Barrier of entry into the SPORT of bowling

[NewToBowling]

The one thing that would truly help bridge the gap from someone bowling as a recreation to someone truly interested in getting better at the sport is the custom fitted ball.

In no other sport is a custom fitted piece of equipment more important.

You can get away with off-the-shelf equipment in most sports. But even then you can get better at it realize that this may be the sport for you.

Not in bowling. Throwing a house ball or someone else's strike ball just isn't going to feel the same as everyone's hands are different.

I would like to see more bowling alleys/pro shops have those balls with interchangeable grips used at demos. People could rent them just like they rent shoes. It would help bring a lot more people interested in the sport vs something to do on a rainy day.

This way they can try out equipment before committing to new ball and shoes.

Throwing a house ball just isn't the same as a properly fitted bowling ball.

[Tony]

Interesting thought, of course there are some issues.
The first one being, is it really a barrier to entry for the sport ?
Plenty of people in the beer and Pizza non sanctioned leagues use house balls, a lot of them don't seem to care, they are just coming down to drink, eat and socialize.
Another quick point, are we talking about putting grips in plastic balls ? Wouldn't it be more like league bowling to use higher end balls that actually have some reaction.....or is that too complicated.
Lets not forget about initial and ongoing cost, theft and damage.
Also who / how is fitting the people and showing them how to insert and remove grips.
Are these solvable problems and will they promote more casual bowlers into league bowlers ?

[NewToBowling]

Well they would be entry level reactive resin. I know the money isn't there and most centers don't really push leagues anymore. Maybe subsidized by ball manufacturers.

Or better yet have a monthly raffle and give away a ball every month. One paid game is one entry.

[1VegasBowler]

Having a pro shop having available equipment for people to use is beyond cost prohibitive, because you would need to have balls from all of the manufacturers to do this. And if you limit it to just one company, then it give the appearance of them promoting just that one company.

Then you have to ask, does this ball that they are going to use is the one that fits their game? Is a reactive resin, a pearl or a hybrid better to start with?

While it's not a bad idea to have a couple of demo days, it has to be geared for those who want to improve themselves because most demo days are geared to those who are already decent bowlers who are looking for some of the newest and greatest things that come out.

At the same time, you have to have enough coaches around so that the people can have a choice as to whomever they might want to have working with them.

I don't think the idea is a bad one. But the key is advertising it properly and having the right equipment, and unless you can get the manufacturers on board with it, it won't work well because of the costs involved.

[mishatx]

The houseballs down at the local all carry the Ebonite logo, but that doesn't seem to hurt the pro shop.

Most golf courses will let you rent a set of clubs and they tend to only carry one brand (some even advertise which brand they have), and that doesn't seem to be an issue (although I honestly don't know how many people buy golf clubs at the proshop on the course as opposed to a specialty store or big box)

[DMS]

>>>Or better yet have a monthly raffle and give away a ball every month. One paid game is one entry.

THAT is a great idea. Could totally work.

At our center, they a have 'free ball' league. Bowl the 10 week league and get a free ball, along with a coupon for a free drill in the pro shop. I know a helluva lot of folks at our center toting these balls... I'm one of 'em! The ball I got from the league is still in my arsenal, and it's a nice heavy-oil ball for me (900 Global Chemical X).

My wife and I have noticed our local centers are damn busy. We've been back to bowling for about a year now, and it's become steadily harder to find a pair when we want.

We've also seen a lot more instances of celebrities bowling in the mainstream news stream... Matthew McConahey, Mariah Carey (in her high heels, but hey.. it's exposure), the Trump kids at the Whitehouse... Hell, I'd say we're about due for a resurgence in popularity.

My wife and I want to hit the Lotto and build a new center in our area. Extreme southern Orange County, CA is definitely under-served... I've already done the demographic analysis, and have been in touch with Brunswick's support staff on it. If we could round up some investors, it wouldn't be to tough to pull off. They'd at least get their Architectural fees for free! ;-)

We'll see what happens!

[foreverincamo]

We have a local center that gives away a top-tier ball every week. All you have to do to enter the drawing is practice during the week during their $1/game open bowling nights. Every game equals 1 entry into the drawing. All balls are #15 for some reason.