled to heavy oiled. It also has the added advantage of shipping with undrilled holes that customize the player’s grip and comfort. The Gold Black Widow is very driller-friendly and accepts surface change very well. However, its customization comes at an additional cost, so be prepared.
Here are its most prominent features:
- Color: Gold
- Available Weights: 12, 15, 16 lbs.
- Core Type: Asymmetrical
- Core: Gas Mask
- Mass Bias: 0.016
- Coverstock: Semtex Pearl
- Reaction: Length with Strong Backend
- Best Lane Condition: Medium to Heavy Oil
- Factory Finish: 500/1000 Abralon TM Polished
- Outer Core: Carbon Fiber
- Warranty: 3 Years
- Ships UNDRILLED (no holes unless drilling services are added)
This ball comes with Hammer’s patent pending carbon fiber outer core and with Hammer’s three-year warranty. It has a reputation for dominating the lanes with its sleek features and its ability. This gold standard gives bowlers the most backend motion during gameplay, produces a good carry-through, and gives a great hook.
Additionally, it’s compatible with many styles of play like most Gas Mask core balls and is best suited for medium volume patterns with various distances. However, it’s on the more expensive side for a beginner’s starting point but is a great investment for those truly in it for the long run.
- Sleek look
- Strong carry-through
- High backend motion
- Durable construction
- 3-year warranty
- High hook potential
- It comes with holes undrilled
- There’s an additional cost for getting customized holes drilled
- More compatible with Medium to Expert players
02- Pyramid Path Rising Bowling Ball
This bowling ball is Pyramid’s first-ever Entry Performance ball, released last August of 2016. It is endorsed as a bowling ball that’s perfect for beginners with its budget-friendly price, but don’t let its affordability fool you. It still provides you with high-performance technology!
Its lower price point compared to other bowling balls in the market and the colors available to choose from making this a more appealing choice. If you give importance to aesthetics and the game, the Path Rising Pearlized Reactive Resin creates an attractive sheen that catches the eye as it rolls.
It also comes in various weights that make it easier for beginners to find the size they prefer. Design-wise, Path Rising gives the most choices when it comes to colors and weights.
If you’re curious, here are its features:
- Color: Purple/Steel Blue
- Available Weight: 8.8 lbs
- Core Type: Symmetric
- Core: New Era 139
- Mass Bias: n/a
- Coverstock: Path Reactive Pearl
- Coverstock Type: Pearlized Reactive Resin
- Outer Material: Polished Pearlized Reactive Resin
- Best Lane Condition: Dry-Medium
- Factory Finish: 1500 Abralon Polished
- Flare Potential: 2-4″ (Medium)
- Warranty: 2 years
The tested combination of the Path Reactive Pearl coverstock and the New Era 139 core allows the Path rising bowling ball to give a more versatile ball motion for bowlers of all skill levels. It also aims to achieve peak performance on a wider variety of lane conditions, from medium to medium-dry conditions.
The New Era 139 core offers a wide variety of drilling options as well, so it’s your choice whether to customize your ball to go long and hook hard or give it a strong roll and strong backend.
However, where the Pyramid Path Rising bowling ball truly shines is straight shots. This ball thrives on the dry lanes as it provides massive speed (RG of 2.54 with a differential of 0.032). All in all, Path Rising is a great choice for those relaxed straight shot games when you’re starting.
- Great for beginners
- Numerous color selection
- Affordable price point
- Versatile as bowlers of all skill levels can use it)
- Reactive ball
- Great for straight shots
- Variety of drilling options
- Unsuitable for oily lanes
- Low hook potential
03- Brunswick Lizard Eye Glow Viz-A Bowling Ball
If you’re a little hesitant to shell out the big bucks for a bowling ball as you’re only starting, consider the Brunswick Lizard Eye Glow Viz-A bowling ball.
Brunswick is one of the bowling industry’s oldest and biggest brands. They have a strong following within the bowling community, so many bowlers would testify to the Viz-A ball being a great starter ball. It’s on the cheaper side of the scale but still gives a strong performance when converting spares. Since it’s made of plastic polyester, it is relatively lightweight, making it a suitable choice for women and children.
