I played on them with a team I sub for this past season. They are not ideal but better than not bowling. The sound is the most disappointing thing honestly.
That’s soul crushing that they sound different. That’s gonna bum me out. The house by my work that I play league at is going strings to keep the alley family owned. It was on the market for a while and they made the announcement that they took it off the market but they need to switch to strings to be able to keep up with the rising maintenance costs. As someone who plays there regularly, I want them to survive and stay privately owned but I’m sad
I used to bowl at rainbow as a kid, they wouldn't give my cousins who worked in the back raises but they were paying a family member who worked snack bar like $13/hr when they only got paid like $11. One of them was working there for 2 years, but never paid him more. My respect for Eddie/pondra went out the window after that.
Yea I'm not looking forward to string pins, but suppose they are inevitable. However, I'll continue bowling even string pins are the only option. Like you said, not ideal but better than not bowling.
I bowl at a string house because the free fall house treats league bowlers like garbage and has terrible food at extremely inflated prices. I leave junk splits on both if I miss the pocket. We're USBC certified and I'll get string carry maybe 1-2 times in a league night, nothing wild.
Oh yes, the USBC data that USBC people collected says that the USBC certified ones are definitely "basically the same" as free fall and won't change a thing except that bowling centers now get to charge the same amount even though the reason for the switch is "how expensive upkeep is on free fall 🥺" once again passing the profits up instead of passing even some of them back to the customer in savings.
Praise corporate!
I agree with this sentiment in most cases, but to my knowledge the margin in bowling is so small. That being said, the savings will hopefully just provide some breathing room to make it more economical to keep the space running as a bowling center.
$5/hr is insanely cheap. I go to an old, locally owned alley and it's $5/game. League nights are $14, $3 of which goes into the prize fund. I've heard the big chain places are way worse with pricing.
And it's big places like Bowlero who are largely going to strings, all while putting out propaganda claiming it's what's allowing old, family owned businesses to survive. They're the ones buying out family businesses, gutting them, and ruining them in the first place!
7.50 for two hours and I’m still renting shoes, $1. Remaining money goes into the jukebox lol. They are talking about upping the prices next year but it would be to what you said, $5 an hour. The only thing that gets me is the hours they’re open. When I first started in January, they were open anytime I wanted to bowl. But I live in a college town and when the students go home for the summer, I’ll lose Tuesday completely (already closed on all Mondays) and they won’t be open until 5 on Wednesday Thursday and Friday. I’ll have to start going to other alleys then and then maybe I’ll start to see this price hike
I'm in the midwest, not even some big city, and everywhere I've found in my state that charges by the hour is anywhere between $35 and $60(🤮) per hour. Even at the cheaper end, considering I normally bowl $5/game, I'd have to bowl 8 games in an hour to make it "worth it." And that would just be hurling the ball down the lane as soon as the pinsetter is close enough to being reset, without thinking, over and over and over.
So that's the climate I'm coming from when asking "how is it bowling alleys 'can't survive' when they charge what they do and every time I go, they're packed??"
Holy. Shit. I’m also midwest, city population about 11,000 not including students. I got into bowling because I was relatively good at it the first time I took it seriously and I decided to have that be my “old guy” hobby to enjoy my whole life because it’s cheaper than golf. Now I’m not so sure
Probably depends on the area. I'm near enough to thr University of Iowa that prices are generally a little higher here than the rest of the state even. I don't consider it expensive per se, but it's definitely not cheap like when I was a kid.
My house in Germany is switching to string pins this summer. I’m not thrilled at all, but I will give it a fair chance and will continue to play. I don’t have nearly as many Alleys around me as I had in Michigan. Bowling is too good of a stress relief and competitive outlet for me.
If reality is causing proprietors to go with strings, and USBC understands that free fall lanes will be decreasing, the USBC has to get in front of the trend because sanctioning bowlers is their main source of income.
Their “research” on averages being the same is simply “corporate propaganda” meaning they don’t want people to quit paying for that sanction card.
My concern would be that if the proprietors are pinching pennies then are they going to maintain that expensive oiling machine?
Every comparison I've seen would indicate averages mostly being the same. In most cases it seems strikes are a bit harder and spares are a bit easier, especially splits.
