NORTH CANTON — Jeff Mowls had a bowling career in just seven days.
Using the adage of “straighter is greater,” the 56-year-old Plain Township left-hander recorded three 800 series along with a 785 in four leagues during a one-week period.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” said Mowls, shipping manager at Paarlo Plastics who recorded his three 800s in three different leagues at Park Centre Lanes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. “It was fun.”
The surge began with an 815 series, including games of 278, 269 and 268 in the Wednesday Pizza Oven Classic league.
“The first game, I left a 4-7 that no one could believe,” said Mowls about Game 1 of the series. “I had three sets of guys sitting at three tables shaking their heads.”
The following night, bowling in the Northeast Ohio Travel League at Spins Bowl Kent, Mowls added a 290 en route to a 785 series.
Then came the back-to-back 800s the following week — 807 in the Monday Spectrum Orthopaedics league, with games of 270, 258 and 279; and 801 in the Tuesday Hannon Electric league with games of 298, 268 and 235. And, for good measure, he also shot 744 again on Wednesday.
He used his new Storm Exotic Gem for all of it, giving him five of his 22 career 800s since June 2022.
“I still have to throw the ball, bit I got a lot of help from it,” said Mowls, who has 41 career 300 games. “It just hits so hard and drives the pins back off the deck.”
Mowls received four Storm balls this season, drilling up two of them at the start of the season. The Gem was one he drilled at Christmas time; he since also has drilled a Super Nova.
“I’ve been throwing the ball well. I worked all summer long learning to go straighter with the ball,” said Mowls, who added his current line is “about 12 boards left of where I used to play.”
“I’ve mastered it right now to the point where I’m comfortable there. It’s a different look … seeing what the 4-pin is doing and basing my adjustments off of that. It’s been working.”
His one regret is during the 801 series, he left a 7-10 split in Game 3.
“I was sitting at 566 after two games,” Mowls said. “That could have been a huge night.”
Mowls said his decision to play a straighter was due to two factors — age and health.
“I don’t hurt now, which is the key,” Mowls said. “It’s easier to hit your mark going straighter. Playing the way I used to play, my shoulder would open more and I would be twisting the hell out of the ball. I knew I couldn’t do that much longer with the way my shoulder felt.
“My knee still hurts, especially on wood approaches. But that goes with the territory.”
Mowls, who serves as girls bowling coach at Lake High School, plans on bowling a pair of summer leagues at Park Centre along with competing in the Hall of Fame Summer Series, which runs its tourneys on difficult sports-shot patterns.
“During those, if you miss a board outside, the balls go 60 feet,” said Mowls, who averages between 230 and 235 in his three Park Centre leagues and 220 in the NEOTL. “And missing inside, it will go through the beak or Brooklyn. I averaged about 185 in those last year and was able to make the cut to the stepladder finals. They are really hard shots.”
But a new ball can only do so much.
“You can say it’s not the ball,” added Mowls, who had Frank Testa at Ten Back Pro Shop set up his equipment, “but it contributes to what you’re doing.”