Category: bowling center

Showdown in Indianapolis

The stage is set for a bit of a duckpin showdown in Indianapolis. Successful social duckpin developer and operator Pins Mechanical is set to open their newest location only a short distance from established centers, Action Bowl and Atomic Bowl, in Fountain Square.

Pins Mechanical locations feature the “social” version of duckpin as an adjunct to its entertainment business. The lanes are shorter, ranging from 32-48 feet depending on the location and building. They usually do not have approaches and do not require bowling shoes.

Action Bowl, on the 4th floor of the Fountain Square Building has 8 duckpin lanes with string pinsetters. Atomic Bowl, located in the basement of the same building features genuine 1950’s and 60’s equipment. Both centers were sanctioned by the National Duckpin Bowling Congress in 1991, but are not sanctioned today.

Industry eyes will be watching. Will both types continue to garner business? Will Action/Atomic benefit from the introduction of Pins Mechanical which seeks a younger demographic? Or, will the social duckpin craze prove to be more popular with today’s consumers that look for social experiences where activities like duckpin bowling are an aside, and not the main event?

Only time will tell for sure.

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Cedar Falls to Get Duckpin Bowling

Maple Lanes burned down in February 2020 and everyone thought “that was it” for bowling in the Iowa city. Flash forward to June 2020 and co-owner Rich Eighme said the plan is to come back bigger and better than before.

Besides an expansion of the bar area, they are converting 4 of the planned 32 lanes to duckpin lanes. We do not have exact details but it is likely they will be using string machines from AMF. However, the duckpin lanes will not be regulation 60 foot, as they are currently planned to be only 48 feet long.

Maple Lanes is targeting May 2021 for reopening. Duckpin World has reached out for additional details and will publish them if and when we receive any information.

H/t Waterloo -Cedar Falls Courier: Maple lanes planning to return bigger, better

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Andretti Opens Dallas Location With Duckpin Bowling

Last week saw Andretti Karting, the indoor go-kart king, opening its 6th location. The 100,000 square foot facility is located in The Colony, part of the Dallas suburbs. What makes this location a bit different? They have brought duckpin bowling to Dallas.

With 8 lanes located on the second floor, the lanes are equipped with string pinsetters and appear to be longer than we have been seeing in other entertainment centers. Duckpin here is part of Andretti’s “upscale bowling lounge” experience.

What exactly is duck pin bowling? It’s bowling escalated to the comfort and style that caters to your every need. Four projection screens and 8 custom designed lanes glowing with black lights are just the beginning of your enjoyment.

https://andrettikarting.com/thecolony/play/boutique-bowling/

However, the lanes themselves don’t appear to be regulation length, but it is difficult to tell for sure from the limited photos available. We at DuckpinWorld have been trying to reach management for more information, but have thus far been unable to confirm any specifications other than what is apparent in the photographs. They are using regulation duckpins, as opposed to the mini-bowling that some businesses have opted for.

Andretti’s main focus is Karting and social gatherings, but they have learned that providing other amusements and recreation substantially improves the overall business. The Colony location, like the one in North Atlanta, also has a focus on fine scratch-made food and beverage.

Elsewhere in the building, they offer video games, pinball, laser tag, indoor rope course, the Dark Ride motion theater, and a number of other activities for singles or groups. With more than 100 HDTVs throughout the facility, your group can relax and catch your favorite team while enjoying one of the many craft beers with slow smoked ribs grilled or pizza cooked in their special Brick Oven.

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Winston-Salem to Get 12 Lanes of Duckpin

When asked about the redevelopment of the historic building that first housed a Ford dealer in 1926, Joseph Correll, director of food and beverage for Mayfair Street Partners, responded “This is an amenity that the city of Winston-Salem has been begging for.”

What he is referring to is the company’s plans to develop the large site into a one-stop destination in the middle of town. They plan a speakeasy in the basement, a microbrewery at street-level with self-serve taps, six stalls for food sales that will range from pizza to Chinese and Mexican cuisine. On the next level is the real draw to the building. There, they will build a more upscale restaurant, an arcade center, and a sports area with 12 duckpin lanes and golf simulators.

More specific details are unknown at this point as the project is still in the early planning stages. The project’s total cost is estimated to be around $10 million and should create as many as 100 jobs.

While the Winston-Salem area has a long history of duckpin bowling, going back to the turn-of-the-century, local news media is calling it “new to the Triad area”.

