Its Not The Balls - It's The Lanes. A Comparison with US Open Golf
- Thread starter Brenton_Davy
- Start date
tonx
New Member
Because I am not going to go into a personal slinging match, I have reverted to pming.
thanks
on quick edit, for those that have not seen the video, I would strongly suggest taking the time to watch it through this link.
Thanks
http://brunswickftp.com/Product info/USBC proposed rule changes - CG-Distance informartion.pdf
thanks
on quick edit, for those that have not seen the video, I would strongly suggest taking the time to watch it through this link.
Thanks
http://brunswickftp.com/Product info/USBC proposed rule changes - CG-Distance informartion.pdf
P
pulse-tech
Firstly congratulations to the usbc for making an attempt to fix the sport
this proposed rule change will not fix the sport but it is a gigantic step in the right direction
somebody posted earlyer about just oiling the backends
good luck my friend as the machines in most bowling centres are already struggling to return balls with the increase in lane conditioner
i agree with wayne chester on this it's not just the lanes that need change
it's the whole deal ie. pins, balls, lane conditions ect.
tonx you lack credibillity on this issue as you grew up with reactives and never really saw how the game was played with rubber and plastic on nitro laquer and water base on 10 units
Most bowlers don't understand how hard it has become to be a laneman in the last 5 years we are constantly working on patterns that will keep the scoring pace at a reasonable level for tournements ect. too many bowlers look to the lanes for assistance or looking to the proshop opperator for another 5 or 10 boards hook or more drive ect when they should be looking at their technique. i think what the usbc is trying to do is limit the variables and hopefully this is just one step in a long line of others
this proposed rule change will not fix the sport but it is a gigantic step in the right direction
somebody posted earlyer about just oiling the backends
good luck my friend as the machines in most bowling centres are already struggling to return balls with the increase in lane conditioner
i agree with wayne chester on this it's not just the lanes that need change
it's the whole deal ie. pins, balls, lane conditions ect.
tonx you lack credibillity on this issue as you grew up with reactives and never really saw how the game was played with rubber and plastic on nitro laquer and water base on 10 units
Most bowlers don't understand how hard it has become to be a laneman in the last 5 years we are constantly working on patterns that will keep the scoring pace at a reasonable level for tournements ect. too many bowlers look to the lanes for assistance or looking to the proshop opperator for another 5 or 10 boards hook or more drive ect when they should be looking at their technique. i think what the usbc is trying to do is limit the variables and hopefully this is just one step in a long line of others
bowlrig
Just A Bowler
pulse-tech said:
Just to add a little to this, too many bowlers also all to often blame the lanes for their own inadequacies.
So maybe changing lane conditions will have to come with a little box labeled mental re-training, if that was the way to go.
I think ball restrictions will be a good thing but maybe introduced a little more gradually.
Rob
P.S.
and by the way, static weights made all the differance to my old black U dot.
tonx
New Member
pulse-tech said:
greg you are a sheep, go and follow everyone elses answer (oh wait you already did that). easy as that.
My comments have not been about the fact that lanes are too easy, that scores are too high, that changes need to be made. I totally agree that changes do need to be made. But not to the options that a driller has, rather the lanes and the pins, the gutter height and the like. I can just imagine the amount of 'fluffers' that will cry when their precious leverage drillings are taken waya from them.
My comments have echoed every single ball manufacturers reply to the changes.
Watch the video, and if even then the stubborn people who refuse to let go of theories made when the lanes and balls were made by cavemen are still not able to comprehend the fact that static weights do not matter, and the replies about the new restrictions; I have done the work for you and gone and got each major manufacturers link reply.
http://www.ballreviews.com/Forum/Replies.asp?TopicID=89592&ForumID=85&CategoryID=2
http://trackbowling.com/forum/topics.cfm?forum=1&topic=824
http://ebonite.com/news/news_detail.php?PRKey=186
(refer to previous post for brunswick)
Have a great day!
