How to Bowl on PBA Billy Hardwick Oil Pattern?

Do you know why I love PBA Experience oil patterns so much? You get to experience what professional bowlers prefer when they practice. One of the most extraordinary patterns is the Billy Hardwick oil pattern by PBA designed with the association of William Bruce Hardwick (July 25, 1941 – November 16, 2013).

When you bowl on this Hall of Fame pattern, you will definitely think of the 18 PBA tour winner Billy Hardwick and his legacy. To enjoy this pattern to the fullest, you don’t need exceptional skills like him, but you do need focus and consistency. And, here’s how you do it.

Oil Pattern Specifications

Title	PBA Legend Pattern— Billy Hardwick Oil
Distance	44 feet
Total Oil Volume	28.85 mL
Forward Oil	16.40 mL
Reverse Oil	12.45 mL
Oil Ratio	2.95:1

How to play the PBA Billy Hardwick oil pattern?

It’s clear as daylight that Billy Hardwick won’t let you get away that easy and throw some interesting challenges at you. However, you won’t struggle a lot with this pattern. If you have played on a flat pattern before, Billy Hardwick won’t be hard on you. (Yes, pun intended.)

Where do you think your ideal breakpoint is going to be? The “Rule of 31” says somewhere around the board 13, as 44-31=13. Since it is a longer pattern, naturally, you will have to start bowling straight. Once the area around the first arrow is dried out you can consider moving toward the second arrow. This is when a weaker bowling ball will be useful. When you reset your target by moving left, expect to see your breakpoint around the 3-6 zone.

You will see the lane opening up after a few games and notice some dry spots around boards 1 to 7. There will be a lot more oil on the sides when you start bowling on a fresh pattern. You will see the same once you get to the middle part of the lane. So it would be wise to start straight and gradually move your breakpoint a bit outside. Instead of starting at the sides and focusing on the headpin, you do things differently for the Billy Hardwick oil patterns. You will surely learn creativity.

Interestingly, you don’t have to use a weaker ball to bowl straight on the fresh Billy Hardwick pattern.  You can just use a stronger ball instead that will give you more hook and early roll. However, you will have more advantage when the oil starts to burn with a weaker bowling ball with a bit of a shiny surface. You might as well get some curved hooks with this technique on the dry lane. 

This renowned pattern will not force you to have your breakpoint around the 13 board. That makes your gameplay easier. You can have your exit point anywhere as far right as board 9 or as far inside as board 15. On a well-defined Billy Hardwick track, you can play hook your ball by playing outside to get your ball to the board 9 or 10 down the lane.

Want to become undefeatable? Then learn to control your bowling ball motion with excellence. A few shots on different lines will indicate where you’re playing better and then you can apply the most suitable scoring strategy for the best score. Don’t forget to practice adjusting to lane transitions. Some will prefer bowling from the middle whilst others will swear by playing from the corner.

So how do you think you will do on this pattern? My friend, Jack is an intermediate bowler and he told me a week ago that he played on the 9 board and crushed it! However, going any farther than 8 boards would be too daring. You might get away once or twice, but not always. Think of 1 to 7 boards as the gutter area. If this doesn’t keep you on track, I don’t know what will.

What are the challenges you will face while playing on this pattern?

Although the challenges seem easy by looking at them, once you will face this pattern yourself, you will see how hard it actually is. But I’m not here to terrify you. No need to back off.

Since the oil is flat on this pattern, you will have to wait for the pattern to break. This is when the bowling oil pattern gets easier. The fresh oil would be your nightmare if it is your first time bowling this sports-level flat oil pattern.

The pattern is not very welcoming to creativity. And so, you have to strictly stay close to the breakpoint area. Try not to hook your ball on the fresh pattern as this might backfire. Without enough skills, equipment, and experience, the pattern will seem pretty tough. Remain consistent with your shots, and at the same time, keep adjusting to lane transitions.

Which Bowling Balls are best for this Pattern?

Weak or strong? What are you planning to use? Doesn’t matter. What matters is your bowling technique. A great rule of thumb is to use a shiny ball for the dry parts and a stronger bowling ball with a sanded surface on fresh oil will keep you safe on the Billy Hardwick oil pattern.

Generally, I recommend a solid coverstock bowling ball with a medium to high-strength weight block on the inside. See if this ball has a high differential and a low RG. Make sure the differential is medium and the RG is a bit high if it is a weaker ball. And the core? Always symmetrical. Can’t risk it with an asymmetrical bad boy. But is it illegal to use an asymmetrical? No, not really. But get a ball with a high flare and shiny solid shell.

A benchmark bowling ball for this PBA oil pattern would be my absolute favorite the Storm Axiom. A nice substitute is the Storm Match Up or optionally you can just use the Brunswick Phantom bowling ball. The Storm IQ Tour Solid and Storm Phaze II bowling balls will show their charm on the Billy Hardwick oil pattern. I played with the Storm Alpha Crux and switched to my Roto Grip Halo Pearl after the lane break-up, and my bowling balls performed just fine.

Conclusion

That’s all for today, my friends! Enough blabbering! Time to start the real practice, and only you can do it. Consider my words as a guideline and get creative with every shot. Try to maintain consistency and work on how you can deal with the lane transitions. You know how PBA sports patterns are. They are not gonna be kind to you unless you know what you’re working on. So if you have a big day coming, get set ready. Good luck and see you later!