nasty dirty lanes

[coreyds012778]

at my home center, there are a 6 lanes, on what I call the upper deck. it is 2 to 3 feet above the main floor. they are not maintained as well at the other 26 lanes. the worst one of the group is lane 6. it is the last lane before you get to the main area. the back stop, when a ball hits it sounds like your hitting nothing but metal. the ball comes back covered in rubber (it is something doing with the lane, lane 5 is fine). last time I bowled on it, my ball hit a piece of candy half way down the lane (still picked up the spare).

The first week of league the centers manager's team ball on lanes 5/6. he was not happy with the condition, and the sounds that lane 6 was making. the next week my team had those lanes. the rubber marks where still on the balls but the back stop was not as bad. but it was when I hit the candy on the lane. just happens out of the 4 people bowling I was the only one using the outside part of the lane. still ended up with my third best league score.

I will not talk about the other center I sometimes go to, every lane is bad. it holds my worst two scores every. and needs major ball return and pinsetter updates.

[Blomer]

With the manager knowing about it, why isn't he doing anything about it?

[Shaneshu87]

With the manager knowing about it, why isn't he doing anything about it?

money... plain and simple

the house i bowl in is almost 60 years old, the machines in there are the oldest in our area. after many years of symptoms much like yours, the owner was looking at bankruptcy and sold the lanes to one of the long time bowlers in that house. after 4 years he has finally worked out most of the kinks and has the lanes looking and operating very good. there are time when you ball might make a funky sound, and lane 8 is notorious for scratching balls, but 6 years ago you ball came back black and felt slimy like the floor of a fast food restaurant. TLC is all the house needs and the manager/operator just either does not have the time to do so, maybe offer some volunteer time to help clean the lanes or something. the owner at my house lets me use his ball spinner when ever i want, he doesn't ask for anything in return, so i usually sweep up all the ball innards since he doesn't have a working shop-vac.

[coreyds012778]

I think they are working on lane 6 now, slowly. the mark where not as heavy as they where the last time I bowled on the lane.

[MICHAEL]

You know a lot of bowling lanes are closing due to the decrease interest with bowling. Its been covered with various threads on this site as to the reason. But ONE thing I KNOW for sure bowling will not go away!!

The number of Bowling Establishments grew huge in its glory days! Now the weaker lanes that have a hard time getting the numbers needed to keep operating, are closing, making the OTHER establishments stronger!

I know bowling will never die out, its just going through the Darwinism Theory of, survival of the fittest! Good, or bad,,, some will close, and others will get stronger, but bowling is here to stay!

And as the stronger ones absorb the weaker ones, more money will be there for up keep, and renovations needed!

Like the song: Only the Strong Survive! (:)

[Amyers]

You know a lot of bowling lanes are closing due to the decrease interest with bowling. Its been covered with various threads on this site as to the reason. But ONE thing I KNOW for sure bowling will not go away!!

The number of Bowling Establishments grew huge in its glory days! Now the weaker lanes that have a hard time getting the numbers needed to keep operating, are closing, making the OTHER establishments stronger!

I know bowling will never die out, its just going through the Darwinism Theory of, survival of the fittest! Good, or bad,,, some will close, and others will get stronger, but bowling is here to stay!

And as the stronger ones absorb the weaker ones, more money will be there for up keep, and renovations needed!

Like the song: Only the Strong Survive! (:)

Unfortunately in this I believe you are incorrect Iceman. If this worked they way you would think it might be okay. town has 3 bowling alleys bowling alleys A closes people move from A to B and C. B and C are now stronger. In real life it doesn't work this way. Bowling alley A closes most of the people quit and you not only lose them but the people they would have brought in also.

I have seen this in person most of the people end up leaving the game when their home centers close they don't just move to the next one. I don't understand why this is but it is a real issue. The loss of a center weakens the community as a whole not improves the bottom line for the remaining centers as you would think.

[coreyds012778]

there are 3 centers in 30miles of where I live, the one I bowl at , handful of lanes need some tlc (32 lanes). one that is 15 mins away, needs a major over haul (12 lanes). and one I have never been to and hear it is really nice (32 lanes), has a sports bar that runs karaoke, ladies night, and is in a collage town. I think it draws in collage kids when school is in.

[DLP]

Unfortunately in this I believe you are incorrect Iceman. If this worked they way you would think it might be okay. town has 3 bowling alleys bowling alleys A closes people move from A to B and C. B and C are now stronger. In real life it doesn't work this way. Bowling alley A closes most of the people quit and you not only lose them but the people they would have brought in also.

I have seen this in person most of the people end up leaving the game when their home centers close they don't just move to the next one. I don't understand why this is but it is a real issue. The loss of a center weakens the community as a whole not improves the bottom line for the remaining centers as you would think.


The interesting thing is I am seeing living proof of Iceman's theory playing out before my eyes.
We lost a really busy lane in May that shuttered it's doors for financial reasons after the center couldn't make the move to another location when the property's lease was up.
An older lane that wasn't doing very well got bought by the PSO of the lane that closed.
The older lane is packing the house every league night.

And with it, people who have left the sport, coming back because the old lane is under new management by someone who gives two hoots about bowling!

[mc_runner]

The interesting thing is I am seeing living proof of Iceman's theory playing out before my eyes.
We lost a really busy lane in May that shuttered it's doors for financial reasons after the center couldn't make the move to another location when the property's lease was up.
An older lane that wasn't doing very well got bought by the PSO of the lane that closed.
The older lane is packing the house every league night.

And with it, people who have left the sport, coming back because the old lane is under new management by someone who gives two hoots about bowling!

I'm actually seeing this too. A pretty large center closed after getting destroyed in a storm a couple years ago, and a few full leagues came into my alley from there. One league folded a year later, but a whole bunch of teams from that original center have filtered out over the rest of the leagues.

[coreyds012778]

well, I was wrong about only one lane needing TLC bowled on the upper deck tonight. my ball was caked with dirt. think that is why dropped 20 pins from what I was bowling during the week.