Stocking Stuffers

The holiday season is upon us and it’s time for some shopping. Most of our readers probably have an eye on bowling equipment for themselves or a bowler on their list. The latest new balls can be a very tempting gift to perhaps help your favourite bowler have a big second half, but that’s not what this article is about. Here, we’re going to discuss some of the smaller items that are often ignored or misused: accessories.

This is an awfully broad topic with many different items available. It’s not a comparison of the different products, nor is it a definitive list of what all bowlers NEED to have. As you’ll see, there is some definite variance in what top bowlers carry around with them. What this article will discuss is the difference between what the top bowlers use and what the average bowler uses. When it comes to improving your bowling game, it can be as simple as a piece of tape.

I’m going to use several examples of actual ‘kits’ from Canadian national team members, as well as those used by local bowlers ranging in average from 210 – 230. These local players are definitely some pretty good bowlers but not at the same level as the national team members of Canada or the USA. I hope understanding some of the things that North America’s top bowlers use and how and why they use it will help improve your game.

Joe Bowler’s kit

The most popular accessory items sold at just about every pro shop are powder and skin patch. After those two items are things like tape (white and black), rosin bags/grip sacks, towels, and cleaner. I’m not going to discuss the use of these items, as they have been discussed at length in the past. Instead I’ll give some examples of some kits I’ve seen.

As you can see, bowler’s tape, powder, skin patch, and ball cleaner are pretty much the staples in a bowling kit. It’s more than some bowlers carry and nowhere near the amount of inventory that a national team or professional bowler will carry around. Even the most complete kit shown is missing a key element compared to the kits I looked at from Team Canada members.

It’s worth noting here that the bowler’s kits I used as samples are from some ...