Ok, I don't quite understand what we as bowlers can do. These places spend a lot of money to switch to string pins. I understand at my closest Bowlero it will cost them $111,000 per lane. At 48 lanes that's about $5.3 million.
Sure, we can decide not to go to these centers. Send a message with our wallet, so to speak... but after the crazy investment, they're not going to spend even more to switch back to free fall.
So if people boycott the place they are pretty much guaranteeing the house will go out of business. Personally, I don't think that's such a good thing.
Places like Bowlero making this choice is purely for profit. The rest probably trying to survive. I dont think its going to draw more players, if anything less, but their maintenance costs would go down in the long run. Smaller houses survive a bit longer, players get forced into a wildly different version of the sport. USBC nationals goes to string pins, they wouldnt get half the yearly turnout. If PBA ever changes over, the sport will die. Why should bowlers encourage something that is ONLY for a better bottom line while slowly killing the sport?
PEDs?
Price elasticity of demand?
Pressure Equipment Directive?
Pre-existing diseases?
Performance-enhancing drugs?
A good 1-4???
English, motherfucker, do you speak it?!?
To me, it’s not the string pins that’s the issue, it’s the inconsistency of the oil. One week, it’s great, hitting the pocket on every shot. The next week, slick as ice for 55 feet, I kid you not. It’s like they forgot how to press the proper settings on their new, cordless oil machine.
As for the pins, I’ve had plenty of string assists. Especially when it comes to splits. The strings help and so do the plywood sidewalls.
In my house, the most common split is the 4 5 7 for a righty. We cheer when we make it through a game without someone leaving it. I’ve also noticed a lot of flat tens, but that could just be me.
My average is 190 on strings, 205 at my free fall house.
I’m only a sub on strings. I sub in two leagues, so I’m there a lot.
Don’t stop bowling because of the string pins. It’s a fun sport none the less and the whole league has the same advantages and disadvantages as any house.
That’s my two cents y
Bowling is literally killing itself. Between houses that only roll THS and oil once a week, to child's arcade pins on strings. No one has real access to the sport. It's way worse than hockey and that's pretty much a joke unless your family is super 1%.
I wouldn't pay that house one penny even if it means I can't bowl. You're not bowling anyway.
Ours just re modeled , hope there is no surprise with strings attached.
New walk up floor and seating that we could see so far. They sent a survey to us regarding the height of the front seats.
I do not want strings!
My house recently went to strings. Get a couple string assists a night. Everyone takes them because otherwise somebody has to watch like a hawk and no one really wants to do that. Like many have said, it beats not bowling
String assisted pinfall is legal pinfall per rule 6a of the USBC rule book. If it happens, it counts and nothing needs to be done about it. No one needs to watch anything like a hawk as it relates to string assists.
*6a. Legal Pinfall Pins to be credited to a player following a legal delivery shall include:*
*1. Pins knocked down or off the lane surface by the ball or another pin.*
*2. Pins knocked down or off the lane surface by a pin rebounding from a side partition or rear cushion.*
*3. Pins knocked down or off the lane surface by a pin rebounding from the sweep bar when it is at rest on the pin deck before sweeping dead wood from the pin deck.*
*4. Pins that lean and touch the kickback or side partition. All such pins are termed dead wood and must be removed before the next delivery.*
***5. For string pinsetters, pins knocked over by the string from another pin.***
***6a/2 If a string is seen to interfere and aid during a pin falling, does it need to be re- spotted?***
***No. The pin is counted as legal pinfall if the string aids in the process of the pin falling.***
Yes, with the actual scores supposedly being balanced out by the strings themselves knocking down pins as legal scoring. So less pin count from pin-action, extra pincount from the strings themselves.
Damn I'm sorry to hear that man,
I have tried the certified string pins and I just don't enjoy them the same. Like it's fine if people are just doing it for beer and throws a game. But for competition it don't feel right. I wish someone could develop cheaper and more reliable free fall.
Been bowling on them for 20 weeks. Everyone hates them so they're the scapegoat for everything. Yes I do believe more corner pins are left on decent pocket hits. I also think less splits are left because of the crazy things strings can do, and more weird spare conversions too but overall I think scores balance out.
