Lane courtesy situation

[NewToBowling]

Say everyone universally observes 1 lane courtesy.

Guy two lanes from your left is on the approach and the person between you and that guy is standing by ball return getting ready to take his turn but in no real rush and does not have ball in hand. He was there before you.

You have no one on your right side. You approach the ball return area. You notice the guy two lanes from you is taking a bit of time on the approach, gauging his shot, stroking his hair, etc...

Do you just go ahead and step on the approach and bowl your turn or do you wait for the guy to your immediate left to go first since he was there before you but he has to wait for the other bowler to finish first whereas you don't have to wait for anyone.

By waiting are you basically delaying the progression and pace of the order of bowlers?

I guess it's situational depending on the middle guy and his temperament. Some take umbrage to being passed up like that

Kind of light 4 way stops.

Discuss.... :)

[drlawsoniii]

I consider it a delay. Honestly I dont feel like there should be any lane courtesy. If you cant bowl with someone 5 feet from you then that's on you. Athletes have to contend with all kinds of distractions, why shouldn't you if you're participating in a sport. But i'm also the guy that thinks the guy who crosses into another lane after his shot should have his score marked zero.

[fordman1]

You should use the courtesy that is normal where you bowl. If you are holding your ball and the other guy should go next but isn't ready you go. Sorry drlaw you are allowed to drift a little onto the next lane. Play nice.

[bowl1820]

I consider it a delay. Honestly I dont feel like there should be any lane courtesy. If you cant bowl with someone 5 feet from you then that's on you. Athletes have to contend with all kinds of distractions, why shouldn't you if you're participating in a sport. But i'm also the guy that thinks the guy who crosses into another lane after his shot should have his score marked zero.

lane courtesy isn't just about distractions, if you have no lane courtesy you run the risk of coming into contact with a player on the adjacent lane. Which can happen even if players don't cross into the adjacent lane.

I'd pretty much guarantee if you actually had no lane courtesy, it wouldn't take long before it started grating on your nerves. Having someone bowl right next to you everytime you made a shot. Especially if your trying to hammer out the tenth frame to win that game or shoot that 300.:cool:

[bowl1820]

Say everyone universally observes 1 lane courtesy.

Guy two lanes from your left is on the approach and the person between you and that guy is standing by ball return getting ready to take his turn but in no real rush and does not have ball in hand. He was there before you.

You have no one on your right side. You approach the ball return area. You notice the guy two lanes from you is taking a bit of time on the approach, gauging his shot, stroking his hair, etc...

Do you just go ahead and step on the approach and bowl your turn or do you wait for the guy to your immediate left to go first since he was there before you but he has to wait for the other bowler to finish first whereas you don't have to wait for anyone.


Without seeing & knowing how the pace of bowling was going before that, given the situation described you should be able go ahead and go.

The player in the middle has to wait as long as the player to their left is on the approach, which should leave you free to bowl.

But it is kind of situational, it would depend on how the flow of bowling was going at the time.


For reference

Lane Etiquette

Unless noted otherwise in your league or tournament rules.

01-Observe one lane courtesy. (Note: Some leagues and tournaments require two lane courtesy)

02-The bowler on the right should bowl first, if both reach the approach at the same time.

03-The Bowler on the righthand lane can waive the right of way to the person bowling on the left lane if they so choose.

04-A bowler shooting a spare has the right of way over a bowler with a full rack.

05-Make sure to stay off the approach until the bowler has completed their shot.

06-Don't pick up your ball from the ball return rack while another bowler is preparing to bowl and is in their starting position.

07-Don't stand next to the ball return while waiting for your second ball.

08-Refrain from creating noises or movements that may be spotted out of the corner of their eye.

10-If another bowler constantly causes distractions while you are preparing to bowl, let them have the right of way. This way you can stay in control of your game and remain relaxed to take your shot.

[NewToBowling]

I have seen situations where I will wait for the bowler to my immediate left as he was there first but realize the bowler to his immediate left (2 lanes down from me) is taking an eternity to bowl just standing there for 10-15 seconds. I probably would have finished my turn before him anyways.

[KYDave]

If there is any question I just waive them on. Otherwise If I'm going out of normal sequence like above, I feel rushed.
I feel that the extra few seconds it takes is not going to slow down the pace enough to worry about. Especially when you have to wait on people taking 10 min to get nachos or another bucket of beer.

[chip82901]

I've always tried to use a 2-lane courtesy myself. It's pretty much mandatory in any big tournament you shoot anyway. There is however, a few guys at my local house, that need 6 lanes of courtesy, and if you are 5 lanes away and just so happen to step on the approach at the same time as him, you're in for it. As for the guy saying something about crossing over into a different lane should be zero, have you NEVER bowled on a double burn? It's almost impossible to NOT drift over to the lane next to you

[JerseyJim]

In my league, it's a one lane courtesy. The bowlers that need two lanes usually will wait. It's a small league where everyone knows other bowlers' preference. We work around it.

[stargell1]

One lane courtesy where I bowl. I wouldn't bowl in a league that had more than one. Ridiculous IMO.

[Jekyll & Hyde]

in one league that i am in its just one lane, but then the other is one lane but if the other bowler wants to wait for 2 lanes. usually in a league you get to know who wants 1 lane and who wants more then 1. i remember in one men's league they expected 4 lanes and that was way too much for me to handle

[got_a_300]

i remember in one men's league they expected 4 lanes and that was way too much for me to handle

Was it a high dollar payout league?

The only time I can see a need for a 4 lane courtesy is
either a PBA tournament or as the case a men's league
if it was say $4000+ or more for first place then maybe
but 4 lanes for a league?

[Tony]

The leagues I bowl in are one lane as defined in the rules, however in the one league a majority of the players really want 2 lanes, and it's not much of a problem as most of the guys have bowled together for a while and understand who wants what.
The guys that are interesting are one's that will tell you one lane, lets go ......and then they always want 2 lanes and will give anyone who doesn't give it to them a dirty look or say something about it.....

As for the poster that says their should be no lane courtesy, lets be realistic, I've open bowled next to people who didn't know bowling etiquette and nearly collided with someone on the lane, that would not be a great idea.
I will take issue with the guys who want 2 lanes during pre-league warm-up practice, that's not acceptable to waste that time, we have 10 or 15 minutes to take a few shots and these guys waste 1/2 the time waiting for a clear spot, then spend 20 seconds cleaning their ball to throw a second shot, or running back to their bag to
get a spare ball ..... very inconsiderate toward their teammates and the opposing team.

[drlawsoniii]

As for the poster that says their should be no lane courtesy, lets be realistic, I've open bowled next to people who didn't know bowling etiquette and nearly collided with someone on the lane, that would not be a great idea.

Tony we are not talking about open bowling, we are talking about league bowling. There is no circumstance where anyone should cross into your approach. Though my initial post was intended more for those morons who after they release the ball, they walk across not only their lane but the lane adjacent, completely unnecessarily. I still contend that there is no situation where you need to bowl from the adjacent person's approach. If the lanes are that dry then you need to get equipment that will allow you to remain in your approach and still be effective. What do people do when they're on double burn and on an end lane? In my house there's a giant step down at the left side of the approach, should they be bowling from the tile, a foot below the approach?

[hotdog`966]

lane courtesy is very important. I believe one lane is sufficient.