P
pulse-tech
Sheep
no sorry think you have that wrong if you think i am following what everyone else is saying then maybe your just seeing a trend
Andrew i don't see much support for you on this or any other forum
no sorry think you have that wrong if you think i am following what everyone else is saying then maybe your just seeing a trend
Andrew i don't see much support for you on this or any other forum
Brenton_Davy
900Global bowler
Further to what I posted, THe 2003 US Open at Fountain Valley that I competed in, had its scores inflated by phenomenal carry, and even then a 210 average was good enough for a top 5 finish. On tough carry the winning 214 average would have struggled to have been 200. It was like shooting to very narrow fairways with heavy rough, to greens that were dead flat and holding. This is where I draw my comparison. If we had been playing on non voided pins or with slow kickbacks, then I know that the winning average would have been under 200, instead of the 214 that it was on the 1:1 pattern
The carry was THAT easy that even I had 16 messengers in 18 games qualifying. The difference was I (and everyone else) had only 2 boards to hit at 45 feet. Then you had to hit them with exactly the same loft, hand position, speed etc. In the main, we all needed tamer equipment anyway, but the flat shot served to show who was on top of their game
The carry was THAT easy that even I had 16 messengers in 18 games qualifying. The difference was I (and everyone else) had only 2 boards to hit at 45 feet. Then you had to hit them with exactly the same loft, hand position, speed etc. In the main, we all needed tamer equipment anyway, but the flat shot served to show who was on top of their game
Brenton, you must be kidding, you have never bowled on non voided pins, "soft kickbacks" nobody in thier right mind would purposely put them in, we had them in the old days because they were stuffed and were too expensive to replace.
Again Brenton we are talking about tricking up the lanes. Tell me this if you had a year to practice on the shot for the Open do you think you could have done better? Of course you could have, and you would have had the ball to suit the conditions. This is one of the problems with tricking up the lanes, nobody comes prepared, it would be like trying to play Golf with a Blind Fold on, you can't see the hazards.
To use the Golf analogy, in the US Open there were Great Golfers shooting scores in the 80's, do we want Great Bowlers shooting scores in the 120's, I would'nt like to see that. Until we start to see people shooting 300 average we still have a long way to go before the game has reached it's boundaries.
Don't Trick Up The Lanes.
Just kill the WALL.
JMHO.
willey.
Again Brenton we are talking about tricking up the lanes. Tell me this if you had a year to practice on the shot for the Open do you think you could have done better? Of course you could have, and you would have had the ball to suit the conditions. This is one of the problems with tricking up the lanes, nobody comes prepared, it would be like trying to play Golf with a Blind Fold on, you can't see the hazards.
To use the Golf analogy, in the US Open there were Great Golfers shooting scores in the 80's, do we want Great Bowlers shooting scores in the 120's, I would'nt like to see that. Until we start to see people shooting 300 average we still have a long way to go before the game has reached it's boundaries.
Don't Trick Up The Lanes.
Just kill the WALL.
JMHO.
willey.
Found this interesting on Bowltech
Not my opinion, just interesting.
POSTED BY 82/70 KING
10.82 I begin oiling lanes.
DBA 501
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 35'
3pm - 10-10 15' buff to 35'
12.83 Black Hammers are everywhere.
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 35'
3pm - 9-9 18' buff to 35'
12.85 Red Hammers on every ball return.
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 36'
3pm - 9-9 20' buff to 36'
2.86 Scotchbrite is mass marketed by pro shops.
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 36'
3pm - 9-9 22' buff to 36' DOUBLE OIL
Short oil begins.
Strip every Friday.
Oil flat 10' buff to 26'
Oil continous 9-9 to 26' and oil back to the foul line.Never oil flat again until the next time they are stripped.
Clean the backends by towel every Wednesday for the classic league.
24' short oil begins.
Scores skyrocket.
Equalizer oil additive is introduced by DBA.
9.91 The SUMO ball flares 7"
3 unit rule begins.