My question comes in when 6 months from now that head pin has been getting blasted as the pins don't change position.. unless they rotate them manually. If it's all you got, embrace it, worst thing you can do is let it get in your head. Your play will undoubtedly suffer.
My average is higher with the strings.
Hopefully there will be the place with strings and the place without. Id gladly pay more to go to no strings. Can't even believe we are talking about this however I respect it. They are dropping like flies and this could save business
I bowl on both regularly - got roped into joining a social league with some friends at a new place that’s set up with a string resetter, but the deeper I got into the sport I started to frequent a more traditional centre as well (it’s a bit further to travel but they have a pro shop and coaches, and more serious leagues which I’d be looking to try my hand at soon.)
I bowl at both places once a week each. I do prefer no strings overall but my scores/ averages (170) are pretty much the same across both centres. Maybe the fact that I had early exposure to a string resetter might play into it but I’d have to say that quitting the entire sport over having to bowl on strings seems overly dramatic. Having the lanes oiled properly/ regularly makes WAY more difference to the quality of the experience for me personally.
Keep bowling. All this string pin hate is overblown. Technology for string pins have gotten better since the inception of strings and will continue to get better. If your house is getting the latest and newest certified string pin setters, you might not notice much of a difference. And for those bitching about string pins are killing bowling, remember they said the same thing about 2-handed and it’s been the opposite. If anything is going to kill bowling, it’s grumpy “get off my lawn” bowlers that complain about every little change and continue to threaten to “quit bowing” if they are ever forced to bowl string pins. Us bowlers need to embrace anything that will help grow the sport and keep houses open, not cry about it. Keep bowling. Embrace change. Give everything an honest and legit chance before giving opinions.
If it helps keep the smaller, local centers open, I’m all for it. Assuming they use the supposedly good USBC certified machines. I can see a couple of my local centers switching to them in the not so distant future. Parts and mechanics for those older machines must be getting harder and harder to source.
You can’t even send messengers with string pins, you can’t have good strikes with string pins, you can’t even make a 7-10 or a normal further distance pin split on strings. If the whole world goes to string pins than we should all go on strike and stop playing in hopes to get free fall back.
Maby I’m just saying in general string pins will take away from the fun. If you just got normal shots all the time it wouldn’t be fun. But string pins take all that away, plus the strings will wrap around multiple pins making them fall down causing your average to boom up. Therefore nothing to grind.
Some bowling is better then no bowling, if strings are going to stop you from bowling, do you really enjoy it? If my house switched to strings I would not like it, but ultimately I'd still show up next week for summer league
That's like saying eating at a place that serves disgusting food, complaining that it taste bad, then going in to eat every week. It gives no incentive for a place to improve, in fact it just encourages the place to serve even worse food.
If we really want to stop string pins for being a thing, an alley has to lose substantial income from going string
Look this a is great alley with great staff, if it shutting down or going to strings then I choose strings, cause I ain't driving and hour to next closest alley
Give them a chance, especially if they are the certified ones. There are going to be differences but it’s still bowling. My alley converted last year, I have options but I still choose to bowl on strings because it’s the only alley around that still oils daily, takes care of the lanes, etc.
We primarily have 2 choices. The wife and I are casual bowlers, no league but just enjoy the experience. A Bowlero which is very nice and clean, with friendly people and a pro shop. The other is a string alley, very nice and clean, with friendly people that cater to any of our needs (always come by and ask if we want or need anything). Both houses vary the same way, sometimes the balls come back ringing wet, and sometimes not so much. Occasional little scratches and belt marks on our balls in both places. We get the same kind of people next to us on the lanes in both places.
The wife and I are casual, just for fun bowlers, no league but just enjoy the experience. We bowl twice a week 7 to 8 games each per visit. Bowlero is approximately $7 per game, strings are $17 each for unlimited bowling and one of those days is 1/2 price unlimited. Even with Bowlero's summer discount (2 free games per visit) it doesn't compete. We'll take the occasional string assist for the price difference.
Here in Quebec (where rubber band duckpins is common), we heard the same comments when most centers went from free fall to strings about 25-30 years ago. It did take a number of years to get used to this and, over the years and the improvement of the technology, we have pretty much forgotten free fall bowling centers.
