First Time Bowler?

Courtesy is the basis of bowling etiquette! If another bowler is on the approach with ball in hand, people on either side of the lane should not step on the approach until that bowler has completed his roll. Attempting to talk to that person would be considered heckling!

Bowling shoes improve your game by having soles specially designed to give you more sliding action. Bowling in socks, barefooted, or in street shoes can be extremely dangerous!

Bowling balls are available in weights ranging from 6 to 16 pounds. They are drilled to fit the average hand. You select the ball weight by figuring 10% of the bowler’s body weight as a rule of thumb.

For Example: a 6# ball would be for a small child, therefore the finger holes would be small. A 16# ball would be drilled to fit a large man.

Lakewood Lanes house balls are free for you to use anytime you play with us. They come in a variety of weights and colors. If you need help determining which one is right for you, just ask us!

The rules of bowling are easy to learn! 
There are 10 pins standing at the end of a 60-foot lane. 
Roll a ball at the pins, with the objective of knocking down as many pins as possible.

Example Situation

Ten (10) pins are standing across from you at the other end of a 60-foot lane. Your mission: Roll your ball at the pins, knocking down as many as possible.

In bowling, your complete turn is called a “FRAME” and you have 10 FRAMES in every game. In every FRAME, you have up to two “ROLLS” to knock down as many pins as possible.

Bowling is scored cumulatively. The more pins you knock down, the more your score improves.

For Example:
First frame: 8 new points
Second frame: 8 existing points + 9 new points = 17 total points
Third frame: 17 existing points + 6 new points = 23 total points

Knock them all down in one try, it’s a STRIKE.
- A strike scores 10 points, PLUS you get a bonus, which is equal to the amount of pins you knock down on the next TWO balls.

Didn’t make a STRIKE? Knock the remaining pins down with your second ball, and you’ll have a SPARE.
- A spare nets you 10 points, PLUS you get a bonus, which is equal to the amount of pins you knock down with the NEXT ball.

Pins still standing after 2 rolls? It’s an OPEN frame.
- It scores as adding the pin count for your two balls to your accumulated score.

If you cross the foul line when you roll your ball, your score won’t count. It’s a FOUL.
- If a foul occurs on your 1st ball, the pinsetter will automatically re-rack the pins and you will move on to your 2nd ball – you get ONE last shot.
- If the foul occurs on your 2nd ball, the pinsetter will sweep away the pins, the scorer will register zero (or F) and that frame will be finished.

At Lakewood Lanes, you don’t have to worry about keeping score. You keep having fun, and our automated animated scoring machines will do all the work for you! You can even pick up a copy of your score sheet on your way out.