The Parts of a Bowling Alley

Although they may sound similar, a bowling lane and a bowling alley are different things. A bowling alley, consisting of several parts, is the space used for bowling. One of those parts, and probably the most important, is the bowling lane.

A bowling lane is the long plane where a bowling ball rolls towards the pins. Usually, the lane consists of long wooden boards. These boards are joined together to form a lane 75 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. The wooden plane is very smooth. Bowling lane constructors smooth each wooden board before and after they connect them together. Afterwards, they put smoothing chemicals on the surface of the lane, and also use polishing techniques. The lane also has measurements on its surface, indicated with paint.

On each side of the lane, the gutters are placed. The gutters are composed of rubber or plastic and are 60 feet long. The length starts from the foul line and extends well to the pins. When a player's ball rolls over to the gutter, a player incurs a miss. Just beyond the gutters' sides, the borders separate one bowling lane from another.

At the end of the lane, facing the player is the bowling wall. The bowling wall is where the logo of the bowling center and other advertisements are placed. Just behind this wall is the bowling machine, one of the most important parts of a bowling alley.

Just beyond the bowling wall, hidden from the players, the bowling machine is located. Bowling machines place and rearrange the pins, ready for the next round. The bowling machine also retrieves the balls used by the players and then returns them back to them via a tunnel that is located just beside the alley. At the end of the tunnel, the ball-sorting mechanism is placed which handles the task of sorting the balls in the correct order. There may also be a hand dryer/blower in the bowling ball sorter.

Finally, the scores are placed on monitors located above the lanes so the players can see them clearly. The scores are updated automatically via a computer, which calculates the scores based on the number of pins hit and still standing.

Every bowler, even those who are starting, should know the basic parts of a bowling alley. It will help them understand their chosen game better, and maybe, even help them progress in it.

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