Small bites of news about a big sport
In the Southern Agenda section of this issue, the magazine gives a high-level view of duckpin bowling in Maryland. This year’s top-ranked female bowlers, Lisa Huber, is quoted as is NDBC Executive Director Laura Bowden.
Cincinatti has yet another pseudo-duckpin venue at the happening bar called Hoppin’ Vines. Home to 6 lanes built by Infinity Bowling, each is 26′ in length and uses string pinsetters that can be reset for rubberband, 5-pin, and tenpin if desired.
Owner Steve Schoembs, also a founder of Mason Craft Brewery, built the concept combining great craft beer, good food, and duckpin bowling. They opted to use lanes without approaches to avoid the hassles associated with stocking, maintaining, and tracking bowling shoes. They also felt that by eliminating the shoes, people would be more inclined to play the game. The numbers are proving him correct as the lanes stay quite busy most nights and weekends.
As a business, Infinity Bowling reported, “The average length of guest stay is OVER 3 hours per visit with a 3 hour waiting list. This is bowling on steroids…”
Once a hotbed of duckpin activity, Charlotte, NC, has not had any version of duckpin sing about 1981. Well, no more!
Pinhouse, located at 2306 Central Ave., was recently developed by the owners of South End’s Hoppin’, Rich Moyer and Drew Nessemeier. It is designed primarily as a bar with self-pour taps featuring local craft beers.
The establishment will have a soft opening later this month and a grand opening July 27, 2019. It will consist of two floors, 72 self-pouring taps and a balcony overlooking Veterans Park. The decor will offer the feeling that you’ve stepped outside the city and into some Gastby-esque reality.
The lanes are 26 ft long, have no approaches, and use string machines.
CharlotteFive – Self-pour bowling bar sets opening date in Plaza Midwood
This article from 2007 shows that duckpin bowling was probably common on the West Coast. In this case, the location is Portland, Oregon.
The Hendricks Building is on the National Historic Register. It is documented that the building opened in 1897 and housed a saloon, “bawdy rooms”, a card room, and…
…a duckpin bowling alley.
We already know there was a duckpin center in Cannon Beach, Oregon. So there was definitely an interest and participation. What is most interesting to me is the aspect of a duckpin bowling alley being here in 1897. When taken in context of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island having one in its architectural drawings of 1878, the history of the game needs to be rewritten.
Near Tenkiller State Park and Lake in Oklahoma is a well-liked golf course whose clubhouse is referred to as The Wolf at Tenkiller. Besides golf, they happen to also host 4 regulation duckpin lanes in an area called The Duck Club. The lanes have been there since 2011 and use Mendes string pinsetters.
The lanes are somewhat popular with the surrounding community and especially the seniors. The center staff do their best to put Fall and Winter leagues together and hold an occasional tournament.
The Vinyl Social Club opened in February to large crowds. The club offers a lot in the way of dining and entertainment, including a DJ. But, our focus is on the pseudo-duckpin bowling.
The lanes are very short at only 16 feet, but the balls and pins are regulation. While it is not the actual game of duckpin bowling, it has proved itself to be very popular, which may open the way to a regular center being built by someone in the future.
SiouxFalls Business – Sioux Falls hasn’t seen anything like this
In a reborn area of Birmingham, Alabama, that is called Five Points South, is an old Woolworth five and dime store. It has been refurbished and opened in August 2018. Now known as The Woolworth, it brings a new spin on the idea of drinking, dining and entertainment. It contains a world-class restaurant that is accompanied by a large bar area and eight lanes of duckpin bowling.
The lanes are shorter than regulation in order to fit into the building, and they do not use formal approaches, which eliminates the need for bowling shoes. As with other newly opened duckpin venues, they use Qubica/AMF string machines. Lanes are usually fully occupied during evenings and weekends with prices running $5-$8 per game.
The Woolworth is located at 1006 20th St S, Birmingham, Alabama 35205. Find them online at their website.
In an area just southwest of Provo, Utah, called Spanish Forks is an entertainment establishment that opened in October, 2018. Doc Brundy’s hosts a top-tier restaurant, a video and pinball arcade, and a duckpin bowling center.
They have 6 regulation lanes using Qubica/AMF string machines. Most evenings, the lanes are full with a long waiting list. On weekends reservations are usually needed. Prices start at $3.50 per game.
Owners Derrick and Karen Brundage wanted to bring something unique to the Main Street area of Spanish Forks. They felt duckpin bowling would be a good fit.
Watch the YouTube video online at or checkout their website.
Just over one year after its official opening, Ocean5 is proof that west coasters will take to duckpin bowling. The environmentally friendly, award winning facility opened in Gig Harbor, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington. Highly successful, it can even be difficult to get into the venue on many weekends.
There are 16 bowling lanes in the public space, 8 of them are duckpin. They also have two private party areas; one with 4 duckpin lanes and the other with 2 tenpin lanes. As with the tenpin lanes, the duckpin lanes are regulation and use the Qubica/AMF string machines. The approaches are just a bit shorter than standard and do require bowling shoes. According to an interview the owner Troy Alstead, former chief operating officer at Starbucks, the duckpin lanes are very popular at all hours and evenings will usually require a reservation.
Ocean5 is 57,000 square feet and offers a large arcade, laser tag, and has a bar and a restaurant that has won numerous awards already for its food. The owners have applied for LEEDS certification for the building since it was designed and built to be environmentally friendly. It is estimated that the facility is so energy efficient that it saves enough energy to power 35 homes.
Alstead’s also behind an affiliated restaurant called Table 47, a 300-seat restaurant features upscale food in a casual environment and is in the same complex.
The Carrol County Times has a nice little piece on the 4 teams of youth duckpin bowlers from Greenmount Bowl that are headed to the NDYA National Tournament.
Greenmount Bowl has produced five National Championship teams since 2009. Congratulations to all involved!
Caroll County Times – Rec Brief: Greenmount bowlers headed to national tournament
Duckpin World 