Rob Buckley, I don't think I'm being too harsh on AMF, I have worked for AMF most of my life, so I have seen the way the company has developed over the 35 years I have been involved in bowling.
I started in the 60's when linage was much the same as it is now, than things started to happen, bowling steadily grew for 10 years, slowed a little than grew for another 10 years, in the early 90's AMF was sitting on a Gold Mine, they had a lot of busy centres. Now were getting into the late 90's, 1998 the open play game had just hit $6 in peak time, at this time I left AMF for a job in Queensland, I come back 18 months later, the open play price is $8.40 wow!, later on just before the GST hits AMF increases prices twice in 6 months, now were up to $9.95 a game, the staff were getting embarassed charging these prices( my wife worked on the counter), Just imagine a couple walk in with thier 3 kids, can we have 2 games thanks( now a lot of centres did not have childrens rates after 6 o/clock),that will be $80 dollars thanks, OH! we'll just have 1 game thanks or they just walk out. This is a true story, I seen it happen time and time again, I doubt that the head honcho's at AMF heard what was going on, how many people walked out, I'm afraid they have'nt come back.
Now because of insider information I had from someone that worked at Head Office, I can tell you that it was a directive from AMF in the USA that the South Pacific Classic had to pay for itself, Roy Menachamsen was CEO at the time, this is when the tournament started to fall apart at the seams. Here was a tournament with a lot of tradition, that was like a Grand Prix event every second weekend in Sydney, how many games did it generate over the years, and some Bean Counter say's it costs too much, I know who's paying for it now, I'm sure AMF could'nt calculate the revenue that has been lost to such a stupid decision.
Now were in 2004, $ 10.25 a game, just imagine again, Mayfield Bowl, quaint 40 year old ball returns(held together with plastic ties) over lane returns, lanes that have'nt been re-surfaced for nearly 7 years, the last coating put on the lanes is peeling on every lane, the lanes don't glow in the dark anymore, the cosmic lighting consisted of 10 coloured spot lights a mirror ball and bumper lights, second hand scoring system, rental shoes at least 4 years old ( they would'nt give us new one's), hardly any 10lb house balls left all broken, compare that to Dee Why, AMF newest centre, $10.75 a game, the latest scoring system, synthetic lanes, new house balls, new house shoes, state of the art design, cosmic bowling with wow factor.
You think I'm being harsh, I'm pissed off, They stuffed it up.
willey.
I started in the 60's when linage was much the same as it is now, than things started to happen, bowling steadily grew for 10 years, slowed a little than grew for another 10 years, in the early 90's AMF was sitting on a Gold Mine, they had a lot of busy centres. Now were getting into the late 90's, 1998 the open play game had just hit $6 in peak time, at this time I left AMF for a job in Queensland, I come back 18 months later, the open play price is $8.40 wow!, later on just before the GST hits AMF increases prices twice in 6 months, now were up to $9.95 a game, the staff were getting embarassed charging these prices( my wife worked on the counter), Just imagine a couple walk in with thier 3 kids, can we have 2 games thanks( now a lot of centres did not have childrens rates after 6 o/clock),that will be $80 dollars thanks, OH! we'll just have 1 game thanks or they just walk out. This is a true story, I seen it happen time and time again, I doubt that the head honcho's at AMF heard what was going on, how many people walked out, I'm afraid they have'nt come back.
Now because of insider information I had from someone that worked at Head Office, I can tell you that it was a directive from AMF in the USA that the South Pacific Classic had to pay for itself, Roy Menachamsen was CEO at the time, this is when the tournament started to fall apart at the seams. Here was a tournament with a lot of tradition, that was like a Grand Prix event every second weekend in Sydney, how many games did it generate over the years, and some Bean Counter say's it costs too much, I know who's paying for it now, I'm sure AMF could'nt calculate the revenue that has been lost to such a stupid decision.
Now were in 2004, $ 10.25 a game, just imagine again, Mayfield Bowl, quaint 40 year old ball returns(held together with plastic ties) over lane returns, lanes that have'nt been re-surfaced for nearly 7 years, the last coating put on the lanes is peeling on every lane, the lanes don't glow in the dark anymore, the cosmic lighting consisted of 10 coloured spot lights a mirror ball and bumper lights, second hand scoring system, rental shoes at least 4 years old ( they would'nt give us new one's), hardly any 10lb house balls left all broken, compare that to Dee Why, AMF newest centre, $10.75 a game, the latest scoring system, synthetic lanes, new house balls, new house shoes, state of the art design, cosmic bowling with wow factor.
You think I'm being harsh, I'm pissed off, They stuffed it up.
willey.