Feature-wise, the ball comes with the following:
- Color: Blue/Green/White
- Available Weight: 6 lbs
- Ball Performance: Plastic/Spare Balls
- Length: Long
- Hook Potential: Low
- Coverstock: Plastic/Polyester Material
- Power Scale: 5
- Outer Material: Image embedded onto the surface
- Best Lane Condition: Light oil
- Factory Finish: Rubbing & Finishing Compound, Single Buff
- Warranty: 1 Year
- Ball Speed: Slow
Another plus factor is its visually striking design. According to some bowlers, they find it highly enjoyable lining up the ball to have the eye staring out towards their opponent for some added intimidation tactics and fun. If the lizard eye design is not to your liking, it also comes in various designs that still glow under backlight.
The downside to having a design embedded right onto the ball surface is that it can sometimes have a few defects, such as the ball having a seam where both halves of the design meet or having the designs not aligning perfectly, so beware of this.
Although some pro bowlers scoff at the Brunswick Viz-A bowling ball for its low price, it performs well for its budget-friendly price point and is a great starter ball. It’s specifically designed for recreational bowlers and spare shooting as it has a pancake-style core, very low hook potential, and slower ball speeds. All in all, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly ball for recreational bowling, this ball is for you.
- Beginner-friendly
- Great design selections
- Glows under black light
- Cheap price point
- Lighter weight
- Comfortable grip
- Good for converting spares
- May have a seam where both halves meet
- Patterns may not align
04- Pyramid Curse Bowling Ball
Another notable product from Pyramid, the Curse series bowling ball, is an excellent option if the Path rising bowling ball didn’t do it for you. This one is a follow-up to their very popular Blueprint series.
This new design seeks to combine asymmetric core with the GPS Navigational ATX cover for a stronger ball motion for its price point. True to its tagline, “Unleash the Power,” this ball gives a stronger upper mid-performance reaction compared to the Path Rising and still looks great going down the lane!
To know more about the ball, take a look at its features:
- Color: Purple/Black/Silver
- Available Weights: 12-16 lbs.
- Core Type: Symmetric
- Core:SGEquinox
- Breakpoint Shape: Devastating Backend
- Coverstock: GPS Navigational ATX
- Perfect Scale: 211.50
- Best Lane Condition: Medium-Heavy Oiled
- Factory Finish: 2000 Grit Abralon/Factory Polish
- RG: 2.49
- Flare Potential: High (5-6″)
- Warranty: 2 Years
If aesthetics is one factor that goes into your purchase and you find the Path rising series too bright and too neon, the Purple/Black/Silver combination of the Pyramid Curse can be a bit better with its darker and sleeker hue. Not to worry, though, as it still looks great as it reveals its true colors are rolling down the lane.
This bowling ball features asymmetric SG Equinox core, GPS Navigational ATX coverstock, and it comes out of the box with a 2000 Grit Abralon Factory Polish. The Pyramid Curse’s polished cover and symmetric core allow for plenty of lengths in medium to heavy oiled lane conditions.
- Great for beginners
- Affordable price point
- Sleek design
- Performs pickups in mids
- Allows for plenty of lengths
- Devastating backend motion
- Strong cover and strong core
- May underperform in dry lanes
- Low hook potential
05- Pyramid Path Rising Bowling Ball
As a separate variant to the bowling ball from Pyramid mentioned earlier, this one comes in a different color combination. However, the features remain the same, with not many differences other than the color itself.
Here are its features:
- Color: Red/White/Blue
- Available Weight: 8.8 lbs
- Core Type: Symmetric
- Core: New Era 139
- Mass Bias: N/A
- Coverstock: Path Reactive Pearl
- Coverstock Type: Pearlized Reactive Resin
- Outer Material: Polished Pearlized Reactive Resin
- Best Lane Condition: Dry-Medium
- Factory Finish: 1500 Abralon Polished
- Flare Potential: 2-4″ (Medium)
- Warranty: 2 years
- Great for beginners
- Numerous color selection
- Affordable price point
- Versatile (Different bowler skill levels)
- Reactive ball
- Great for straight shots
- Variety of drilling options
- Unsuitable for oily lanes
- Low hook potential
06- Motiv Venom Shock Bowling Ball
Motiv’s Venom Shock series bowling ball was released back in March of 2014. However, don’t let the old release date turn you away from this high-performance ball. You can say that it has been around a long time, so it has had many positive testimonials to its name.
