The Pro shoes do they make a difference?

[Scotty]

Hi have have been bowling about 5 years now and iam still new to the sport I am looking to get better and try to raise my average up past the 200 mark(currently 196) .I have noticed other bowlers using really expensive 150$ shoes with the fancy pads that you can switch ect..I have just normal bowling shoes do you think it really makes a difference what shoes i use?

[BowlingTracker]

Are you able to slide consistantly with those shoes you have?

Cheaper shoes have a tendancy to get "glossy" on the sliding sole.. when that happens, slight differences of the approach can have a bigger effect (sticky or slick) and can keep you unbalanced.. you can try to recondition the soles with a wire brush or scotchbrite pad.

The biggest reason for having interchangable soles is if you bowl in different centers where one place has a slicker approach than the other.. you can change the sole to get back to what feels comfortable..

If you wear a bowling sock over the shoe, then it doesn't really matter.. except for comfort.

With all that said.. the more expensive shoes are usually higher quality. In comfort and the sliding surface.. and will be more consistant. Personally, I like the interchangable soles..

[Scotty]

My shoes work well with me and have never given me problems but they do look a little worn out.I think I may have to save up for these shoes you speak of .I do use a wire a brush on my shoe to make sure there fairly smooth and iam able to slide the way Iam used to.But you have made good points about going to different lanes and the different approachs.I think I will save up some money and talk to the pro shop about purchasing a pair of shoes .Thank your for the information I will use it to my advantge.Any tips on the types of shoes to look for?

By the way thank you for the reply .I apologize if my first post was filled out wrong was not sure if their were forum post rules or not.

[BowlingTracker]

I've had the Dexter's with the interchangable soles before which I really liked..(SST5 or SST6, cant remember now..). My wife has a pair of the SST6 and she really likes them.. it's the first quality pair of shoes she's had...

Curringly, i'm using Linds that have the interchangle insterts (4 for the sole, 3 for the heal, quarter sized inserts). I like the comfort of them alot, but it's a pain to replace the inserts.. I liked out you can change the whold sole on the Dexters.. And with Dexter's, if you step in water, you can just replace the whole sole and keep going.. I'll go back to dexters once these Linds are worn out.. May take a couple more years though... they are good shoes..

The most important thing though is slide consistancy, next is comfort. If your shoes are working for you and still servicable, there's no rush in replacing them, a new pair won't probably won't help your physical game.. It's up to you if it will help your mental game

My shoes work well with me and have never given me problems but they do look a little worn out.I think I may have to save up for these shoes you speak of .I do use a wire a brush on my shoe to make sure there fairly smooth and iam able to slide the way Iam used to.But you have made good points about going to different lanes and the different approachs.I think I will save up some money and talk to the pro shop about purchasing a pair of shoes .Thank your for the information I will use it to my advantge.Any tips on the types of shoes to look for?

By the way thank you for the reply .I apologize if my first post was filled out wrong was not sure if their were forum post rules or not.

[Scotty]

Very true Its most likely best to keep them till there worn out there only about 2 years old.Got a few more games in em Thank you for all the help.