Strip every Friday.
Oil flat on Friday 10' buff to 37
Oil 10-10 25' buff to 37 DOUBLE OIL
Crosswipe heads if the lanes look dry outside.
Oil flat only if the ABC shows up to pre inspect.
2.92 Excalibur
Strip Friday.
Oil flat Friday 12' buff to 39'
Oil 8-8 30' buff to 39' double oil
Bowlers complain of the lanes drying out too quickly.
10.93 Asymmetrical weight block Omega ball is introduced by Ebonite. The black Omega LM has 10" of track flare and comes dull.
Oil flat once per week.
Oil 33' double to 40' daily at 3pm.
12.94 We buy a Phoenix machine to combat the dry lanes.
Strip and oil twice daily.
42 foot pattern.
Flat oil 24" on the outside.
Oil 35' in the middle
Oil the heads 20' on the return
DBA Clear Hi Viscosity oil.
9.98 Rhino Pro PROACTIVE ball is marketed by Brunswick.
1500 Phoenix S machines are sold this year to oil the lanes with Legends Signature series 62 oil.
Why does the lane man put down more oil?
The BALL!
Not my opinion, just interesting.
POSTED BY 82/70 KING
10.82 I begin oiling lanes.
DBA 501
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 35'
3pm - 10-10 15' buff to 35'
12.83 Black Hammers are everywhere.
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 35'
3pm - 9-9 18' buff to 35'
12.85 Red Hammers on every ball return.
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 36'
3pm - 9-9 20' buff to 36'
2.86 Scotchbrite is mass marketed by pro shops.
11pm - flat oil 10' buff to 36'
3pm - 9-9 22' buff to 36' DOUBLE OIL
Short oil begins.
Strip every Friday.
Oil flat 10' buff to 26'
Oil continous 9-9 to 26' and oil back to the foul line.Never oil flat again until the next time they are stripped.
Clean the backends by towel every Wednesday for the classic league.
24' short oil begins.
Scores skyrocket.
Equalizer oil additive is introduced by DBA.
9.91 The SUMO ball flares 7"
3 unit rule begins.
Strip every Friday.
Oil flat on Friday 10' buff to 37
Oil 10-10 25' buff to 37 DOUBLE OIL
Crosswipe heads if the lanes look dry outside.
Oil flat only if the ABC shows up to pre inspect.
2.92 Excalibur
Strip Friday.
Oil flat Friday 12' buff to 39'
Oil 8-8 30' buff to 39' double oil
Bowlers complain of the lanes drying out too quickly.
10.93 Asymmetrical weight block Omega ball is introduced by Ebonite. The black Omega LM has 10" of track flare and comes dull.
Oil flat once per week.
Oil 33' double to 40' daily at 3pm.
12.94 We buy a Phoenix machine to combat the dry lanes.
Strip and oil twice daily.
42 foot pattern.
Flat oil 24" on the outside.
Oil 35' in the middle
Oil the heads 20' on the return
DBA Clear Hi Viscosity oil.
9.98 Rhino Pro PROACTIVE ball is marketed by Brunswick.
1500 Phoenix S machines are sold this year to oil the lanes with Legends Signature series 62 oil.
Why does the lane man put down more oil?
The BALL!
P
pulse-tech
Just read that myself Androoo
as You know that story is not a one off
most technicians that have been around for
awhile will tell the same type of story
as You know that story is not a one off
most technicians that have been around for
awhile will tell the same type of story
rychenroller
Active Member
Nice story, no doubt 100% accurate and shows the plight encountered by bowling staff these days.
We cant afford a 50k kegel, even a 20k second hand combo machine so we stick to our century 100 wick machine. Its a constant battle for us to lay down enough oil. We run kickers so overdo the oil and we have ball idles every pair. We double oil 32' buff to 38' with the tank shimmed up and big pressure from wick to transfer roller and transfer roller to buffer roller. With that the wick dries out totally every 4 lanes. We then double oil the same length again with a different tank and cut down wick, creating a stark oil line at about 8 board. Its the closest we can get to a scoring condition on our wood lanes.
