“Duckpin” at The Rec Room in Fort Lauderdale FL

Owner Sam Solomon rescued a pair of short duckpin lanes from a closed bar in Ohio, although he wasn’t quite sure how or where he was going to use them. The opportunity arose when he and his partners developed and opened The Rec Room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The lanes are the short 26-ft variety, regulation width. and have no approaches. Pinsetters are string-based and they are currently using rubber-band duckpins because they found they score higher which made them more popular with patrons. Bowlers don’t need shoes since there are no approaches. They merely take a stance at the end of the lane and roll the ball.

Solomon praises the setup saying that the string machines allow games to be played in about 20-25 minutes each, even with two 4-person teams. The short game time keeps the interest of customers in a day when so much competes for their attention. On a regular night, the wait for access to the two lanes can take hours. The bowling is such a low-cost operation with this setup that the lounge offers it for free.

The Rec Room is forming teams for a league starting in July and has signed up 7 four-person teams so far. Solomon has hinted that they might have a new project in the works and duckpin looks like it will most definitely be involved. When pressed for more info, he politely declined and said it is merely in the talking stages at this point.

SouthFlorida SunSentinel – SummerTimeOut: Duckpin bowling at Rec Room in Fort Lauderdale

June 22, 2019 0

Mustang Alleys in Baltimore to Reopen

Great news for the Baltimore duckpin crowd: Mustang Lanes is being refurbished and will reopen under new ownership later this summer. The 12-year-old business, located on the second floor of the historic Tack Factory building at 1300 Bank St., has a new owner and is currently undergoing light refurbishment.

The bowling center near Little Italy in Baltimore City had closed this past April after the owners were unable to negotiate a new lease to stay open. In late May, a new ownership purchased the business and started the process of readying the 12-lane center for reopening.

Mustang Lanes offers duckpin bowling as well as a full-service bar, private event room and food service. Smith plans to upscale the food offerings by bringing in Chef Malcolm Mitchell, a former “Food Network Star” contestant and the Baltimore Sun’s “Best New Chef” of 2017. They will also add more local craft beers to their drink lineup.

Smith has said that the bowling alley’s facelift won’t include too many dramatic changes. He considers it “retro cool” and doesn’t want it to lose its appeal.

Baltimore Business Journal

June 18, 2019 0

Andretti Opens with Duckpins in San Antonio

Andretti Indoor Karting and Games has opened and includes a “boutique bowling experience”. We simply call it duckpin bowling.

The venue boasts 12 full-size duckpin lanes with Qubica/AMF string pinsetters. While their website mentions 4-1/2 lb bowling balls but we cannot yet confirm that and believe it is an error.

Andretti Indoor Karting and Games

June 7, 2019 2

Maryland Duckpins Article in Garden & Guns Magazine

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.

Garden & Gun June/July 2019

June 7, 2019 0

Hoppin’ Vines or Hopping Ducks?

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…”

Hoppin’ Vines Cincinatti

June 6, 2019 0

Duckpins in Oregon in 1897!

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.

East Oregonian

June 5, 2019 0

The Wolf in Oklahoma Enjoys Ducks

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 Wolf at Tenkiller – The Duck Club

June 5, 2019 0

Sioux Falls Gets a Taste of Duckpins

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

June 3, 2019 0

Duckpins Receive a Warm Welcome in Birmingham

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.

May 31, 2019 0

Duckpin Bowling is a Hit in Provo

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.

May 30, 2019 1