Bowling talk for serious lane readers.
Above 180.com Bowling Podcast treats bowling as a decision-making sport, not just a scoring result. Tim Berg talks with bowlers, coaches, pro shop voices, and betting-minded guests about patterns, surfaces, ball reaction, tournament prep, and what actually changes on the lanes.
PRESS PLAY
Above 180.com Bowling Podcast is a bowling show for people who think the game starts before the first frame. Tim Berg’s conversations are built around preparation, reaction, and adjustment. A typical episode may begin with a USBC Open Championships recap, a PBA major, a coaching article, or a way to think about equipment, then settle into the real question: what should a bowler do with that information? The show spends a lot of time on lanes. Guests talk about topography, oil volume, surface age, carrydown, burn areas, and how quickly the fronts can disappear. That detail matters here. It is treated as the difference between executing well and being trapped by a bad ball reaction. Tournament episodes often compare strategies instead of declaring one magic line. One bowler may describe playing closer to the track, while another points to moving farther out or building room to the right through practice. The value is in hearing how those choices are reasoned through. Equipment coverage works the same way. Urethane, resin, layouts, surface, fit, and brand habits are discussed as tools, not trophies. Coaching episodes bring in mental game, physical game, practice structure, spare shooting, and the relationship between digital resources and in-person coaching. The show also follows the professional side of the sport, from PBA titles and TV finals to odds, futures, matchups, and the difficulty of picking winners in a volatile field. Its rhythm is plainspoken and sometimes repetitive in the way real technical conversations are. The payoff is accumulation. A guest gives an example, corrects it, adds a condition, then lands on a usable takeaway. That makes the show especially suited to bowlers who already know the vocabulary but want sharper judgment. It is not casual sports chatter. It is bowling as pattern recognition, equipment management, and pressure-tested decision-making.
Made for: Built for competitive bowlers, league players, coaches, pro shop operators, and PBA followers who enjoy technical conversations about conditions, equipment, and tournament strategy. It suits listeners who already know the sport’s vocabulary and want practical judgment, not surface-level recap.
What sets it apart: The show’s strength is its lane-level specificity: guests do not just name patterns or balls, they explain how surface, topography, carrydown, and player choice change the scoring picture. It connects pro-level experience to decisions competitive bowlers can recognize.
The Above 180 Podcast is a bowling podcast designed to help you improve your bowling game. Tim Burg covers a wide variety of topics, including coaching tips, finding the proper pro shop, equipment layouts, and all the latest ball reviews.
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Tim Berg makes competitive bowling strategy legible by keeping conversations focused on lane reads, equipment choices and the decisions behind adjustment.
Above 180.com Bowling Podcast treats bowling as a game of decisions, with Tim Berg interviewing people who can explain what happens before the ball ever reaches the pins.
Lane topography has opinions; Tim Berg helps you figure out how to answer back.
Press play if you want
Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A practical look at how the team pattern rewards decisions over guesswork.
Matt McNeil, a five-time Eagle winner at the USBC Open Championships, gives the discussion a grounded, tournament-first feel as he walks Tim Berg through his Reno finish and a 1961 score.
A lane-play talk that stays close to the shot, the surface, and the small moves that matter.
Tim Berg and Chris Van Akren stay inside the lane logic of the USBC Open Championships, where Nicholas Jays Pro Shop posted a 32-65 in Reno and the main value lies in how little room the team felt it had.
A practical PBA betting discussion about futures, matchup value, tournament conditions, and modest stakes.
Above180.com's PBA betting discussion keeps its focus on value, conditions, and measured confidence. The episode works through head-to-head matchup odds and outright picks with a practical sense of staking, especially in that awkward space between half a unit and a full unit…
A grounded conversation about bowling coaching, real relationships, and StrikeTutor's place between sessions.
Craig Spencer's place in bowling's coaching ecosystem gets a practical, industry-minded look as he connects his work with Virtual Bowling Supply, Strike Force Tour AHBT, and StrikeTutor.
A useful, grounded review of how lane moves, surface changes, and cleaner shots shaped one USBC Open Championships team set.
Lane play gives this single-episode review its spine after the Nicholas Jays Pro Shop team's 32-65 at the USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nevada.
Mark Baker ties slow starts after a break to continued work, lane time, and a sharper competitive mindset.
Mark Baker's conversation with Tim Berg is most useful when it stays close to the practical question of why some bowlers come back slowly after a break while others carry momentum.
Bill Simmons debates NBA tanking, MVP races, and movies with Zach Lowe and friends.
Big Cat and PFT Commenter cover the NFL, March Madness, and NHL for laughs.
Tim Berg interviews Chris Van Akren from Nicholas Jays Pro Shop about his team's second-place finish at the USBC Open Championships in Reno.
This episode features an interview with collegiate bowling standout A.J.
This episode introduces a new podcast series focused on sports betting for the 2025 PBA Tour, featuring host Tim Berg and guest Mike Hardesty discussing gambling perspectives on professional bowling events.
Tim Berg interviews veteran coach Mark Baker to address a listener's early-season bowling slump.
Warren says tournament patterns should be softened: a bowler paying $3,000 may return after averaging 160 instead of 210 at home.
Matt McNeil joins Tim Berg after finishing his tournament in Reno with a 1961.
Tim Berg talks with Chris Van Akren of the Nicholas Jays Pro Shop team after it shot a 32-65 at the USBC Open Championships in Reno, Nevada.
On Above180.com Bowling Podcast, Tim Berg interviews Patrick Dombrowski about his first PBA title, a major won at the U.S.
After the Above180 intro with Tim Berg, the conversation turns to PBA betting strategy, with a practical look at head-to-head matchups and tournament bets.
This episode features an interview with bowling coach Tyrel Rose discussing his article on improving bowling performance in 2026, focusing on mental game, proper equipment fit, and reading oil patterns.
This episode features an interview with Vernon Peterson, a pro shop operator and ball reviewer, discussing trends in bowling ball technology, urethane usage, brand loyalty, and ball reaction as the season nears its end.
Brooke Green, head coach at Clark University in Dubuque, Iowa, reports that her women's JV team won the Golden Hammer Invite division, giving her her first win as Clark's head coach.
Craig Spencer, owner of Virtual Bowling Supply in Phoenix and chief product officer at Strike Tutor, talks with Tim Berg on the Above 180.com Bowling Podcast about league preparation, worn equipment, and bowling coaching.
This episode introduces a new podcast series focused on sports betting for the 2025 PBA Tour, featuring host Tim Berg and guest Mike Hardesty discussing gambling perspectives on PBA events, especially majors.
This episode features an interview with Mike Shady, a Team USA coach and USBC Hall of Famer, discussing his team's performance at the 2024 USBC Open Championships and analyzing the lane patterns.