This series has long been a great starter bowling ball with its reactive performance on light to medium-oiled lane conditions. However, some bowlers have testified that this bowling ball does perform well in whatever lane oil condition despite its specification. This ball can also be drilled to your liking, so that’s a plus.
As for its shelf appeal, the Venom Shock does not blend into the background with its vibrant orange logo that pops over the darker purple shell. And for those who enjoyed the Brunswick Viz-A Glow ball’s glow in the dark feature, the Venom Shock logo also glows orange and green in the dark.
You can check its features below:
- Color: Purple/Purple Solid
- Available Weights: 12-16 lbs
- Core Type: Symmetric
- Core: Gear
- Coverstock: Turmoil MFS Reactive
- Perfect Scale: 196.6
- Best Lane Condition: Light-Medium Oiled
- Factory Finish: 4000 Grit Sanded
- Breakpoint Shape: Smooth & Angular
- Reaction: Reactive
- Flare Potential: Low-Medium (3″)
- Warranty: 1 Year
The Motiv Venom Shock features a Gear weight block and Turmoil MFS (Medium Friction Solid) cover technology. This revolutionary combination provides a smoother yet angular backend motion that strikes with strong continuation, so it is recommended for those high rev rate players.
It has an asymmetric core type and comes out of the box with a 4000 Grit Sanded factory finish. With its high reaction, it can take a bowler a couple of tries before getting the hang of controlling the Venom Shock and making it does what you want.
One thing to remember is that this ball loves friction and the dry area of a lane and is possibly one of the best mid-range balls. At such an affordable price point, the Venom Shock gives a surprisingly outstanding performance.
- Good for beginners
- Affordable price point
- Strong backend
- Great length
- Consistent
- Can be drilled
- Reactive ball
- Unsuitable for oily lanes
- Hooks a lot more than expected
How to Choose the Bowling Ball for Beginners?
Do you think it is easy to choose the best bowling ball for the hook beginners? No, it is not. Hold on! But it is not difficult either if you know how to choose with having certain preconceived features in your mind. Therefore, a beginner must read this section properly to get the best picture of bowling ball for a hook beginner.
The bowling ball must be aggressive in different “conditions.” The aggressive ball does not mean to fight like Hercules. Joke aside, the aggressive bowling ball is needed for the best strike on the “heavy oil” lane. If the ball hits harder, it will help you score more than you usually make.
What if you through the ball and it does not change the direction? Simply, it is impossible. However, it would help if you had a bowling ball with a high “hook potential.” The bowling ball with high hook potential is more likely to change the direction. It helps the ball enter into the arching motion when it gets closer to the pins.
The “mid lane condition” differs. Some are dry, while others are heavily oiled. Most of the bowling balls can work smoothly on the dry and medium oiled lane. But it is something unique to have a bowling ball, which is also excellent for the heavy oil lane. It helps you to play with confidence and helps you learn the exposure of the different alley.
Of course, it is extraordinary to have the newest bowling ball, which works amazingly on the heavy oil lane. However, the bowling ball must get you better results on all lane conditions, despite being a cheap bowling ball.
Of course, today, you are a beginner, but you will enhance your skills sooner or later. Therefore, a bowling ball should also be for all skills levels and a weighted bowling ball. Like a legendry player, you will use a single ball from beginning to your career peak.
When you are a beginner, you will not be able to play the bowling ball with acuteness. As a result, if the bowling ball is not durable, it will cost you an arm and a leg. Therefore, it is necessary to choose the right bowling ball for beginners, which guarantees durability. How will you be able to know whether the ball is durable or not? It is simple; go with one which has a warranty.
Buyers Guide on Best Bowling Ball for Beginners
Unarguably a beginner needs to learn some skills to be a good bowling ballplayer. Similarly, he/she needs to have some knowledge about what type of bowling ball is good for her or him. Since these above-given bowling balls are enlisted, keeping in view the needs of a beginner, these bowling balls meet all the requirements that beginners should want. Further, the bowling mentioned above balls is enlisted due to their enhanced features. It would help if you looked for the below-given things to have the best bowling ball for a beginner hook.
