Together We can save bowling!

[Demoman]

I have not seen a thread about the hammer save bowling iniative - if you also feel bowling has been deflated by birthday party rock and tween center money hungry management please visit http://savebowling.com/ and await further instructions.

[billf]

I liked the video. Not a fan of Ebonite international products myself but agree totally with the message. Yes, I signed up too.

[75lockwood]

Definitely an interesting message, i just think something like this needs to be done by an organization like the usbc and not a single company.

[floridanative772]

Signed up and cant agree more with this

[Zothen]

If you want to save bowling,then the bowling alleys need to lower prices! I mean really,$5 per game or $25-$75 per 1-2 hours of bowling is outrages. Thank GoD I bowl in a league and only have to pay $1.75 per game. I would love to bowl at different alleys,but,I refuse to pay outrages prices so I stick with the place that gives me a discount. I remember 15-20 yrs ago games only cost .75 cents-$1 a game now it's highway robbery.

Zothen

[75lockwood]

If you want to save bowling,then the bowling alleys need to lower prices! I mean really,$5 per game or $25-$75 per 1-2 hours of bowling is outrages. Thank GoD I bowl in a league and only have to pay $1.75 per game. I would love to bowl at different alleys,but,I refuse to pay outrages prices so I stick with the place that gives me a discount. I remember 15-20 yrs ago games only cost .75 cents-$1 a game now it's highway robbery.

Zothen

Times are tough, while i agree that its expensive, you gotta look at it from ally prospective, the costs to run an ally are huge, add to that maintenance and repairs, you can see why $1 a game wont do it.

[billf]

What the centers should all do is give any USBC member the center's league bowlers price. Milk was only a $1 a gallon twenty years ago too and now that's $4 a gallon. The prices of all things have gone up so that comparison is fairly useless.

[Demoman]

I don't have a problem with the cost of bowling - my problem is walking in spilled soda and popcorn ruining expensive shoes, loud annoying people who could care less about the sport wipping house balls into other lanes - into machines, breaking things, yelling obscenities all in front of management and they won't do anything because all they care about is making sure these jerks return to spend their money! We need to get back to how the sport used to be and I would pay more to bowl if that happened.

[Davec13]

Viral marketing at it's best.

The videos are to contradicting. Examples
Don't buy into the gimmicky new bowling balls that are the flavor of the week, yet hammer releases more than a few balls each year.
There are not enough serious bowlers, yet the hammer rep says I don't bowl as much as I used to due to family. It's ok for him to slow up, but every other bowler in the world shouldn't??
There are probably more, but I stopped watching.

[Demoman]

Davec I think your missing the primary message which is bring bowling back to the way it used to be. Yes I agree some of this is putting down other companies while gaining publicity but the main theme I agree with. No more damn birthday party rock and bowl crap!

On a side note I'm surprised at some of these rates you guys pay to bowl! At both my local centers I can bowl from 9am until 6pm when leagues start with a ten dollar bill unlimited!

[Davec13]

I don't have a problem with the cost of bowling - my problem is walking in spilled soda and popcorn ruining expensive shoes, loud annoying people who could care less about the sport wipping house balls into other lanes - into machines, breaking things, yelling obscenities all in front of management and they won't do anything because all they care about is making sure these jerks return to spend their money! We need to get back to how the sport used to be and I would pay more to bowl if that happened.
Without those idiots and kids running around most houses wouldn't be around. Most of my local alleys are closed during summer because there is no money in being open and waiting for someone to come and bowl. Those kids bday parties are guaranteed money in the centers pocket allowing them to stay open. While it may be annoying to you it's keeping the place open so you just have to grin and "beer" it :D If the people are truly breaking machines I can't see management allowing them to stay as the cost of repair has to outweigh the money incoming from the games.

If you are stepping in spilled drinks and food, i'm not sure what to think. Maybe pay a little more attention or when you leave the lanes slip on some shoe covers.

The only way to have a perfect alley is to buy one yourself. If you can't afford it you just have to deal with the cards you are dealt.

[Davec13]

Davec I think your missing the primary message which is bring bowling back to the way it used to be. Yes I agree some of this is putting down other companies while gaining publicity but the main theme I agree with. No more damn birthday party rock and bowl crap!

On a side note I'm surprised at some of these rates you guys pay to bowl! At both my local centers I can bowl from 9am until 6pm when leagues start with a ten dollar bill unlimited!

Money is the driving force though. Like I said previously without that income don't expect centers to be open year round. Midnight/blacklight whatever else it goes by is a blast. The majority of the people who go are not really serious so you get to go with friends and play with zero pressure. Also around here most of those type deals are the cheapest bowling (~$10 for 3 hours). Not to mention the fact they pay for split conversions. I walked out one night with about $30 for picking up other peoples splits. ;)

Rates around here range between $2-$4 per game.

[billf]

My center charges $4 a game for open bowling plus $2 for shoe rental. League bowlers pay $2.50 a game. High school bowlers are $1 game. Employees .50 game. Plus he always has coupons, dollar days, etc. I bowl for free :D The lineage fees for the leagues have been the same for the past 5 years. I understand having to have the birthday parties, etc but the employees should not allow the mess. Kids are kids and I expect them to do what they do. It's the parents that think the whole alley is a free playground that annoy me. Even more so when league bowlers bring their little ones and don't watch them as they run around everywhere spilling drinks, popcorn, etc.
They also changed the hours for glowmania, which I detest, so not to interfere with our Friday and Saturday leagues. It use to start at 9, just as leagues were finishing up. Naturally the teen crowd would just come in and take over tables, grab peoples balls, etc., after I had a slight altercation with a group of young men last year they moved the start time to 11. Imagine the look on that kids face when a blind guy grabbed him by the throat and dragged him outside and then gave him a chance to do with that ball what he said he wanted to do.

