A bowling alley is a building that houses the game of bowling. According to the AMF Bowling Centers Inc., the world’s largest owner and operator of bowling centers, all age groups and experience levels can bowl, and they can play the sport year round. A bowling alley is a place where families can enjoy bowling as an indoor sport or you can participate in a competitive league to play for cash and trophies.
History
A bowling alley is a place where bowlers can show off their precision skills of knocking over wooden pins with a bowling ball. The AMF website says bowling lovers initially introduced the game to the U.S. in the mid 1800s. Bowling initially started with nine pins. According to the Ten Pin Bowling website, nine pins was later replaced with 10 pins on the alley because of the large amount of gambling that occurred. An 1814 law prohibited gambling on nine-pin bowling; gamers bypassed that law by adding an extra pin. Today, 10-pin bowling alleys are scattered around the U.S. and the game has become a family-friendly sport.
Exterior Features
From the outside a bowling alley may appear like an enclosed building with minimal windows. This minimizes sound disturbances from the noisy lanes. According to the Vintage Roadside website, bowling alleys were in their prime in the 1930s and 1940s. Very few of those bowling alleys exist today. They had grandeur about them with their Vegas-style, Googie architecture, larger than life passerby signs such as boomerangs, starbursts, cosmic arrows and neon signs that attracted patrons.
Interior Features
The typical bowling lane is around 60 feet long. This includes the beginning of the foul line to the end of where the pins lie on the deck. Most alleys are made from wood of maple or pine and polished to a smooth, almost slippery texture. Brunswick, a world leader in bowling and other lifestyle and recreation products and services, explains that a pinsetter is a main part of each alley. It uses a frame-per-stop method to readjust pins and clear the lane and gutters of the ball and the pins. Scoring systems and overhead projectors allow players to keep track of their scores and turns. Divisions keep lanes separate. Bumper systems keep gutter balls moving and ball returns make sure balls are cleaned and then returned to their rightful owner.
Accessories
A bowling alley generally has a concession stand and store in the front. You can rent shoes, bowling balls and other bowling accessories at the store. A clerk will take your payment, get you the right sized shoes and ball and set up the lane where you and your group will be bowling. The information clerk can also set you up on a league or help you register for a bowling tournament or competition.
Future of Bowling Alleys
Bowling alleys have gone from being basic in design to having a high-tech edge and contemporary look. One popular design is cosmic. The Bowl-O-Rama website explains cosmic bowling has a dance-club-inspired theme. Cosmic allows the bowling alley interior to be dark with florescent lights that highlight predesigned cut-outs throughout the alley area. Touch-screen registration, instant payment options and one-touch scoring keeping is also popular in many bowling alleys.
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