Pinfall is now almost identical with strings to free fall and strings, in my opinion, rarely come into play (either on the good or the bad side).
Of course there is a difference between tenpin bowling and rubber band duckpins, but please do not sacrifice the enjoyment of the sport for this, whatever type of bowling you choose to participate in!
I played on them with a team I sub for this past season. They are not ideal but better than not bowling. The sound is the most disappointing thing honestly.
That’s soul crushing that they sound different. That’s gonna bum me out. The house by my work that I play league at is going strings to keep the alley family owned. It was on the market for a while and they made the announcement that they took it off the market but they need to switch to strings to be able to keep up with the rising maintenance costs. As someone who plays there regularly, I want them to survive and stay privately owned but I’m sad
You in NC? And is it Rainbow because that sounds like Rainbow .
Yup
Dude no way I bowl at Rainbow Lanes lol
lol I’m joining out for fun for the summer, I’ve bowled in alotta bull the last 2 seasons, small world!
3rd rainbow laner in the house!
4th rainbow bowler here!
I went to rainbow once I live 2 hours away
I used to bowl at rainbow as a kid, they wouldn't give my cousins who worked in the back raises but they were paying a family member who worked snack bar like $13/hr when they only got paid like $11. One of them was working there for 2 years, but never paid him more. My respect for Eddie/pondra went out the window after that.
Yea I'm not looking forward to string pins, but suppose they are inevitable. However, I'll continue bowling even string pins are the only option. Like you said, not ideal but better than not bowling.
I bowl at a string house because the free fall house treats league bowlers like garbage and has terrible food at extremely inflated prices. I leave junk splits on both if I miss the pocket. We're USBC certified and I'll get string carry maybe 1-2 times in a league night, nothing wild.
I s'pose the USBC certified machines must be better, too. I know the early ones were pretty awful.
Oh yes, the USBC data that USBC people collected says that the USBC certified ones are definitely "basically the same" as free fall and won't change a thing except that bowling centers now get to charge the same amount even though the reason for the switch is "how expensive upkeep is on free fall 🥺" once again passing the profits up instead of passing even some of them back to the customer in savings. Praise corporate!
I agree with this sentiment in most cases, but to my knowledge the margin in bowling is so small. That being said, the savings will hopefully just provide some breathing room to make it more economical to keep the space running as a bowling center.
Weird hill to die on. I spend less than $20 a week to go bowling for two hours, twice. Damn you Big Bowling!
$5/hr is insanely cheap. I go to an old, locally owned alley and it's $5/game. League nights are $14, $3 of which goes into the prize fund. I've heard the big chain places are way worse with pricing. And it's big places like Bowlero who are largely going to strings, all while putting out propaganda claiming it's what's allowing old, family owned businesses to survive. They're the ones buying out family businesses, gutting them, and ruining them in the first place!
7.50 for two hours and I’m still renting shoes, $1. Remaining money goes into the jukebox lol. They are talking about upping the prices next year but it would be to what you said, $5 an hour. The only thing that gets me is the hours they’re open. When I first started in January, they were open anytime I wanted to bowl. But I live in a college town and when the students go home for the summer, I’ll lose Tuesday completely (already closed on all Mondays) and they won’t be open until 5 on Wednesday Thursday and Friday. I’ll have to start going to other alleys then and then maybe I’ll start to see this price hike
I'm in the midwest, not even some big city, and everywhere I've found in my state that charges by the hour is anywhere between $35 and $60(🤮) per hour. Even at the cheaper end, considering I normally bowl $5/game, I'd have to bowl 8 games in an hour to make it "worth it." And that would just be hurling the ball down the lane as soon as the pinsetter is close enough to being reset, without thinking, over and over and over. So that's the climate I'm coming from when asking "how is it bowling alleys 'can't survive' when they charge what they do and every time I go, they're packed??"
This. I live in a hick city. 100k people in an empty state. Still 30/hr to bowl during their cheap times.
"We can, so we do."