Thanks to MyFox8

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Skyline Lanes in Duluth MN Adds Duckpin

The 50+ year old tenpin facility has recently undergone a $3Million remodel and is set to reopen in late-September. The remodel includes a reimagining of the tenpin portion of the center while adding more arcade games, a very popular virtual-reality game, and a mini-form of duckpin bowling without approaches.

It is interesting to see that a tenpin house has opted to add this to the center. Recent local press coverage described the duckpin game inaccurately, as most do. Skyline’s General Manager, Corey Kolquist, has high hopes for the new games, the duckpin addition, along with the new virtual-reality offering called Hologate. The center has also revamped their menu and expanded their bar.

Although very different from regulation duckpin, could this be the camel’s nose under the tent? The short-lane and no approach version of duckpin might be an excellent addition to an existing center. Depending on how many are installed, kids birthday parties and outings could be hosted on them, which have a significantly lower cost of operation, rather than the regulation lanes. If done right, this could present an opportunity to grow youth participation by starting young ones on them and moving them to regulation lanes as they get older.

Thanks to WDIO TV in Duluth

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10Pins Bowling Alley in Franklin Goes with Mini-bowling Over Duckpins

Several months ago, we wrote how developed Pat Hagan was planning to bring duckpin bowling to his new project in downtown Franklin, Indiana. Since that time, Hagan opted to install six mini-bowling lanes instead.

In a recent article for The Daily Journal, Hagan explained that he didn’t want to add just another place to play duckpin bowling. Instead, he went with US Bowling’s “mini-bowling”. Overall, he mentions that the dimensions of the lanes and equipment were a better fit for the building.

We made contact with Hagan those many months ago and he was surprised to hear there was a national duckpin organization and a somewhat large member-base for duckpin bowling. He was interested in hearing more, especially of any advantages it offered. During the conversation, we offered to share his information with both the National Duckpin Bowling Congress as well as the Duckpin Bowling Proprietors Association so he could gather more information.

Unfortunately, when we recently caught up with Hagan, he said he was never contacted and selected mini-bowling. Duckpin didn’t seem to present any clear advantages and mini-bowling offered a less-expensive package. However, even he says he might have gone a different way with more information on why duckpin could have been a better choice. After all, his original inspiration was bowling duckpin at Action Bowl at Fountain Square in Indianapolis.

Hagan mentioned, “I had done that many, many times, and I had thought earlier that (Franklin) would be a really cool place to do something like that. But I’d never put much thought into it. As we were bowling this time, people kept saying that we should do something like this, and I wanted to try it.”

10Pins also features arcade games, a bar stocked with craft beer choices and wine, as well as food menu. A partnership with nearby Greek’s Pizzeria and Tapp Room has helped him to expand the menu.

Describing his business, Hagan says, “We’re a bowling facility first and foremost. I just happen to have a bar. I would rather people come in and bowl, then if they want a beer or a soda or a hot dog, we can accommodate it…”

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Waco Texas to Get Duckpin Bowling in 2020

Mark Schulman has built several of his Schulman Movie Bowl Grille locations, but he wanted the one in his hometown of Waco, Texas, to be bigger and better. Besides a multi-screen movie theater, 30 lanes of tenpin bowling, an arcade, and a full-service restaurant, he will be creating a separate area for some form of duckpin bowling. The 300-plus acre complex will be owned under MKT Real Estate Holdings LLC and developed by 58 Aggie Development LLC. Schulman is targeting the Summer of 2020 to have the complex completed.

Since his plans are not final yet, we don’t know if the duckpin portion will be regulation lanes or the shorter entertainment-style 26-ft lanes, but any new introduction of the sport is a positive move. There is still an opportunity for someone in the duckpin world to reach out and try to convince him that a regulation-size setup brings more long-term potential.

In an interview with Mike Copeland of the Waco Tribune-Herald, Schulman mentioned that leagues are not their target nor a priority for the bowling business. However, he does describe a seasonal volatility and even short-season leagues for duckpin could help bring in business during the “valleys” in business revenues.

The complex is expected to bring in 275 jobs with 75 or more being full-time. Some of those positions will be seasonal.

The complex’s full-service restaurant, Billy’s Grille & Bar, will a “mix of George’s and Cheddar’s, and maybe toss in a little bit of Texas Roadhouse or Saltgrass.” The restaurant menu will include burgers, steaks, seafood, salads, pizza and appetizers. He expects to have at least 86 craft beers available, and TV screens will provide an array of viewing options.

Waco Tribune-Herald – Mike Copeland: More on Forthcoming Entertainment Complex

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