You know why recreational bowlers don't like bowling?
Leagues!
I thought I'd post this before I got too involved and forgot about this very annoying part of bowling. Bowling, to most casual players, is a spur of the moment type thing. "Hey, why don't we go bowling for a date tonight?" You can feel like going one day, and totally not feel it another, for maybe months. So, now that so many lanes have shut down, all the league players have aggregated into a couple alleys within reasonable driving distance. So, what is the recreational bowler likely to hear when they show up to their local bowling alley, or even call? We have league play for the rest of the night. What about tomorrow? Same thing, etc. etc. Bah, forget it. I can't tell you how many times that happened to me over the years.
Bowling, for much of the year, as an average person, is a weekend activity only. It basically took me becoming middle aged, trying to find a physical activity that wasn't gonna kill me, and that I could finally afford the equipment and regular practice session costs, for bowling not to become a once a year thing. And I have always liked bowling!
Problem is, most recreational activities, if you want to do it, you can. Every day of the week. Even at very popular restaurants, you can place a reservation, or wait an hour, and get in. Sold out movie? Buy tickets to the next one. Plus there are a ton of activities you can do for free. Bowling nowadays I think is perceived to outsiders as an exclusive activity like golf, except without the prestige.
Now, I'm not saying it's the league's fault. It totally isn't. But most people don't just wake up some morning and decide they want to join a bowling league. Usually it starts out doing it solely for fun. And when you're turned away because the alley is packed with dedicated players most days a week for a good portion of the year, it's off-putting and discouraging. Now, a packed alley full of league players is a good thing right? Not when you factor in that 2 bowling alleys near me shut down in the last few years. How are you supposed to get fresh blood? Trying to entice schools into bowling to get em young I don't think is good enough. It's not a sustainable business model imo.
Good point, nothing to disagree with here, by closing houses that forces all the leagues into fewer houses, thus more money for them now, but what happens when i retire, there will be no one to take my place... seems short sided. Suppose after i am done with this sport i will not care...
True Hendu.
It's always been like that. You used to have to call the bowling alley before going there to make sure they had "open bowling" and if it was a weeknight...usually no chance.
And it was something I always wanted to do...to join a bowling league. But I figured I'd need a job...coworkers...that were interested in bowling. I couldn't just "sign up". And in the old days, it WAS that way. Lots of leagues were "full" and you had to get on a waiting list in somce cases.
And even though I LOVE that I go to a center and it's PACKED...yeah...even I get annoyed when I want to practice and I get to the center and it's FULL. Then I gotta drive to another center or just scrap practice that week.
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Smokey this is not 'Nam', this is bowling. There are rules. Proud two-time winner of a bowlingboards.com weekly ball give-away!
Leagues are a serious commitment. 30-36 weeks of bowling is no joke. It's not a casual thing at all.
The one lanes I bowl at do something horrific. They will fill league lanes of teams that are done or lanes that are open right next to leagues with open bowlers. A lot of the league bowlers have left those lanes because of that and due to that and many other issues this is my last year bowling a league there. Tired of it. Tired of being a solid contribution to their bottom line as a consistent league bowler and being treated like a second class citizen. They got it all wrong. Like the cable companies or cell phone companies who punish loyalty and reward the new customers.
Sounds like it's time to move on. I couldn't even imagine how it would be when you're bowling as the anchor, going up there in the 10th frame of the 3rd game down by 25 pins and as you're about to start your approach, somebody who has no idea of lane courtesy walks up at the same time and throws at the same time as you do...Originally Posted by Mudpuppy
It'd be nice if there was a way to partition the lanes. I've gone in an hour before leagues end, see a quarter of the lanes empty, and I'm like, HUH? What a waste of potential income!Leagues are a serious commitment. 30-36 weeks of bowling is no joke. It's not a casual thing at all.
The one lanes I bowl at do something horrific. They will fill league lanes of teams that are done or lanes that are open right next to leagues with open bowlers. A lot of the league bowlers have left those lanes because of that and due to that and many other issues this is my last year bowling a league there. Tired of it. Tired of being a solid contribution to their bottom line as a consistent league bowler and being treated like a second class citizen. They got it all wrong. Like the cable companies or cell phone companies who punish loyalty and reward the new customers.
Looks like this company does something like this
http://iceledscreens.wordpress.com/tag/led-mesh/
The partitioning would take some time to make its money back, but I think it wouldn't take that long.
Years ago when I bowled in the junior league, the bowling center in my town would always skip a lane or two between the league bowlers and the non league bowlers. They're under new ownership, so I don't know if they do that any more (I don't have a lot of time for a league right now), but I know they used to.
However, I know it can still be distracting to catch that out of your peripheral vision.
I am running into this same problem now. I am in a league but I also have a young son that is just getting into the sport. I'd like to take him in the evening when the interest is there but there are leagues every night including weekends in the centers near us. Not sure of a good solution? In the meantime, I guess we'll be waking up early on Sunday mornings to roll.
Oh it's been long overdue to move on. Most of the people I used to bowl with on Mondays there are gone. One of them is on my Tuesday team at another alley. I tolerated it because I like the owner but I am fed up and done with it. There is a local celebrity that bowls on my league. He prebowls EVERY week. Not fair. But because of who he is it's ok and they let him. His team won the league last year. And the lanes even hung a very special banner up there for him. It's ridiculous. Moving on once the league is over, never looking back.
I'd disagree with that. Once a week ya go there and sit around for 3 hours and eat pizza and drink beer. Thats a commitment?
I mean, sure...if you're like me and in two different leagues and one you have to get up at 6:30AM on a Sunday for...and you're committed to improvement so you get monthly or bi-monthly lessons and practice 12 games a week minimum...yeah, THATs commitment. But most league bowlers are a joke. They treat bowling the way I treat golf. They show up for league night once a week and can't figure out why their average doesn't go up.
TOTALLY agree there. Too many bowling center proprieters have bought into the new bowling center model where the center is more for birthday parties and laser tag and a night club environment. League bowlers just get in the way nowadays. Granted, they usually go under once their leagues leave...but by the time they realize the new bowling center models are wrong...it's too late.
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