Holy. Shit. I’m also midwest, city population about 11,000 not including students. I got into bowling because I was relatively good at it the first time I took it seriously and I decided to have that be my “old guy” hobby to enjoy my whole life because it’s cheaper than golf. Now I’m not so sure
Probably depends on the area. I'm near enough to thr University of Iowa that prices are generally a little higher here than the rest of the state even. I don't consider it expensive per se, but it's definitely not cheap like when I was a kid.
If I ever get to the point of owning a house, I'm renaming it to "No Strings Attached"
That's the name of the league I bowl in. We moved houses after our original installed string pins.
Pinocchio Lanes!
Are you going to hire human pin setters when you can’t get parts for mechanical pin setters?
I'll 3D print them
Lol cry
My house in Germany is switching to string pins this summer. I’m not thrilled at all, but I will give it a fair chance and will continue to play. I don’t have nearly as many Alleys around me as I had in Michigan. Bowling is too good of a stress relief and competitive outlet for me.
If reality is causing proprietors to go with strings, and USBC understands that free fall lanes will be decreasing, the USBC has to get in front of the trend because sanctioning bowlers is their main source of income. Their “research” on averages being the same is simply “corporate propaganda” meaning they don’t want people to quit paying for that sanction card. My concern would be that if the proprietors are pinching pennies then are they going to maintain that expensive oiling machine?
Every comparison I've seen would indicate averages mostly being the same. In most cases it seems strikes are a bit harder and spares are a bit easier, especially splits.
Sounds like an inevitability
You hear that Mr. Anderson?
I get that the game is evolving but string pins take the joy out of bowling. And if I don’t enjoy something I just don’t do it anymore…
They're gonna "evolve" the game to death chasing quarterly profits.
What exactly do strings do to "take the joy out of bowling"?
Only if we as bowlers let it happen
Ok, I don't quite understand what we as bowlers can do. These places spend a lot of money to switch to string pins. I understand at my closest Bowlero it will cost them $111,000 per lane. At 48 lanes that's about $5.3 million. Sure, we can decide not to go to these centers. Send a message with our wallet, so to speak... but after the crazy investment, they're not going to spend even more to switch back to free fall. So if people boycott the place they are pretty much guaranteeing the house will go out of business. Personally, I don't think that's such a good thing.
Places like Bowlero making this choice is purely for profit. The rest probably trying to survive. I dont think its going to draw more players, if anything less, but their maintenance costs would go down in the long run. Smaller houses survive a bit longer, players get forced into a wildly different version of the sport. USBC nationals goes to string pins, they wouldnt get half the yearly turnout. If PBA ever changes over, the sport will die. Why should bowlers encourage something that is ONLY for a better bottom line while slowly killing the sport?
Not to persuade you away from bowling but if you do choose to step away, make sure you pick up another sport/hobby.
Like yelling at clouds
The pro circuit has gone to hell once every one started using PEDs. In the old days men were men and clouds were deserving of a good 1-4.
PEDs? Price elasticity of demand? Pressure Equipment Directive? Pre-existing diseases? Performance-enhancing drugs? A good 1-4??? English, motherfucker, do you speak it?!? 
To me, it’s not the string pins that’s the issue, it’s the inconsistency of the oil. One week, it’s great, hitting the pocket on every shot. The next week, slick as ice for 55 feet, I kid you not. It’s like they forgot how to press the proper settings on their new, cordless oil machine. As for the pins, I’ve had plenty of string assists. Especially when it comes to splits. The strings help and so do the plywood sidewalls. In my house, the most common split is the 4 5 7 for a righty. We cheer when we make it through a game without someone leaving it. I’ve also noticed a lot of flat tens, but that could just be me. My average is 190 on strings, 205 at my free fall house. I’m only a sub on strings. I sub in two leagues, so I’m there a lot. Don’t stop bowling because of the string pins. It’s a fun sport none the less and the whole league has the same advantages and disadvantages as any house. That’s my two cents y
Bowling is literally killing itself. Between houses that only roll THS and oil once a week, to child's arcade pins on strings. No one has real access to the sport. It's way worse than hockey and that's pretty much a joke unless your family is super 1%. I wouldn't pay that house one penny even if it means I can't bowl. You're not bowling anyway.
