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The Parts of a Bowling Alley

Any decent player of bowling knows the difference between a bowling alley and a bowling lane. After all, even if they sound similar, they are as different as night and day. The bowling alley is composed of several parts, one of which 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.

At each side of the lane is a gutter. When a player rolls his or her bowling ball into a gutter, the shot is considered a miss. The gutters are 60 feet long, which extends from the foul line to the pins. They are usually made of rubber or plastic. At the outermost sides of a bowling alley (outside the gutters) are two plastic borders, which separate one bowling lane from the other.

The bowling wall is the wall at the end of the lane, facing the players. It is usually decorated with the name and logo of the bowling center. The bowling machine is located on the other side of this wall.

Bowling machine manufacturers supply bowling centers with these machines. Their function is to place and rearrange the pins, and retrieve and return the bowling ball. The most common bowling game, the ten-pin, uses ten pins. The bowling machine works automatically, but is monitored by bowling center personnel.

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.

By: Dark Sith

Want to learn more about bowling alley equipment... visit our online guide.

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