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Bowling Ball Layout Studio
Dual Angle, Pin Buffer, 2LS and PAL on one drawing
A drilling layout is a short set of measurements, usually three, that place the ball’s pin and its PSA (preferred spin axis) relative to your PAP, your positive axis point. Dual Angle, Storm’s Pin Buffer and 2LS, and Bowling Science’s PAL are four ways of writing that down. Enter a layout in any of them with your PAP, and the studio draws the ball, gives the same layout in the other systems, and prints a drill slip for your pro shop.
Have a bowling question? Search the learning center.
Draw and convert a layout
Pick a system, start from a published layout or type your own numbers, then set your hand, grip and PAP. Fractions or decimals both work: 3 3/8 or 3.375. Below the drawing, Adjust for your speed and revs moves the layout toward your ball speed, rev rate and axis rotation with Storm’s VLS Layout Adapter chart.
- Pin, and the line from the pin to the PAP
- PAP and the VAL (vertical axis line)
- PSA (on a symmetric ball, the CG reference point) and the line to the pin
- Grip guide lines
- Pin buffer circle: the VAL just touches it
- PAL line: from the PAP through the ring finger
A faded marker sits on the far side of the ball. Holes are drawn at a typical span.
The drawing and conversions need JavaScript turned on.
The same layout in every system
Shown to the nearest 1/16 inch and whole degree.
Adjust for your speed and revs
Storm’s VLS Layout Adapter chart (2020) moves a Pin Buffer layout part of the way toward one matched to your game. Ball speed and rev rate move the pin and the pin buffer; axis rotation moves the PSA. The chart works in quarter inches, so the studio first rounds the layout on screen to the nearest 1/4 inch.
USBC no longer allows balance holes, so there is no balance hole to enter. A pro shop still checks tracking and static weight before drilling.
Drill slip
Made with the BowlersMart Layout Studio. Your driller confirms every measurement on your own ball.
How the four layout systems relate
| System | Written as | Grip and PAP |
|---|---|---|
| Dual Angle (Mo Pinel) | Drilling angle x pin to PAP x VAL angle | Thumb in, PAP from the center of grip |
| Pin Buffer (Storm) | Pin to PAP x PSA to PAP x pin buffer | Thumb in, PAP from the center of grip |
| 2LS (Storm) | Pin to PAP x PSA to PAP x pin to center of grip | No thumb, PAP from the center of the bridge |
| PAL (Bowling Science) | Asymmetric: pin to PAP x PSA to PAP x pin above the line. Symmetric: pin to PAP x pin above the line. | No thumb; the line runs from the PAP through the ring finger |
Dual Angle and Pin Buffer describe the same three points, so either one converts into the other with nothing else known. The drilling angle and pin to PAP set how far the PSA sits from the PAP. The VAL angle and pin to PAP set how far the pin sits from the VAL, which is the pin buffer. Mo Pinel’s 65° x 3 3/8" x 25° is 3 3/8" x 5 7/16" x 1 5/16" in pin buffer terms.
2LS and PAL measure to the grip, so turning a Dual Angle or Pin Buffer layout into them needs your PAP and where your fingers sit. The studio uses a typical span for that; your driller uses yours.
Storm’s Vector Layout System (VLS) spreadsheet recommends pin buffer layouts, so you will also see them called VLS layouts. A symmetric ball has no PSA, so the PSA measurements run to a point 6 3/4 inches from the pin through the CG (center of gravity) instead.
Pro shops also write a Dual Angle layout from the grip: pin to PAP and pin to center of grip place the pin, and the drilling angle places the PSA. On a symmetric ball, the drilling angle is the one that puts the CG on the line from the pin through the center of grip. Pick Pin to center of grip under Dual Angle to enter a layout that way; the studio also shows the drilling angles that put the PSA in line with the grip, on the VAL, or on the grip centerline.
Every distance is measured along the surface of a 27 inch ball, the size behind the 6 3/4 inch quarter circle in Storm’s drilling instructions.