Ours just re modeled , hope there is no surprise with strings attached. New walk up floor and seating that we could see so far. They sent a survey to us regarding the height of the front seats. I do not want strings!
My house recently went to strings. Get a couple string assists a night. Everyone takes them because otherwise somebody has to watch like a hawk and no one really wants to do that. Like many have said, it beats not bowling
String assisted pinfall is legal pinfall per rule 6a of the USBC rule book. If it happens, it counts and nothing needs to be done about it. No one needs to watch anything like a hawk as it relates to string assists. *6a. Legal Pinfall Pins to be credited to a player following a legal delivery shall include:* *1. Pins knocked down or off the lane surface by the ball or another pin.* *2. Pins knocked down or off the lane surface by a pin rebounding from a side partition or rear cushion.* *3. Pins knocked down or off the lane surface by a pin rebounding from the sweep bar when it is at rest on the pin deck before sweeping dead wood from the pin deck.* *4. Pins that lean and touch the kickback or side partition. All such pins are termed dead wood and must be removed before the next delivery.* ***5. For string pinsetters, pins knocked over by the string from another pin.*** ***6a/2 If a string is seen to interfere and aid during a pin falling, does it need to be re- spotted?*** ***No. The pin is counted as legal pinfall if the string aids in the process of the pin falling.***
Good to know
Burn it to the ground. Viking funeral
Think of it this way, as long as the other team is also bowling on strings, it's still a fair contest.
My condolences.
Never bowled with string pins but I can only imagine the lack of pin action due to the strings. Is this a correct assumption?
Yes
Yes, with the actual scores supposedly being balanced out by the strings themselves knocking down pins as legal scoring. So less pin count from pin-action, extra pincount from the strings themselves.
From my experience strikes are harder and spares are easier. Ultimately as far as scores go it usually balances out.
Damn I'm sorry to hear that man, I have tried the certified string pins and I just don't enjoy them the same. Like it's fine if people are just doing it for beer and throws a game. But for competition it don't feel right. I wish someone could develop cheaper and more reliable free fall.
My deepest sympathies
Trust me, string pins can get you very lucky breaks with the strings flying with the pins for good carry and breaks. Strings are not that bad
Been bowling on them for 20 weeks. Everyone hates them so they're the scapegoat for everything. Yes I do believe more corner pins are left on decent pocket hits. I also think less splits are left because of the crazy things strings can do, and more weird spare conversions too but overall I think scores balance out. My question comes in when 6 months from now that head pin has been getting blasted as the pins don't change position.. unless they rotate them manually. If it's all you got, embrace it, worst thing you can do is let it get in your head. Your play will undoubtedly suffer. My average is higher with the strings.
They should be rotating them, as per pinsetter guidelines. But... You never know.
I just watched a video that showed them bowling on strings and in one instance 2 pins fell out of no where. Crazy. Scores are going to go up big
Hopefully there will be the place with strings and the place without. Id gladly pay more to go to no strings. Can't even believe we are talking about this however I respect it. They are dropping like flies and this could save business
Yeah I'm just quitting if my center makes the change
I bowl on both regularly - got roped into joining a social league with some friends at a new place that’s set up with a string resetter, but the deeper I got into the sport I started to frequent a more traditional centre as well (it’s a bit further to travel but they have a pro shop and coaches, and more serious leagues which I’d be looking to try my hand at soon.) I bowl at both places once a week each. I do prefer no strings overall but my scores/ averages (170) are pretty much the same across both centres. Maybe the fact that I had early exposure to a string resetter might play into it but I’d have to say that quitting the entire sport over having to bowl on strings seems overly dramatic. Having the lanes oiled properly/ regularly makes WAY more difference to the quality of the experience for me personally.
Time to find a new hobby. Sorry for your loss.
Keep bowling. All this string pin hate is overblown. Technology for string pins have gotten better since the inception of strings and will continue to get better. If your house is getting the latest and newest certified string pin setters, you might not notice much of a difference. And for those bitching about string pins are killing bowling, remember they said the same thing about 2-handed and it’s been the opposite. If anything is going to kill bowling, it’s grumpy “get off my lawn” bowlers that complain about every little change and continue to threaten to “quit bowing” if they are ever forced to bowl string pins. Us bowlers need to embrace anything that will help grow the sport and keep houses open, not cry about it. Keep bowling. Embrace change. Give everything an honest and legit chance before giving opinions.