[Greenday]

My biggest bowling gripes:

Unoiled lanes - There is no excuse for me having to move so far over. I don't have that big of a hook. When I can throw my spare ball from the middle board at my mark of the 10 board and it overhooks into brooklyn, it's too dry.
Prices - I can understand times are tough but weekend prices are ridiculous. Don't tell me you have to charge more because it's prime time for bowling when there's only one other person there.

[Demoman]

Without those idiots and kids running around most houses wouldn't be around. Most of my local alleys are closed during summer because there is no money in being open and waiting for someone to come and bowl. Those kids bday parties are guaranteed money in the centers pocket allowing them to stay open. While it may be annoying to you it's keeping the place open so you just have to grin and "beer" it :D If the people are truly breaking machines I can't see management allowing them to stay as the cost of repair has to outweigh the money incoming from the games.

If you are stepping in spilled drinks and food, i'm not sure what to think. Maybe pay a little more attention or when you leave the lanes slip on some shoe covers.

The only way to have a perfect alley is to buy one yourself. If you can't afford it you just have to deal with the cards you are dealt.

I understand the business side of it believe me but did it ever occur to you more people would go bowling and the people that don't bowl anymore would come back if this nonsense stopped. I pay attention and take care of my equipment it doesn't matter because it's disgusting in the bowling areas and it's like that at many local alleys. The alleys are getting plenty of business from what I see and for that they should ether get rid of this crap or be prepared to enforce rules and clean up properly and that's really what this is all about. Ten years ago there was no question that when you bowled everyone knew the common sense rules - now only the league bowlers abide by them.

We can sit here and debate for ever I guess if you feel there is a issue sign up if not don't

[75lockwood]

We can sit here and debate for ever I guess if you feel there is a issue sign up if not don't

I don't think it's as much a debate of whether or not there is a problem, but whether or not there is a solution that is feasible.

[Demoman]

I don't think it's as much a debate of whether or not there is a problem, but whether or not there is a solution that is feasible.

Agreed - they claim this will be much to come and this initial process is to see how many people agree there is a problem. We will see

[Davec13]

I guess for me what constitutes the "good ole days". Are they talking smoke filled houses with people bowling in suits, Non synthetic lanes and pins, non scented gimmick balls,ect? Depending on the age of the bowler their image of the good old days will vary.

While I will agree having destructive customers is no good, kids bowling (even if they are messy) is a good thing. Without a new generation of bowlers coming up the sport will definitely die out.

[slowfaller]

I thought Hammer abandoned the whole "save bowling" thing

[Fatal]

First off I agree with the kids bowling. Children make messes, its inevitable. Clean the sh!t up.. that's what you get paid for. If we can't get the next generation to start bowling, it will fall.

Smoking in the allies.. I could care less. Smoke or not. Maybe make side (non-smoking, smoking) areas. Good ventilation and.. WALA.

Houses should have rules and make people abide by them, no tolerance.

I do wish games weren't 4 bucks a game though. That makes people not want to bowl. Oh i gotta pay 4 a game AND buy shoes. I dunno..

[75lockwood]

I guess for me what constitutes the "good ole days". Are they talking smoke filled houses with people bowling in suits, Non synthetic lanes and pins, non scented gimmick balls,ect? Depending on the age of the bowler their image of the good old days will vary.

While I will agree having destructive customers is no good, kids bowling (even if they are messy) is a good thing. Without a new generation of bowlers coming up the sport will definitely die out.


For me i still bowl on old wooden lanes lol. I agree that we should try to get as many kids in bowling as possible, regarding messes, the ally i go to has a great system for avoiding mess, they keep all food and drink other than water contained to the party rooms and kids are required to wash there hands before bowling.

[Davec13]

Nothing wrong with bowling on wood. I have to go 20+ miles from home to get to synthetic lanes. I actually prefer wood as they seem to have more character. While they are all within USBC specs each lane plays different. For example in my local alley (in a basement) lane 1 being on an outside wall plays drastically different then any other lanes. It's fun when they have tournaments there because people come in from synthetic houses and they have no idea where to begin. Also the lofter type bowlers usually end up leaving as lofting the ball is a huge no no on wood. They get asked nicely to stop lofting once the second time they are asked to leave.

[75lockwood]

Nothing wrong with bowling on wood. I have to go 20+ miles from home to get to synthetic lanes. I actually prefer wood as they seem to have more character. While they are all within USBC specs each lane plays different. For example in my local alley (in a basement) lane 1 being on an outside wall plays drastically different then any other lanes. It's fun when they have tournaments there because people come in from synthetic houses and they have no idea where to begin. Also the lofter type bowlers usually end up leaving as lofting the ball is a huge no no on wood. They get asked nicely to stop lofting once the second time they are asked to leave.

Haha, i remember the one Youth tournament ever held at my local ally, all the bowlers that came from synthetic were getting so mad, there balls were over hooking, they couldn't find a line to play, etc. the best part was that it was a handicapped tournament, so by the end of 5 games they were all about 100 pins under average, so lets just say they went home unhappy, but that's part of why i like wood lanes, it tests your ability to adjust and play different lines on different lanes.

[bayedup84]

I agree we drive 35-40 min for a good bowling alley. They re did local bowling alley and prices are outta this world on games, shoes, drinks, food, etc.. if they could charge cover charge they would, it's ridiculous!!