A Shark oil pattern is a pattern of oil on the lane used by the Professional Bowlers Association in tournament play.
A typical Shark pattern is 44 feet long. It forces players to move toward the center of the lanes, because if the ball moves to the outside it will not curve back into the pocket. This play is more risky, because it puts the gutters in play. The forcing of players to take inside angles makes playing these lanes tougher and lower scoring for professionals.
This oil pattern is named after the shark because, like a shark, which lives primarily in the depths of the ocean, the bowler is forced to play deep in the middle of the lane.
Tournaments that used this pattern Tournament Winner Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship - 2008 Rhino Page Lumber Liquidators Shark Championship Women's Series - 2008 Jodi Woessner Bayer Classic - 2008 Chris Barnes ConstructionJobs.com Championship - 2008 Tommy Jones CLR Windy City Classic - 2007 Robert Smith MBNA Tom Hulce Congolese Invitational - 2007 Dwight Boudreaux GEICO Classic - 2007 Chris Barnes Columbia 300 Classic - 2006 Chris Barnes Etonic Championship - 2006 Pete Weber Pepsi Championship - 2006 Christopher Collins Motel 6 Phoenix Classic - 2006 Ritchie AllenEarl Anthony Medford Classic - 2006 Brian Himmler PBA Birmingham Open - 2005 Patrick Allen PBA Earl Anthony Medford Classic - 2004 Mike Wolfe PBA Chicago Open - 2004 Brian Himmler PBA Reno Open - 2004 Mika Koivuniemi PBA Medford Open - 2004 Pete Weber PBA Empire State Open - 2003 Ryan Shafer PBA Pepsi Open - 2003 Jason Couch PBA Storm Las Vegas Classic presented by The Castaways - 2003 Lonnie Waliczek PBA GEICO Earl Anthony Classic - 2003 Mike DeVaney PBA Empire State Open - 2002 Doug Kent PBA Memphis Open - 2002 Brian Voss
References
External links PBA Oil Patterns