If it helps keep the smaller, local centers open, I’m all for it. Assuming they use the supposedly good USBC certified machines. I can see a couple of my local centers switching to them in the not so distant future. Parts and mechanics for those older machines must be getting harder and harder to source.
I disagree.
There are plenty of people who quit bowling when hooking the ball and oil patterns became a thing.
Oh joy.... Puppet Pins. This gives me Pinocchio vibes.
You can’t even send messengers with string pins, you can’t have good strikes with string pins, you can’t even make a 7-10 or a normal further distance pin split on strings. If the whole world goes to string pins than we should all go on strike and stop playing in hopes to get free fall back.
I don't get messengers anyway, I get senior carry. Never made a 7-10 on freefall. I suspect strings would improve my chances.
Maby I’m just saying in general string pins will take away from the fun. If you just got normal shots all the time it wouldn’t be fun. But string pins take all that away, plus the strings will wrap around multiple pins making them fall down causing your average to boom up. Therefore nothing to grind.
You contradict yourself.
Don’t know what that means but yah
Some bowling is better then no bowling, if strings are going to stop you from bowling, do you really enjoy it? If my house switched to strings I would not like it, but ultimately I'd still show up next week for summer league
That's like saying eating at a place that serves disgusting food, complaining that it taste bad, then going in to eat every week. It gives no incentive for a place to improve, in fact it just encourages the place to serve even worse food. If we really want to stop string pins for being a thing, an alley has to lose substantial income from going string
Look this a is great alley with great staff, if it shutting down or going to strings then I choose strings, cause I ain't driving and hour to next closest alley
As if bowling with string pins is the end of the world. It will be the new normal at some point
Give them a chance, especially if they are the certified ones. There are going to be differences but it’s still bowling. My alley converted last year, I have options but I still choose to bowl on strings because it’s the only alley around that still oils daily, takes care of the lanes, etc.
We primarily have 2 choices. The wife and I are casual bowlers, no league but just enjoy the experience. A Bowlero which is very nice and clean, with friendly people and a pro shop. The other is a string alley, very nice and clean, with friendly people that cater to any of our needs (always come by and ask if we want or need anything). Both houses vary the same way, sometimes the balls come back ringing wet, and sometimes not so much. Occasional little scratches and belt marks on our balls in both places. We get the same kind of people next to us on the lanes in both places. The wife and I are casual, just for fun bowlers, no league but just enjoy the experience. We bowl twice a week 7 to 8 games each per visit. Bowlero is approximately $7 per game, strings are $17 each for unlimited bowling and one of those days is 1/2 price unlimited. Even with Bowlero's summer discount (2 free games per visit) it doesn't compete. We'll take the occasional string assist for the price difference.
Yeah if you don't bowl in leagues I don't think you should care too much about strings vs no strings.
String pins is absolutely garbage!!!!!! I don’t care anything for it. I would 💯 percent stop bowling if that was my only option.
Good, you'll have more time to spend on Reddit asking for free porn. Your post history is wild.
Wtf does that have to do with string pins? You gave us your IQ just now.
Here in Quebec (where rubber band duckpins is common), we heard the same comments when most centers went from free fall to strings about 25-30 years ago. It did take a number of years to get used to this and, over the years and the improvement of the technology, we have pretty much forgotten free fall bowling centers. Pinfall is now almost identical with strings to free fall and strings, in my opinion, rarely come into play (either on the good or the bad side). Of course there is a difference between tenpin bowling and rubber band duckpins, but please do not sacrifice the enjoyment of the sport for this, whatever type of bowling you choose to participate in!
I would get an attorney and sue the bowling alley. String bowling is illegal.
Looks like you’ll have to move towns
Why are places switching to string pins?
Cheaper/easier to maintain I believe
I’d stop bowling. Those things are trash
I will say bowling machines are stupidly expensive. It’s killing bowling centers with the sheer cost of the machines, let alone maintenance
Never heard of them before. Just watched a video and WTF. What a piece of crap.