Bowling is a popular sport, played in a number of countries across the world. Bowlers can participate in the sport as a leisure activity with friends and family or as a competitive sport in recreational and professional leagues for women, men, mixed gender partners, singles and teams. The bowling lane markings, size and quality influence the bowler's ability to achieve a high score.
Bowling
Bowlers roll balls across a flat surface, which is referred to as a lane. They target pins in order to score points. The history of bowling traces back to 3200 B.C., when several forms of bowling existed. The most popular type of bowling is the ten-pin bowling, the origin of which dates back to 1841.
Dimensions
Bowling lanes have standards dimensions. For regulation bowling, the lane must be 60 feet long and 42 inches wide. It should contain 39 boards. The approach area to the bowling lane should have two sets of dots. The first set of dots should have a distance of 12 feet from the foul line. The second set of dots are marked with a distance of 15 feet from the foul line.
Materials
The earliest bowling lanes were made of wood. Initially, the wooden bowling lanes were made of maple in the front portion and pine wood in the back portion. A shellac finish sealed the wood. The shellac finish later gave way to a lacquer finish. Synthetic bowling lanes are widely used on modern bowling lanes. Synthetic bowling lane materials gained in popularity due to the ability to create more standardized play feature, along with lower maintenance costs than traditional lanes.
Impact on Scoring
Bowlers prefer a smooth, well-polished bowling lane. An even surface allows the ball to have a predictable reaction for the skilled bowler. Experienced bowlers have the skill to manipulate the ball when the bowling lanes are standardized in dimension.
Oiling
Oiling the bowling lanes at regular intervals provides a better experience for bowlers. A maintenance person uses a cloth, a lane-conditioning machine, cleaning liquid and oil to clean and oil a bowling lane.
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