How to get more league bowlers and open bowlers In

[americantrotter]

My center's Rock N Bowl is there most popular league. It's low cost high fun, handicap league. Makes it easy for folks to break in. It's intimidating to folks to join leagues who havent before. They play music have contests several times a season.

Make it easy to ask and easy to join. Bowling looks like a clique to newcomers. My only other thought would be to follow the demand. If there is a larger group of bowlers who like low stress bowling you should cater to them. Don't let an aggressive vocal minority dictate your centers terms. (hardcore bowlers can be obnoxious and skew your view of what the demand really is.)

[Ball99999]

I'm surprised how much and how often I see people saying "bowling is dying! our business is dead!" Etc. But then I go in to local alleys and see prices... $5.95 for a game. WHAT...THE...F.

[Ball99999]

This is the million dollar question all over the industry. How do we get more people in the door, be it open or league bowling. AMF centers do all you can bowl, Sunday night through Thursday night, 9pm to close, for $12 a person. In works pretty well. So well in fact, that my local center, which is not an AMF, does the same thing.

It surprises me how it's taking them this long to see how much they need to lower prices across the board.
Get them in the door then they buy concessions.

[AngeloPD]

Use social networking sites to advertise if you havent done that already

[CeKnauss]

The bowling alley I now work for offers a ton of different options.
1. Discounts for local schools with ID (possibly with advertising at the school)
2. Agreements and discounts for local church groups
3. Birthday packages
4. League discounts
5. Free game cards at many local businesses for having made a purchase. (advertising as well as an offer)
6. Display in the local mall (unfortunately the mall is all but a ghost town)
7. Cafe and Bar
8. Dollarmania on select nights ($5 for a wristband, and $1 thereafter for shoes, per game, certain food items, drinks, etc)

At some centers, they offer other options, such as:
1. Hourly rates per lane as opposed to per game
2. Theme nights (Such as decorating the center for a holiday and having colored pins giving prizes for getting strikes when it is the head pin, or offering discounts if people dress up)
3. Print coupons in the local newspaper

[75lockwood]

I'm surprised how much and how often I see people saying "bowling is dying! our business is dead!" Etc. But then I go in to local alleys and see prices... $5.95 for a game. WHAT...THE...F.

I Couldn't Agree more!

Bowling is getting way to expensive, there is this one bowling ally i went to (never again) that charged 6.50 per game, when i went up to the counter i asked how much for 6 games (3 for 2 people) was told $42 + shoe rental, and i walked out.

[HughScot]

I was in a new, for me, bowling center today and it was crowded with people. I looked around a little and the owner has poured money back into the place in terms of other activities, and they are in good with the local High School as the school offers bowling as a gym class. Here's a link to the site for ideas: http://pinstationbowling.com/ It was also clean as a pin including the men's room.

[AZBowla]

AMF's $8 all you can bowl pricing from open to 5 is a great idea for filling the lanes during the workweek - I had fun yesterday for about 3 hours (would have gone sooner but I had to get my new ball drilled down the road from there first) plus I got $2 off that price for me my GF and two of the kids we brought. That's the kind of pricing that gets ME to walk in your door because I like to bowl a TON of games when I go and I ain't payin' by the game if I don't have to.

[Ball99999]

Local league is expensive and full of old people with really bad hygiene. Tough sell

[kmf]

Local league is expensive and full of old people with really bad hygiene. Tough sell

Did you accidently sign up for a seniors' league? How did you end up in this league? By that I mean, did you research the available leagues at all or ask around or just sign up for what was convenient? I wanted to do more leagues this season but couldn't get all my questions answered to my satisfaction. So I waited and have visited the lanes during these leagues to gage whether they are a good fit for me. I worked at the bowling alley in high school so I was more aware of the possible horrors than most people would be.