Bowling is a great game due to its diverse nature. It can be both a highly competitive showdown against others or just a fun time with your friends where no one cares about the score. However, after having bowled many times, it is common to want to mix a little and try new and fun ways of bowling. Bowlers around the world have come up with different ways to make their time in the alley even more fun. These range from official rule systems in league play to silly ways to go bowling with your friends.
If you’re just bowling with your friends during open bowling hours, you can really choose the rules you want. You can have everyone compete with each other for the overall best score, or you can pair up with a friend and have your combined score compared to another pair. Also, if you’re only in it to have a good time, you might not even mind looking at the scores.
The only time the rules really matter is if you join a league. If you choose this route, there are endless variations, and your bowling center will make it crystal clear what the rules are. The most common format is to have your team’s total score against a team of opponents, with each bowler receiving a handicap added to their score based on their average score. This is designed to level the playing field and give everyone a fair chance to win. A better bowler would get fewer “handicap” bowls added to his score, and a beginning bowler would get more bowls.
Recreational bowlers have created other great rules for group bowling. A popular one is to agree that the lowest score wins and try to get the bowlers to hit the fewest number of pins. For this to work, it’s good to count a waterball as a strike so that players can’t just throw it in the gutter and win.
You can also have each bowler use their non-dominant hand to bowl. Some bowlers like to experiment with different styles of throwing the ball, such as the “granny” style. However, if you are going to try something like this, make sure you are safe and not disturbing the staff in the alley.
When you’re looking to have fun bowling, the sky is the limit!
