How to Read Kegel Abbey Road Oil Pattern?

Are you participating in a tournament soon where they will use the Kegel Abbey Road oil pattern? Well, then you are in good luck! Today, we are going to talk about this particular pattern that is many bowlers’ favorite. This beautiful pattern is designed in a certain way that will give you nostalgia; meaning, Kegel Abbey Road is a throwback to the basics bowling days. After I got to know about the upcoming Riverbend Bowl Sprummer Sweeper (April 30, 2022) tournament by MSBS, I knew I just have to write about the Kegel Abbey Road bowling oil pattern. To find their best ways to dominate on this pattern, you are highly encouraged to continue reading this article and be better aware of this bowling lane oil pattern.

What is Kegel Abbey Road oil pattern?

First thing first, the Abbey Road bowling oil pattern is one of the very popular patterns— brought to you by Kegel. The Abbey Road (3540) is one of the patterns from the Kegel Challenge Series. It has a 40 feet oil pattern distance with a 50 uL oil per board. At 40 feet it places a medium pattern. The bowling lane conditioning machine will transfer the oil on the lane either by transfer brush or by roller.

So, what about the pattern volume? The total amount of Forward Oil is 16.6 mL and Reverse Oil is 7.6 mL. So you get a Total Volume Oil of 24.2 mL on the lane. This is pretty standard for a 40 feet bowling oil pattern. If you’re wondering, where your breakpoint might be, remember that the Total Boards Crossed in this pattern will be 484 Boards (332 Boards- Forward and 152 Boards- Reverse).

How to attack on the Abbey Road oil pattern?

At the Kegel Training Centre, professionals use the go-to formula— Pattern Length – 31 = number of boards of the exit point. So, 40 – 31 = 9. Therefore, the exit point is most likely to be the 9 board. Although the exit point could play anywhere as far right as 7 and as far inside as 11. If the track you’re playing on is very defined, you can play a bit more inside and throw it more to that 10 or 11 spot down the lane.

Like most medium patterns, the Kegel Abbey Road pattern will give you plenty of options when it comes to rolling your ball. I have personally played on this pattern once and let me tell you, there are a variety of places to play and a variety of tactics to use (based on your bowling style, of course) on this pattern. 

To make the best out of this lane pattern, you will require excellent speed, control, and accuracy. Bowlers should try different boards/lines across the Kegel Abbey Road oil pattern and watch out for traffic on the lane to find their best way to the scoring side. Some of you may find it on the corner while others may find it towards the middle.

With the right strong bowling gear, you can very close toward the gutter, especially if you’re a lefty. You will see a lot of friction the further right you do. Considering the viscosity and the volume, the lane is more likely to burn quickly. How to deal with that? You can either move more toward the left or you can just opt for a polished or weaker bowling ball. Do keep in mind that if you move toward the left, you will experience a longer skid in the midlane.

If you’re a righty, well, you have to be extra careful. If you’re not a speed dominant bowler or you miss your location, you can try throwing the ball wide right. But you have to be patient. If you accidentally hit the ball a bit too hard, your ball will go through the gutter.

If you think that you can’t nudge your bowling ball on this pattern, this is probably because you’re using the wrong bowling ball. My friend Richard was telling me that he rolled his Storm Virtual Gravity on this oil pattern and his performance was shockingly poor. I said to him that Kegel Abbey Road is a medium lane and the ball is recommended for a heavier oil pattern. So apparently you need to use a lot more surface on this particular pattern than you generally do at any other house on any other condition.

Which bowling ball is best for this pattern?

A good benchmark bowling ball and a benchmark layout for this bowling oil pattern would be Ebonite Game Breaker with a Label Tech drilling. To make the ball predictable to a greater degree and to get a really definitive read on the Kegel Abbey Road, go for the out of the box finish of this bowling ball. You can also use a slightly stronger bowling ball. For that, Storm Physics would be an amazing option. Storm Physix will be quite smoother and a bit earlier on the lane for many bowlers with a couple more boards of overall hook.

I have asked a pro bowler about the best bowling ball for the Kegel Abbey Road oil pattern. He said, the Hammer Black Widow (black/gold), and using the Storm Fever Pitch as the spare ball did him good in this medium oil pattern. Do remember, the urethane bowling ball will basically feel like a magnet on this particular oil pattern. The Ebonite Mission is also a great alternative if you can’t get your hands on the abovementioned bowling balls. All of these balls will undoubtedly perform fine with a controllable backend.

Conclusion

That being said, the Kegel Abbey Road is a great oil pattern to bowl on because it does reward your attributes. During your practice, try different arrows and bowling balls, and see what suits you best. Since this pattern will allow a variety of bowlers to play, you will also love playing on it. I hope this article was insightful enough to know more about this pattern and help you prepare for your upcoming challenges. Good luck!   

Brian

I’m an aspiring bowler with an immense love for bowling. I started playing the game at a very early age and it’s been an integral part of my life ever since.

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