The Bourbon Street oil pattern is one of the most iconic and well-known lane conditions in the sport of bowling. As its name suggests, the oil pattern was designed to mimic the experience of bowling on a lane in New Orleans – specifically one found in an old timey bowling alley on the city’s famous Bourbon Street.
The Bourbon Street pattern is known for being extremely challenging for bowlers. It contains various quirks and intricacies that require high level bowling skills and the right bowling ball reaction to conquer. However, mastering the Bourbon Street can provide an immense sense of accomplishment.
What Makes the Bourbon Street Pattern Unique?
The Bourbon Street lane condition has several qualities that make it singularly difficult compared to other oil patterns:
Length of Oil
At 52 feet from foul line to head pin, the Bourbon Street has one of the longest oil lengths of any pattern. This reduces the room that bowlers have to play on the dry backends of the lane.
Flat Oil Volume
The oil volume on a Bourbon Street pattern is very flat and even from side to side. Most house shots feature higher volume in the middle with tapering towards the edges.
High Oil Volume Outside
Although the volume is flat, the Bourbon Street puts more oil on the outer portions of the lane than a typical house shot. This takes away the easy outs for bowlers on the edges.
Double Gutter
The Bourbon Street has gutters on both the left and right sides, unlike a regular lane’s single gutter. The double gutter makes the lane play even tighter.
Low Oil Volume in Middle
Despite having higher volume on the edges, the Bourbon Street oil pattern has very low volume in the center of the lane. This makes playing straight up the middle next to impossible.
Origin of the Bourbon Street Name
The Bourbon Street oil pattern is named after the famous street in New Orleans’ French Quarter known for lively bars, jazz clubs, and a vibrant bowling culture back in the sport’s golden era.
Some key connections between real Bourbon Street and the bowling oil pattern include:
- Tight quarters like Bourbon Street’s narrow buildings and crowded walkways
- The need to creatively navigate challenges and think unconventionally
- Strong association with bowling history and tradition
The Bourbon Street name conjures imagery of bowling in old timey New Orleans bowling alleys with similarly tricky lane conditions. It instantly triggers thoughts of nostalgia and challenging, old school bowling environments.
Designing and Using the Bourbon Street Oil Pattern
The specifics of the Bourbon Street oil pattern have been crafted and adjusted over the years by the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) and the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA).
The intended challenges of the pattern are to:
- Test a bowler’s physical skills
- Challenge a bowler’s mental game and adjustments
- Require excellent ball control
- Demand strategic lane play
The pattern has been employed strategically by the PBA in tournaments over the past 25+ years. It often is used during the championship rounds or late stages of tournaments to ramp up the difficulty.
The USBC also uses variations of the Bourbon Street pattern for its more challenging sport bowling league offerings like PBA Experience League and Extreme League.
Additionally, proprietors at some bowling centers will deploy the Bourbon Street or a similar pattern on certain lanes or days of the week to offer recreational bowlers a supreme challenge.
Optimal Styles of Play on Bourbon Street
Taming the tough Bourbon Street oil pattern requires perfect precision, powerful ball reaction, and top notch bowling skills. Here are some of the optimal styles of play:
Precise Angles
The most common way to find some wiggle room is targeting precise angles to cut through the oil. This requires very repeatable swing and release motions. Missing those angles even by a board or two can be devastating.
Powerful Equipment
Big hooking reactive resin bowling balls with polished or sanded finishes are essential. This allows the ball to dig into the oil pattern better and not use too much energy before reaching the pins.
Slow and Smooth
Keeping slower ball speeds and smoother roll with maximum revolutions lets the ball handle the oil better. Muscling through the pattern doesn’t work.
Straight Ball Spare Shooting
Spares become extremely difficult on Bourbon Street. Plastic or urethane bowling balls are often needed to shoot straighter at single pins.
Champion Bowlers on Bourbon Street
Only the best professional, elite amateur, and top sport league bowlers can thrive on such a tricky oil pattern like the Bourbon Street.
Here are some champion bowlers who’ve conquered the Bourbon Street pattern:
Jason Belmonte
The Australian superstar has won multiple major PBA titles that featured Bourbon Street conditions including the 2011 Tournament of Champions.
Norm Duke
The iconic champion Duke famously rolled a perfect 300 game on the Bourbon Street pattern to win a PBA event in New Orleans in 1994.
Pete Weber
One of the most accomplished PBA bowlers ever, Weber has triumphed over Bourbon Street conditions several times during his Hall of Fame career.
Amleto Monacelli
This USBC and PBA Hall of Famer from Venezuela has been one of the world’s best on tricky patterns like Bourbon Street.
Liz Johnson
The most successful woman in PBA history has won multiple majors on tough lane conditions. She beat the Bourbon Street pattern during the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open.
Conclusion
Conquering the challenging Bourbon Street oil pattern remains one of the biggest feats in bowling. Doing well requires world class physical bowling abilities combined with shrewd strategy and adjustments.
The pattern’s rich history and association with nostalgic bowling’s golden era also make it highly prestigious to defeat. Being able to thrive on the Bourbon Street is a badge of honor for any serious competitive bowler.
While extremely difficult, it can be a fun and rewarding experience for good recreational league bowlers too. If you get the opportunity to try the iconic Bourbon Street oil pattern, embrace the challenge and watch your bowling skills get elevated to the highest level.