Polyester Cover
The cover of the balls makes a big difference in the bowling ball’s hook. The polyester cover gives the bowling ball a good amount of hook. When the hook is enhanced, there are brighter chances of your success in the game. Most of the above-given bowling has a polyester cover to assist the beginner in their performance.
For All Lane Condition
The lane condition differs in every alley. Also, the condition changes with the passing time. Mostly, the bowling balls have the adaptability of the heavy oil lane. On the contrary, as a beginner, you need to find a bowling ball used for all lane conditions. Hence, you will be able to play without losing momentum. Fortunately, all of the bowling mentioned above balls can be perfect for the all-lane condition.
For All Skills Level
You might be familiar with the maxim: practice makes one perfect. In the same token, today you are a beginner, but one day you will be a great player of the bowling ball. Also, you can lend your ball to your friend who may have different skills than yours. To tackle these issues, you need a bowling ball, which is good for all skills levels. To your relief, enlisted bowling balls meet this requirement.
Aggressive
For a beginner, it is very difficult to knock the pins down precisely. Therefore, she or he should need to have some extra assist. The aggressive bowling balls provide this assist. The aggressive bowling balls hit the pins harder to knock as much as possible. As a result, your average performance is bound to increase. These top-rated beginner bowling balls are very aggressive.
Durable
Not only here, but durability is also important everywhere. Moreover, a beginner needs durable things more than anyone else. The warranty ensures the durability of a bowling ball. Also, it can be ensured by the brand’s service. Most of the given bowling balls are of the top-rated brand. Further, some of them also come with a warranty.
Weight
In this regard, you have to go with the standard rules, which suggest you have a bowling ball with 10% weight to your body weight. These above-given bowling balls will be available in the weight you would want.
Flare Potential
Now, for a beginner, it is necessary to be familiar with the flare potential. It indicated the travel speed of the bowling ball in the lane. The high flare potential is for the high oiled lane, and the low flare potential is for the dry lanes. You will have the choice to make. These given bowling balls provide you every choice that you could make.
Hence, these are the things that a beginner should be aware of when he or she purchased these above-given bowling balls.
How is Bowling Ball for Hook Beginners different from other Bowling Balls?
The difference between a bowling “ball for the hook” and other bowling balls is complicated. However, a beginner must know these differences to get the right ball according to their “skill levels.”
First, we need to enlist bowling ball features for hook beginners’ “bowlers” to make the differences clearer. The hook bowling ball will have a curve shot, but the straight bowling balls have a straight shot, unlike the hook bowling ball. Further, unlike the straight bowling balls, the “hook” bowling ball is usually aggressive and comes like a “storm” to hit the pins harder. Also, there is a difference in the hook of bowling balls. While some bowling balls, which are urethanes, have more hooks than one with plastic “reactive cover stocks.” Moreover, many more minor differences will make a difference not much for the beginner.
Tips for Caring for the Bowling Ball
It would be best if you cared for your bowling ball for many reasons:
- If you take care of your bowling ball, it will last longer and remain shiny.
- Clean bowling gives you a better slide.
- You have the best and easy grip.
The easy way to care for the ball is that you should clean it. It would help if you wiped the bowling ball periodically after throwing it into the lane. It will remove the lane oil and dirt. Further, the simple way is that put some drops of washing soap in the water. Then, spin the bowling ball in that water for at least ten to twenty minutes. Next, take the ball out from the water, dry it for some time and then wipe it with the microfiber towel.
Moreover, you can find many bowling ball cleaners in the market and use them to maintain the bowling ball in good condition. And, yes, use the bowling ball bag for the prevention of any harm.
How to Hook a Bowling Ball?
For the beginner, it may feel a bit difficult to hook a bowling bowl. However, you follow simple procedures; things will be a bit easier. Again, to make things much easier, the steps are given in this section.
To have the best hook, you need to learn the proper grip and learn to throw it properly. You can learn them theoretically, but improvement will only be felt if you practice these given techniques.
