A Bowling Lane: Analyzed and Explained

When you first step into a bowling alley, you will see many lanes, divided into what they call pairs. A pair is two lanes that are next to each other, which share the ever so important ball return. Depending on the bowling alley you go to, each lane can have its own monitor to display scores, a device used to enter things such as names or score changes, or in most cases, both. To the naked eye, each bowling lane will look virtually identical, but in reality, they are all different. Each lane possesses its own set of unique characteristics, and there are many factors which determine what those characteristics are. Before getting too in depth, let's first discuss the things that are found on every bowling lane in every bowling alley.

First off is the approach. The approach is the area located before the foul line, and to the left or right of the ball return, depending on which side you are looking at. It is the place where you stand and gather yourself before actually delivering the ball down the lane. The approach is generally made out of the same material as the lane itself, either wood or a synthetic material, but it has special marks on it, intended to be used as a guide for bowlers to align themselves in the same location every time. I will explain to examples based upon what the markings on an approach can look like, since different bowling alleys may have different markings (ex. Brunswick bowling alleys may differ from AMF centers).

In Example 1, there are two distinct sets of markings on the approach, one of which is closer to the foul line, and another which is about a foot behind it. This gives the bowler more options when it comes to aligning themselves with the pins. The second approach only has one set of markings, which presents more of a challenge to bowlers. For example, if you are used to setting up with your left foot on the center dot in the second row of markings (Example 1), you will find that that spot is non-existent on Example 2. This means that you would have to eyeball, or just go by feel on where you think you should stand, and then move according to how your ball is reacting down the lane. After a short period of time, you will begin to develop a pattern as to where you set up, and you will notice that the markings will not become as important as they previously were.

Now in between each pair of lanes is something called the ball return. It is pretty self-explanatory as to what it does; i.e. it returns your ball to you after you throw it. The ball return consists of a rack in which you place your ball on, as well as a case that houses a spinning wheel or belt. After you throw your ball down the lane, it gets transferred to a long duct, located in between each pair of lanes, where it rolls until it catches the wheel or belt located in the casing. This in turn, spits your ball back through the opening and onto the rack, where it awaits your next roll.

Next is the lane itself. The lane is the 60 ft. stretch of wood/synthetic wood, in which you roll your ball down. Bowling alleys that are slightly on the older side might still have wooden lanes, whereas ones that are more current or newly renovated will most likely have synthetics. The difference between the two is that wooden surfaces are more susceptible to damage from constant use, and they also tend to have more friction than synthetic lanes. If you go into a bowling alley that has had wooden lanes for a long period of time, you might even be able to see the line that most people play almost inscribed onto the lane, since constantly throwing the ball over the same part of the lane will cause it to wear down. Similar to the approach, the lane has a set of built-in markers as well, which serve as targets for you to aim your ball at as you release it. The markers are in the same spots as those on the approach, but they are marked by arrows, rather than dots.

As you become more advanced in the sport, you can use an even more advanced system of "markers" on the lane, which aren't as clearly layed out as the arrows are. If you have ever noticed before, bowling lanes are made up of thin, individual strips of material, which when adjoined, make up the specific width that a lane should be. These are known as "boards", and there are 39 of them in total between the two gutters lining each side of the lane. Every arrow signifies 5 boards, so the first arrow from the right in the picture about is the 5^th board, the second is the 10^th, and so on. Rather than aiming to throw your ball over say the 2^nd arrow, you can aim for the 8^th board, which is just slightly right of that. This gives the bowler more options in terms of focusing on an area to get their ball to, in order to get the ball reaction you are looking for.

Now if we move down the lane, there are the big white things you are trying to knock down, called the pins. The pins are located on the part of the lane called the deck, which is the very last few feet of lane left before it ends. There are ten of them in all, and contrary to popular belief, they are actually made of wood, and then covered to give them they're patented white appearance. Each pin has a specific number, based on where they are placed on the lane.

The 1 pin, most commonly referred to the head pin, is the pin that is front and center if you are looking at the pins from the foul line. Next are the 2 and 3 pins, which when combined with the head pin, form the pocket. For a right hander, the pocket is the combination of the 1 and 3 pins, and for a left hander, it is the 1 and 2 pins. Hitting the pocket is the most effective way of getting a strike, since the ball will drive through the pins, causing them all to fall down. Other notable pins include the 7 and 10 pins, which are referred to as being the corner pins. Even though you may hit the pocket, the corner pins are the most common pins that are going to be left standing if your ball doesn't strike. For a right hander, the 10 pin will most likely remain standing, despite a pocket hit, and for a left hander, it is the 7 pin. Finally, the 8 and 9 pins are the hardest pins to leave on a solid pocket hit, since as the ball drives through the pins, it will likely hit either of these two pins on its way. Occasionally, the ball will actually scoot by the 8 or 9 pin, resulting in a "pocket 8" or a "pocket 9" leave, which is just simply a bad break.

Beyond the pins is what is called the pit, or the space that the pins actually go into after your ball hits them. You may here some people refer to throwing a strike as "knocking all 10 into the pit", which essentially means that their ball knocked every pin down and back into the pit. Despite being designed to catch the pins after they are knocked down, it is very common for your ball to hit a pin just the right way in order to make it hit the pit and bounce back onto the deck. If you have ever seen someone convert a 7-10 split, it most likely occurred by the bowler hitting either the 7 or 10 pin, causing it to bounced out of the pit, go across the deck, and take out the remaining pin. Although extremely hard to do and is almost just plain luck, it is always a good idea to make sure to hit at least one pin when converting a split, since you never know what can happen when the pin hits the pit.

The final thing found on every bowling lane is oil, or the slippery stuff found on every lane. Oil is very important in the sport of bowling, especially if you hook the ball, because if it wasn't there, bowling balls would never make it down to the pins, and they would hook so much and so early. The oil's purpose is to allow your bowling ball to virtually slide most of the way down the lane, allowing your bowling ball to take over from their and hook. The amount of oil put down from bowling alley to bowling alley will differ, meaning that some might put out a much heavier volume of oil than others. Oil can be classified as being light, medium, or heavy, with light oil meaning that balls will tend to hook more due to more friction. Heavy oil means that your bowling ball will tend to slide more and hook less, since it will be harder for it to hook through the oil unless it is very aggressive. Oil is the main factor in determining how a bowling ball is going to react as it goes down the lane.