At my particular centre we are doing our best. But the lanes need a 20k resurface every 4-5 years. We try our guts out to get the oil down but the reactives tear it up without a second thought. On a normal league night the condition will last til the end and be relatively scorable, but with a tourney and reactives all over we'd have no hope.
Thats my centres story anyway with our battle involving oil and reactives.
We cant afford a 50k kegel, even a 20k second hand combo machine so we stick to our century 100 wick machine. Its a constant battle for us to lay down enough oil. We run kickers so overdo the oil and we have ball idles every pair. We double oil 32' buff to 38' with the tank shimmed up and big pressure from wick to transfer roller and transfer roller to buffer roller. With that the wick dries out totally every 4 lanes. We then double oil the same length again with a different tank and cut down wick, creating a stark oil line at about 8 board. Its the closest we can get to a scoring condition on our wood lanes.
At my particular centre we are doing our best. But the lanes need a 20k resurface every 4-5 years. We try our guts out to get the oil down but the reactives tear it up without a second thought. On a normal league night the condition will last til the end and be relatively scorable, but with a tourney and reactives all over we'd have no hope.
Thats my centres story anyway with our battle involving oil and reactives.
jedi_bowler
Is the Force with you?
The entire debate is mute, the facts are Bowling is evolving like any other sport. In other sports they introduce new rules to cut scores down or stop other things, people complain then 12 months later everyone has forgotten about it. The fact is scores are higher big deal. It's moved everyone of all averages up a peg, WOW, But the Best bowlers are still winning! There scores are just higher. Doesn’t matter if you hook 20 boards or go straight. Those who make consistent shots and work hard end up on top. Like any other sport good people adjust. In the grand scheme of things this is only going to affect a very small percentage of bowlers. Everyone go to there Centers get a list of all there bowlers and look at how many Ave 200+ consistently compared to the number of bowlers in the center. Then wonder how relevant this debate really is.
That’s my opinion take it or leave it.
That’s my opinion take it or leave it.
RobbieB
Rodentus scientificus
The problem is not high scores. The problem that bowling as a SPORT faces is that there is no longer any scoring threshhold that applies when judging ability. Less skilled bowlers on an easy condition will score better than higher skill bowlers on a difficult condition (similar to the US open Golf mentioned earlier) but there is no way for those people who are not knowledgable about the sport to see that the lanes are easy or hard. When you have once a week bowlers averaging 230 and throwing huge scores regularly, then see national tournaments being won with 215 averages, the general public simply think that the top level is not that good. Part of the attraction of a sport is the respect for the ability of the elite athletes, and bowling has to a great extent lost that respect because people see 270+ games every week in a lot of centres. The equipment and lane conditions have made bowling an 'easy' sport in many peoples eyes. At least in golf you can see that conditions are tough - golfers look at the course and say wow, these guys are still around par even on that monster. Someone shoots 200 average in a tourney and people think hey, thats not that good, Joe average does better than that in league.
If anyone thinks that just by changing the lane condition you won't lower the scores....go and have a look at the SPORT SERIES results for the past few years....bring any ball you want...if you don't throw it in the same place at the same speed or even the same angle, you get a different result.
I don't think the tricked up lane conditions are fully to blame for the high scores that are around today...but combined with resin equiptment it is getting sillier all the time.
Step up to the challenge....bowl on a REAL condition and find out how good you are....
I don't think the tricked up lane conditions are fully to blame for the high scores that are around today...but combined with resin equiptment it is getting sillier all the time.
Step up to the challenge....bowl on a REAL condition and find out how good you are....
cruzer
Member
I must agree Hippy??
At Cross Rd Bowl we have a house pattern now that is 2:1......23 units on the outside boards and 43 in the middle,approximately 36ft long,and it has a very nice out of bounds.Now on Monday nights we have a singles league called VILLI'S League and it has 30 of the best bowlers in S.A. in the league(Male and Female...Jnr,Youth,and Adult).
