Why Can't We Eat Our Cake And Have It Too? A Bowling Center Review

[GeoLes]

We tried a new bowling lane in South Jersey yesterday. We were there visiting an art park and hauled bowlling bags to bowl afterwards. Our GPS guided us to Colonial Lanes near Princeton, NJ. The place looked great. Ultra modern 24-lanes with 4 private lanes. There was a huge arcade area and I understand there is even laser tag on premises. Very nice. Lane prices are about par for the average lane with is a plus for such a fancy lane. I have seen other fancy bowling lounges as twice the price.

Their lanes have HUGE screens on the backsplash so you can watch Talor Swift, Usher, Justing Beiber and others pop artists perform while you bowl. (More of a noisy distraction for me), but I found that I could ignore that after a while and just bowl - the reason I went there. The only problem is, they should have renamed the place Sahara Lanes, they were so dry. So dry I could not use any of my regular balls, and settled for rolling a very flat Brunswich TZone. Even then, a small error en release resulted in the ball breaking far left. Only a dead straight ball will break 2 1/2 pins. Anything else was either in the gutter or took out the 7 pin.

I was able to practice hitting my mark and rolling a dead straight ball, (even if that ball never actually rolled dead straight), measuring sucess not in my score, but on sucessful technique.

These lanes were evidently desgned for bowling parties with no consideration for the serious bowler. Would I visit again? Absolutely, if I wanted a kiddie party but not for bowling.

[Judy clemons]

that sounds like the dry lanes we use to try to bowl on in irving tx (triangle bowl) before they closed the alley down. you would roll or throw your ball at any target on the lane and your ball would hook off too the left way to early ending in all
the gutter balls you could carry so if you were bowling for a big flat 0 you would be in the best of luck. Sad but so true!

[Greenday]

I tend to find that any bowling alley that isn't just a bowling alley (Like Dave & Busters, etc.) are places that don't oil their lanes. They aren't meant for serious bowlers at all.

[GeoLes]

As we left they asked us how we liked the lanes, and my wife was quick to complain about the lack of oil on the lanes, I seconded as we left.

[got_a_300]

As for the dry lanes a lot of centers do not oil the lanes between
league nights.

Okay say the center has a Friday night league and the next league
doesn't bowl until say Tuesday or Wednesday night then they will
just let the lanes go without oiling them until then sad but true.

Our center does the same thing but it does help me in practicing on
bowling on the dry-drier lane conditions for when you go to some
other center to bowl in a tournament and the lanes are burned out
and no oil is left on them.

[Slabo]

I just went thru the same type of outing, while on vacation in Branson MO last week we bowled in three different houses and they were all quite different. The first was a nice older lane with new computer scoring system and wood lanes that were in good shape and oiled. The second one was built in 1962 and they haven't done much to it since they opened, I used my spare ball as my strike ball and was getting a very nice hook out of it!! The third lane was in a metal building with a gravel parking lot and we werent expecting much but when we went inside it was all brand new and very nice house, the owner saw us bowling and came over and apoliged because the lanes were a little dry. I told him that his lanes being a little dry was 10 times better than what we had bowled on earlier. Besides we were just killing time and having fun !!!!

[billf]

The third guy put his money into the inside of the center, the actual bowling parts? What was he thinking? You won't get the party goers and screw offs that way!

[Greenday]

Meh, the only alleys close by to me (Within 10 minutes or less) oil their lanes in the evening (if at all). I'm convinced it's to force bowlers who want to practice on good conditions to pay higher prices.

[GeoLes]

I was discussing the dilema of quality lanes with a pro shop guy and he says the problem accross the country is the increasing leasing costs. It is becoming more and more difficult for lanes to turn a profit. That is the reason for many lane closures and the refocusing of priorities to parties or anything that will get bodies on the lanes. Next time I think to complain about lane conditions not being suitalbe, I will remember that bells and whistles can sometimes bring in more revenue than quality lane conditions.

[JPbowl]

They opened a 'fancy' bowling alley near me recently. They pride themselves for not having anything with bowling in the name of their business.
charge $10 game, let kids bowl in street shoes. seating area was sandy/dirty and crowded with their stupid 'reclaimed' wood table taking up most of the space.
Hardly had enough room for 3 people on a pair let alone 6-8 that a league would require.

I was looking forward to the new alley as its less than 10 minutes away. They seem to have higher priorities than bowling.

[GeoLes]

Well not everything is for everyone. These lanes are more entertainment centers. It is increasing important to know the difference when you want to bowl. If you want to take the kids out, go to an entertainment center. If you want to work on your game, go to the lanes that accomdate it.

[vdubtx]

My main center has a large arcade, billiards, large bar and 26 lanes for bowling. Leagues are only Sunday thru Thursday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon the lanes get used and abused by the non bowlers who don't mind paying $4.50 per game etc. Sunday evening the center will prepare the lanes for league that night. They do oil lanes every night during league but do not on the weekends unless a tournament is going on. I go Sunday morning for practice and never have an issue getting a pair of lanes to myself without kids running up on approach etc. Most people are at church Sunday mornings around me and I like the quietness of the center when I am one of the only people there. Can get some filming done of my technique since I typically have at least a pair or 2 on my side without anyone bowling.

[vdubtx]

Forgot to mention in my post that although they aren't just a bowling center, they do still cater to bowlers and since I have been bowling there so long, they can lay down a pattern for me if I ask them in advance to do so, so long as the person that programs the lane machine is available. I think that is pretty cool.

[Bendial]

Sounds like my local bowling center (AMF)....they are getting so cheap they don't even oil the lanes before our league anymore, its absurd. My partner and I are going to start bowling there pretty much for practice only because its convenient and we joined a league at another center 45 minutes away.