Why 2LS measures the PAP from the bridge
Storm built 2LS, its 2-Hand Layout System, for two-handed and no-thumb bowlers. With no thumb hole there is no center of grip between thumb and fingers, so Storm measures the PAP from the center of the bridge between the two finger holes. Every example in Storm’s 2LS instructions uses a PAP 5 inches over and 1 inch down from there.
The third 2LS number runs from the pin to that center of grip. Storm says it controls the ball’s total differential after drilling: longer than 3 3/8 inches makes the ball stronger front to back, and shorter makes it weaker. Storm’s Lightning Arc then sets the smallest gap allowed between pin to PAP and pin to center of grip.
Get your PAP measured
Every layout depends on an accurately measured PAP, so a layout is only as good as that measurement. Storm’s pin buffer guide makes the same point and recommends a pro shop measure it.
A pro shop finds your PAP from a ball you have already thrown and writes it as two numbers: inches over from the center of grip (the bridge, if you bowl with no thumb) and inches up or down. Left-handed? Storm’s and Mo Pinel’s layout sheets are drawn for right-handers and mirrored for left-handers, and the studio mirrors every system the same way.
Published layouts in the studio
Every starting layout in the studio comes from the owner of its system. The numbers are theirs. Pick one in the studio to see it drawn on your own PAP.
| Track | Sharper breakpoint | Midlane | Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | 65° x 3 3/8" x 25° | 50° x 4" x 35° | 85° x 4 1/2" x 45° |
| Medium | 55° x 3 3/4" x 25° | 35° x 4 1/4" x 30° | 65° x 5" x 40° |
| Low | 40° x 4 1/4" x 25° | 15° x 4 3/4" x 30° | 30° x 5 1/4" x 65° |
Mo Pinel groups bowlers by axis tilt: high track under 12 degrees, medium 12 to 18, low over 18.
| Layout | Storm’s name |
|---|---|
| 2" x 6" x 1" | Control layout, early and smooth |
| 6" x 5" x 3" | Weak layout, late and smooth |
| 5" x 5" x 4" | Control benchmark, midlane and smooth |
| 4 1/2" x 3" x 2" | Strong benchmark, early arc |
| 5" x 4" x 2" | Universal benchmark, midlane and balanced |
| 4" x 4" x 1" | Strong control, early and round |
| 3" x 4 1/2" x 2" | Strong layout, early and strong |
From Storm’s Pin Buffer Layout System guide.
| Rank | Pin to PAP x PSA to PAP x pin to center of grip |
|---|---|
| 1 | 5 1/2" x 5" x 2" |
| 2 | 2" x 6" x 5" |
| 3 | 5" x 4" x 3 1/2" |
| 4 | 4 1/2" x 3" x 4 1/2" |
| 5 | 4" x 4" x 5" |
| 6 | 3 1/2" x 4" x 6 1/2" |
Storm’s examples use a PAP 5 inches over and 1 inch down from the center of the bridge. Each 2LS layout explained
| Core | Layout |
|---|---|
| Asymmetric | 2 1/4" x 6 1/2" x 1" (pin 1 inch above the line) |
| Symmetric | 4 1/2" x 3" |
From Bowling Science’s 2022 PAL video for no-thumb and two-handed bowlers.
Questions bowlers ask
What is the difference between Dual Angle and Pin Buffer?
Nothing about where the pin and PSA end up. Both place the same three points: the pin, the PSA and your PAP. Dual Angle uses two angles and a distance; Pin Buffer uses three distances. The studio converts one into the other exactly.
Why does converting to 2LS need my PAP?
The third 2LS number runs from the pin to the center of your grip, so it depends on where your PAP sits relative to your fingers. Dual Angle and Pin Buffer only measure from the PAP and the PSA, so they convert without it.
What does 3 3/8 inches mean in a layout?