Any guesses how many bowlers over the card... 2...one Colin Hunt and one Sammy Parrella.My point here is that the scores can be controlled and without to much effort.
The league average is ..184.26 and it is a very succesful league.
Cheers for now..
Paul K.
At Cross Rd Bowl we have a house pattern now that is 2:1......23 units on the outside boards and 43 in the middle,approximately 36ft long,and it has a very nice out of bounds.Now on Monday nights we have a singles league called VILLI'S League and it has 30 of the best bowlers in S.A. in the league(Male and Female...Jnr,Youth,and Adult).
Any guesses how many bowlers over the card... 2...one Colin Hunt and one Sammy Parrella.My point here is that the scores can be controlled and without to much effort.
The league average is ..184.26 and it is a very succesful league.
Cheers for now..
Paul K.
Cruzer brings up another important point when we start to trick up the lanes to stop the scoring, how on earth is a newbie with his plastic ball ever going to learn to hook a ball on this sort of rubbish conditions, he will not be able to turn it in a month of Sunday's, so he may as well give up now, this is a foolish condition to put on a lane.
JMHO
willey.
JMHO
willey.
rychenroller
Active Member
So go the opposite way, dont oil em up, dry em out. That would put the majority of todays bowlers in just as much difficulty, maybe even more.
cruzer
Member
Mr Willey,
A"rubbish condition" this is not.We have a very good backend and there is ample "HOOK",what we dont offer is "FREE SCORING".If you miss your target by 2-3 boards you pay the price,and in my honest opinion this has benefited ALL of our bowlers at Cross Rds.
Cheers for now...
Paul K.
A"rubbish condition" this is not.We have a very good backend and there is ample "HOOK",what we dont offer is "FREE SCORING".If you miss your target by 2-3 boards you pay the price,and in my honest opinion this has benefited ALL of our bowlers at Cross Rds.
Cheers for now...
Paul K.
You guys constantly amaze me, on one hand we have established that the top bowlers in the country make up a minority, but then all talk is geared towards the top percentile of bowlers having issues. Isnt this surposed to be about issues faced with the future of bowling?
You want to know what the real problem for bowlers (that is the majority who make up the numbers in our sport) is?
Management - People who don’t put back into their bowling centers in order to continually increase the level of service they provide their customers. Some management people wouldn’t know what people skills were if it bit them on the arse, if you make your bowlers feel welcome when they come in the door (something as simple as a simple greeting) you develop loyalty within your center and people keep coming back. There are too many dinosaurs in bowling that have no idea when it comes to effective management practices, too many are content to just retreat to their cave (office) and let the world pass them by.
Lane Conditions - You know what the majority of the bowling community want? consistency, nothing more. They want to go to their league each week (maybe twice a week for some) and expect a condition that isn’t going to be remarkably different than the previous week. This should be a duty of care every center should provide for every single person that walks through the doors. They generally don’t care what pattern they bowl on, whether it is high scoring or not, as long as they don’t face such dry conditions which results in them having to physically muscle the ball, then, for the most part, people are happy. Bowlers want to bowl, they don’t want to chuck the ball, people still have to get up and go to work the next morning and the last thing they want to carry is soreness and injury from the previous nights bowling.
You will always get the same people complaining about conditions and everybody likes to bowl high games, but bowlers do not even stand a chance with some of the terrible conditions they are forced to bowl on. They pay good money, sometimes in excess of $25 per league to bowl, they arent stupid, they know when conditions really are terrible, all they want is a fair condition to bowl on. This is an area lacking in quite a few centers, you cant help but wonder if this is due to a lack of industry guidelines, training and ability or just a lack of motiviation.