First of all, you need to make sure that your hand is right at the bottom of the ball. In many cases, people grip the bowl from above. Now, once your hand is at the bottom, you need to make your grip tighter. It is proved that the lighter the grip, the faster the hand can be. If you spin in this way, you will feel the excellence in your hook. One thing that should be noted that your wrest should be tighter.
Again, the practice will make you the master in the hook. Therefore, besides techniques, you must have some patience to surpass the others in this art.
Frequently Asked Question
What Best Bowling Ball for Hook Beginners Potential?
DV8 Pitbull Bite Bowling Ball Black/Yellow/Green, 12lbs is the best bowling ball for hook beginners’ potential. This will prove the best not only for use but also in price.
- Product Type: Sporting Goods
- Package Quantity: 1
- Made In Mexico
- Package Dimensions: 21.59Cm (L) X 22.225Cm (W) X 24.13Cm (H)
What to Look for in Reactive Bowling Balls for Beginners
The beginner must need to be cautious when they buy reactive bowling balls. First of all, it should have a coverstock and smooth motion. Next, it should be more aggressive to hit harder.
What is a bowling ball hook potential chart?
The bowling ball hook potential chart indicates the lane condition according to the bowling ball speed. There is three types of lane condition, i.e., dry, medium, and high. The scale corresponding to these types is 75 dry, 150 medium, and 225 high.
What Makes A Bowling Ball Good for Hooks?
The answer is not fixed for this because it depends on what you want. A bowling ball with the polyester cover will be perfect; urethane coverstocks come with enhanced hook potential on dry lanes. Reactive resin coverstock brings the best hook potential on medium and heavy oily lanes.
What is flaring potential on a bowling ball?
How much amount a bowl can travel in the lane is indicated by the flare potential. The high flare potential is for the oily lane condition, and the low flare potential, for the dry lane condition.
What weight bowling ball should I use?
It is suggested that you should follow a 10% rule. Take the ball that weighs 10% of your body weight.
What is the best bowling ball for throwing a hook?
MOTIV Bowling is the best bowling ball for throwing a hook.
- Core: Detonator
- Coverstock: Coercion MXC Solid Reactive
- Finish: 2000 Grit LSS
- Reaction: Fast revving, strong, and continuous
Is it possible to hook a straight bowling ball?
Yes, if you have the bowling ball with a polyester cover.
How can I roll a hook shot?
Keep the hand under the ball and try to spin it.
My Recommendation
Suppose you’re looking for the best bowling ball for beginners from the list. In that case, we highly recommend the Pyramid Curse bowling ball for its excellent performance, visually appealing design, and affordable price point. All these are a recipe for a ball that’s great not just for beginners but for professionals as well!
- SG Equinox Symmetric Core
- GPS Navigational ATX Coverstock
- Ideal for Medium-Heavy Oil Conditions
- 2-Year Warranty
- Perfect Scale Rating: 211.50
Read More: How to Clean a Bowling Ball with Rubbing Alcohol
Final Words
It was not easy to develop such a compact and perfect bowling ball guide for the beginner. Therefore, this is a little endeavor to help other bowling ballplayers who are a beginner and want to pursue their bowling ball passion. Fortunately, the blog addresses all the important questions that a beginner bowling ball player can ask. Further, the answer mentioned above is very brief and to the point. Similarly, the bowling balls enlisted in the article are the top-rated in the market due to many amazing features. Thus, this beginners’ guide for the bowling ball is the ultimate guide.
Carl works as a charted account by day, and sports enthusiast and amateur fiction writer by the weekend. He was a multi-sport athlete in his school days and played Division 3 lacrosse in college. He is a gear freak and is always looking for an excuse to upgrade his sports equipment. When not working or playing, he likes to hike and explore the countryside. Carl is a certified basketball athlete by the Basketball Association of America and has participated National Basketball League in 2016. He played for Akron Goodyear Wingfoot’s.
Moreover, Carl is also a badminton expert and he is playing it since 2006 when he was at standard 8. He has won several badminton championships and one remarkable is the Yonex USA International 2015. Also, he is an expert in Bowling.
Carl is the Co-Founder & Editor-In-Chief of Indoor Games Zone. He shares his expertise on basketball, badminton, and bowling on our website to help people get the best tips and products they are searching for.
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Last update on 2022-05-12 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