It is half of the 6 3/4 inch quarter circle on a 27 inch ball. Storm’s 2LS instructions use it as the dividing line: a pin to PAP longer than 3 3/8 inches gives a later, more angular breakpoint, and shorter gives an earlier, smoother one.
How close can the pin be to a finger hole?
Storm’s drilling instructions say that when the pin would be within 1 inch of any hole, the driller moves the grip or drills the pin out completely to keep the warranty. Drilling partly into the pin voids it. The studio warns you when a typical grip puts the pin that close.
Is the drawing exact?
The geometry is exact for the numbers you enter. The finger and thumb holes are drawn at a typical span, so your driller lays the layout out on your ball with your own measurements.
Does it work for left-handed bowlers?
Yes. Pick Left and the drawing mirrors. Storm’s and Mo Pinel’s sheets handle left-handers the same way; the studio mirrors PAL too.
What does Adjust for your speed and revs do?
It runs Storm’s VLS Layout Adapter chart, published in 2020, on the layout on screen. Your ball speed and rev rate set how far the pin and the pin buffer move toward a rough layout from Storm’s chart, and your axis rotation sets how far the PSA moves. The chart works in quarter inches, so the studio rounds your layout to the nearest 1/4 inch first. Press Use the adjusted layout to load the result as a Pin Buffer layout.
Why does axis tilt not change the adjusted layout?
Storm’s chart looks up a tilt category but uses it in none of the distances. Tilt only adds a note: at 6 degrees or less, a pin that is long compared with the pin buffer can track over the finger holes.
What is the 6 3/4 inch rule?
Pin to PAP plus PSA to PAP has to be at least 6 3/4 inches, because the PSA reference point sits 6 3/4 inches from the pin, and the pin buffer cannot be longer than pin to PAP. Storm’s chart refuses a layout that breaks either rule, and so does the studio.
What are center of grip to PAP and the layout sum?
Center of grip to PAP is the distance from the center of your grip, or the center of the bridge if you bowl with no thumb, to your PAP. The layout sum is pin to PAP plus pin to center of grip. It has to be at least center of grip to PAP, or the pin cannot reach your PAP. Pick Pin to center of grip under Dual Angle to see both.
What does the PSA warning mean?
When you enter a layout as pin to center of grip, the studio checks where your drilling angle puts the PSA. If the PSA lands past your VAL, away from your grip, ball reaction can suffer, so the studio warns you and names the drilling angle that brings the PSA back to the grip side of the VAL.
Does the studio check static weight?
No. Whether a drilled ball stays inside USBC static weight limits depends on the ball’s top weight and where the holes go, so your pro shop checks static weight and tracking before drilling. USBC no longer allows balance holes, so the studio never asks for one.
Sources and method
Mo Pinel, Dual Angle Layout Technique. The drilling angle, pin to PAP and VAL angle definitions and ranges, and his 2010 high, medium and low track layout sheets.
Storm Pin Buffer Layout System. Storm’s pin buffer guide and drilling instructions: the three measurements, the seven example layouts and their names, and the 1 inch pin-to-hole rule.
Storm 2LS Drilling Instructions. The 2LS arcs, the six ranked layouts, the reference PAP of 5 over and 1 down from the center of the bridge, and the symmetric reference point 6 3/4 inches from the pin through the CG.
Storm PSA Layout Guide. The pin buffer drawing the studio’s geometry was checked against, the warranty note on drilling the pin, and mirroring layouts for left-handers.
Bowling Science, PAL. The pin above the line method for no-thumb bowlers and its two published examples (2022).
Storm VLS Layout Adapter. Storm’s 2020 chart that moves a pin buffer layout for ball speed, rev rate and axis rotation, used unchanged for Adjust for your speed and revs.
Method. Distances run along the surface of a 27 inch ball. Dual Angle and Pin Buffer convert with the published spherical formulas; 2LS and PAL use your PAP and a typical no-thumb span. A pin to center of grip entry places the pin from your PAP and center of grip with the same geometry.
History. Published October 2026 as a new BowlersMart learning tool.