Center Conditions - This really does tie in with management above. Poor conditions within a center reflect on the level of pride its workers show in their business. Dirty floors and walls (poor cleaning in general), damage to equipment and seating, original paint from 1962, poor lighting, bad parking, terrible carpeting and other relevant floor coverings, it all adds up. The average bowler doesn’t want to be revolted when they walk into a center, a little time spent on repairs and renovation's (it is amazing what a simple coat of paint will do) works wonders.
Service - Ohh god, counter people, there is nothing worse than someone holding a customer service position without skills in customer service. In a real world, bowlers like bowlers on the counter because they feel like they are "one of them", but for the most part; all they want is somebody there to serve them! Seriously, when did it become so hard to get a little service from a customer service officer?!@
Lazy people (you know the types, just cant be bothered with anything), impolite and rude people, and the worst of the lot, people who aren’t capable of doing their job, there is nothing worse than someone on the counter who doesn’t know what they are doing. Case in point, you ask someone about a league or you want to organise a sub (some centers do it all themselves instead of using the league secretary), they stare blankly at you for a moment, ruffle through the cupboards, then have to ring someone or find another staff member. Another thing is the fabled double booking, ever been bowling league and have the counter staff place social bowlers next to you? or heavens forbid, between pairs of bowling teams?!
Things like that are terrible, it really irks customers and it certainly annoys bowlers, if you don’t know what you are doing, if you don’t know the operation of your center you should not be in a customer service position.
Incentive - Too many centers don’t show any incentive for bowlers (both social and leagues alike) at all, this can include things like lineage discounts for bowlers who want to come in for practice games, possible pro shop discounts (especially in the case of regular purchasers of equipment), even semi regular tournaments (things like no taps and skins are great). Your prices tie into this, if prices are high and bowlers feel as though they don’t get anything out of your center, they leave or quit, it is as simple as that.
Maintenance - Lanes and equipment especially, you know what annoys bowlers the most here? dirty equipment. Turn up to bowling, first thing you notice is the players area, is it clean and tidy? next thing you notice is the approach, has it got all manner of things stuck on it? (children and food is a good example) hair/fluff? dust? dirt? not only is this unsightly to bowlers but it is also dangerous. How about ball returns and equipment, what about lanes? bother to drag them to remove dust and debrany regular maintenance happening there? The difference between centers who have active cleaning campaigns and those who don’t is very stark in contrast, one bowler will go home annoyed with dirty hands, clothing and gear, the other is largely dirt free. The average bowler finds this incredibly annoying, it shows laziness on the part of the service area and it just should not be happening.
Break downs are another part of what annoys bowlers, we all acknowledge that it is going to happen some time and we can’t expect continuous operation, but continual, repeated delays are terrible for bowler confidence. I know from previous experience that some managers will hit the roof when requesting something as trivial as assorted parts to maintain your replacement levels. You spend ages trying to build up a supply of replacement parts ready to go be swapped out in case of break down, continually reusing and repairing existing components past the point of any really reliable operation, ive even seen quite a few examples where existing systems were modified in order to make do with what was available, this sort of neglect just shouldn’t happen, the amount of butchery that goes on in the backend is just sheer amazing. It ties in with management above, some managers and owners totally neglect the service areas and it shows. Let’s face it, without operating equipment you have no service to offer customers and without a service you have no business.
Marketing - Aside from AMF and a few gold pin centers it is very rare to hear anything bowling advertising on any form of media, im not just talking about television and radio, but even the press (with the huge numbers of publications country wide). Without advertising you are only relying on word of mouth to further populate your center, more steps need to be taken to make the public (and league bowlers) aware of what you are offering and what is coming up. In order to increase participation people need to be kept informed, it really is a lax area in our industry and some vocal people have been calling for improvements for quite awhile.
The above is not structured with any order to it, it is just points written as they came to mind (so don’t go thinking that one is more important than the other). What is alarming is that the above exists within the center, it has nothing to do with the operational side of things our governing bodies have control of, it starts right at home.
Too long have people been shifting the blame, development and improvements in bowler numbers will only happen if changes exist at a root level. This is where the core of our bowling community exists, not in the upper percentile with national tournament scenes and everything that goes with it, but right here in centers and local associations. The average bowler has very little to do with any governing body, they pay their fees, they bowl their games and they go home. The only time they even hear the words TBA is when they venture out beyond their center and participate in regional tournaments. How anyone can come to the conclusion that bowling is in trouble because of something that effects a minority is beyond me. This is where the focus should be made, this is where improvements have to begin, this is what is going to setup the future of any development in our sport. We need an industry standard code of practice and we need it now. It is about time somebody listens to the outspoken few working within the industry who have been calling for changes for a very long time. These are the people who deal with the operation of our sport daily, many have been through every phase bowling has progressed through, these are the people who have first hand experience and these are the people we should be paying more attention to.
For too long people have been saying that the future of our sport exists at the grass roots level, its about time people start acting like it instead of using the statement as a promotional tool in an effort to delude people into thinking they know what they are talking about.
Stand up and take some responsibility, you might not like the above, and it certainly doesnt apply to every center or staff member throughout the country, but it begins and ends with you.
You want to know what the real problem for bowlers (that is the majority who make up the numbers in our sport) is?
Management - People who don’t put back into their bowling centers in order to continually increase the level of service they provide their customers. Some management people wouldn’t know what people skills were if it bit them on the arse, if you make your bowlers feel welcome when they come in the door (something as simple as a simple greeting) you develop loyalty within your center and people keep coming back. There are too many dinosaurs in bowling that have no idea when it comes to effective management practices, too many are content to just retreat to their cave (office) and let the world pass them by.
Lane Conditions - You know what the majority of the bowling community want? consistency, nothing more. They want to go to their league each week (maybe twice a week for some) and expect a condition that isn’t going to be remarkably different than the previous week. This should be a duty of care every center should provide for every single person that walks through the doors. They generally don’t care what pattern they bowl on, whether it is high scoring or not, as long as they don’t face such dry conditions which results in them having to physically muscle the ball, then, for the most part, people are happy. Bowlers want to bowl, they don’t want to chuck the ball, people still have to get up and go to work the next morning and the last thing they want to carry is soreness and injury from the previous nights bowling.
You will always get the same people complaining about conditions and everybody likes to bowl high games, but bowlers do not even stand a chance with some of the terrible conditions they are forced to bowl on. They pay good money, sometimes in excess of $25 per league to bowl, they arent stupid, they know when conditions really are terrible, all they want is a fair condition to bowl on. This is an area lacking in quite a few centers, you cant help but wonder if this is due to a lack of industry guidelines, training and ability or just a lack of motiviation.
Center Conditions - This really does tie in with management above. Poor conditions within a center reflect on the level of pride its workers show in their business. Dirty floors and walls (poor cleaning in general), damage to equipment and seating, original paint from 1962, poor lighting, bad parking, terrible carpeting and other relevant floor coverings, it all adds up. The average bowler doesn’t want to be revolted when they walk into a center, a little time spent on repairs and renovation's (it is amazing what a simple coat of paint will do) works wonders.
Service - Ohh god, counter people, there is nothing worse than someone holding a customer service position without skills in customer service. In a real world, bowlers like bowlers on the counter because they feel like they are "one of them", but for the most part; all they want is somebody there to serve them! Seriously, when did it become so hard to get a little service from a customer service officer?!@
Lazy people (you know the types, just cant be bothered with anything), impolite and rude people, and the worst of the lot, people who aren’t capable of doing their job, there is nothing worse than someone on the counter who doesn’t know what they are doing. Case in point, you ask someone about a league or you want to organise a sub (some centers do it all themselves instead of using the league secretary), they stare blankly at you for a moment, ruffle through the cupboards, then have to ring someone or find another staff member. Another thing is the fabled double booking, ever been bowling league and have the counter staff place social bowlers next to you? or heavens forbid, between pairs of bowling teams?!
Things like that are terrible, it really irks customers and it certainly annoys bowlers, if you don’t know what you are doing, if you don’t know the operation of your center you should not be in a customer service position.
Incentive - Too many centers don’t show any incentive for bowlers (both social and leagues alike) at all, this can include things like lineage discounts for bowlers who want to come in for practice games, possible pro shop discounts (especially in the case of regular purchasers of equipment), even semi regular tournaments (things like no taps and skins are great). Your prices tie into this, if prices are high and bowlers feel as though they don’t get anything out of your center, they leave or quit, it is as simple as that.
Maintenance - Lanes and equipment especially, you know what annoys bowlers the most here? dirty equipment. Turn up to bowling, first thing you notice is the players area, is it clean and tidy? next thing you notice is the approach, has it got all manner of things stuck on it? (children and food is a good example) hair/fluff? dust? dirt? not only is this unsightly to bowlers but it is also dangerous. How about ball returns and equipment, what about lanes? bother to drag them to remove dust and debrany regular maintenance happening there? The difference between centers who have active cleaning campaigns and those who don’t is very stark in contrast, one bowler will go home annoyed with dirty hands, clothing and gear, the other is largely dirt free. The average bowler finds this incredibly annoying, it shows laziness on the part of the service area and it just should not be happening.
Break downs are another part of what annoys bowlers, we all acknowledge that it is going to happen some time and we can’t expect continuous operation, but continual, repeated delays are terrible for bowler confidence. I know from previous experience that some managers will hit the roof when requesting something as trivial as assorted parts to maintain your replacement levels. You spend ages trying to build up a supply of replacement parts ready to go be swapped out in case of break down, continually reusing and repairing existing components past the point of any really reliable operation, ive even seen quite a few examples where existing systems were modified in order to make do with what was available, this sort of neglect just shouldn’t happen, the amount of butchery that goes on in the backend is just sheer amazing. It ties in with management above, some managers and owners totally neglect the service areas and it shows. Let’s face it, without operating equipment you have no service to offer customers and without a service you have no business.
Marketing - Aside from AMF and a few gold pin centers it is very rare to hear anything bowling advertising on any form of media, im not just talking about television and radio, but even the press (with the huge numbers of publications country wide). Without advertising you are only relying on word of mouth to further populate your center, more steps need to be taken to make the public (and league bowlers) aware of what you are offering and what is coming up. In order to increase participation people need to be kept informed, it really is a lax area in our industry and some vocal people have been calling for improvements for quite awhile.
The above is not structured with any order to it, it is just points written as they came to mind (so don’t go thinking that one is more important than the other). What is alarming is that the above exists within the center, it has nothing to do with the operational side of things our governing bodies have control of, it starts right at home.
Too long have people been shifting the blame, development and improvements in bowler numbers will only happen if changes exist at a root level. This is where the core of our bowling community exists, not in the upper percentile with national tournament scenes and everything that goes with it, but right here in centers and local associations. The average bowler has very little to do with any governing body, they pay their fees, they bowl their games and they go home. The only time they even hear the words TBA is when they venture out beyond their center and participate in regional tournaments. How anyone can come to the conclusion that bowling is in trouble because of something that effects a minority is beyond me. This is where the focus should be made, this is where improvements have to begin, this is what is going to setup the future of any development in our sport. We need an industry standard code of practice and we need it now. It is about time somebody listens to the outspoken few working within the industry who have been calling for changes for a very long time. These are the people who deal with the operation of our sport daily, many have been through every phase bowling has progressed through, these are the people who have first hand experience and these are the people we should be paying more attention to.
For too long people have been saying that the future of our sport exists at the grass roots level, its about time people start acting like it instead of using the statement as a promotional tool in an effort to delude people into thinking they know what they are talking about.
Stand up and take some responsibility, you might not like the above, and it certainly doesnt apply to every center or staff member throughout the country, but it begins and ends with you.
