Home Mini Bowling Alley

Our newest home, this spot is convenient to Ponte Vedra, St. Augustine, and St. Johns. This location also offers a great kids’ playground and easy-on-the-eyes vintage finishes. Can’t wait to see you there!Casual dining in historic Fernandina, this location offers a playground for kids and a vintage red-brick patio. Look for us a block off Main Street, and bring your family!

Today’s modern corporate setting is much different than it once was. Major tech companies have transformed what the traditional workspace looks like. From the layout of desks to the on-site amenities and stress relievers offered to employees, large corporate offices are utilizing their spaces in new ways. Mini bowling makes a great addition and employee perk for your office. Partly great for moral but also a tool for attracting talent, mini bowling is a great option for your corporate space.Mini bowling or micro bowling is a version of bowling that simply shrinks every aspect of the game. Lanes, pins, balls and everything else is shrunk down to offer the fun and excitement of bowling, without needing to take up the amount of space as a regulation bowling lane.

In some cases, you might consider offering bowling as a free experience for your guests or patrons, with the intention of using it as a method to attract customers. On the other hand, there are certainly ways to monetize the experience. Some of our partners treat mini bowling as a source of new revenue that not only has a direct financial impact, but also keeps people at their location longer. After all, the longer someone is at your establishment the better odds of them spending money with you in other ways (food, drink, etc.).

With some researchers dating the roots of bowling all the way back in 3200 BC in ancient Egypt, bowling is one of the oldest games around. The advancement of machinery and technology has made bowling a must-have for many entertainment businesses. However, newer versions of bowling are making the sport accessible to more types of businesses.

The reality is there could be a potential case for many types of businesses to consider mini bowling for their location. If you have questions or want to learn more, we’d be happy to have a conversation on how we can bring mini bowling to your business.On average for a typical bowling lane, you will need anywhere from 90 to 100 feet. This is the length from seating area to the pin deck. For width of a traditional two-lane install you’ll need between 11 and 12 feet. Mini bowling can decrease both the length and width you need by more than half, making it ideal for non-traditional bowling experiences.

For the types of businesses that aren’t traditionally associated with bowling (bars, restaurants, breweries, etc.), the odds are not many of your competitors are offering mini bowling to their patrons. The reason is many aren’t even aware that it’s an option. Installing a mini bowling experience at your establishment will be a major differentiator that your customers will remember.

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The formula is simple: minimal space, virtually no maintenance, and an exciting fun experience. Your customers will enjoy the fun and excitement of our mini bowling systems, and it will be awed by our PULSE Scoring Entertainment System. Little bowlers can avoid gutter balls with our automatic bumpers that pop up at the push of a button.Rollerball Mini-bowling has established itself as the most dynamic and innovative addition to almost all entertainment applications. Because of this, Rollerball Mini Bowling – the small ball system that will have a big impact on your bottom line.

CHOOSE A PAYMENT OPTION With all Rollerball Mini Bowling systems, you have the option of coin, bill accepter, card swipe, prepay & post pay and even ticket redemption.

The nostalgic game of duckpin can be easily added to our Rollerball Mini Bowling System. By changing out the bowling pins and a few clicks in our PULSE Scoring entertainment System, you can have a duckpin alley of your very own!

The USBC reported that there were 55,266 certified 300 games in ten-pin bowling in the 2013–2014 season alone, but there has never been a certified 300 game in duckpin bowling. A Connecticut man named Pete Signore Jr. came closest with a 279 game in 1992.In 1982, the Women’s National Duckpin Association (WNDA) was formed, conducting tournaments for women to compete professionally, with Ladies Professional Duckpin Tournament (LPDT) events extending back at least as early as 1974.

Duckpin balls are 4+3⁄4 in (12 cm) to 5 in (12.7 cm) in diameter, weigh 3 lb 6 oz (1.5 kg) to 3 lb 12 oz (1.7 kg) each, and lack finger holes. They are thus significantly smaller than those used in ten-pin bowling but are slightly larger and heavier than those used in candlepin bowling.

In mini duckpins, the lane is shorter than a standard duckpin lane, and the width of the lane is not standard. While there has never been a sanctioned perfect game in regulation duckpin bowling, 300 games are said to be relatively common in mini duckpin play.In 1953, submarine designer Ken Sherman developed the first automatic duckpin pinsetter, its design having over 1,000 moving parts. Sherman’s refusal to sell his patent to ten-pin competitor Brunswick caused him to lack corporate investment needed to manufacture large numbers of duckpin pinsetters. Further, no parts for the Sherman pinsetter have been manufactured since 1973, so that anyone wanting to open a new bowling center must cannibalize parts. The absence of new pinsetter machines is thought to curtail growth of the sport, and spare parts must be scavenged or obtained from alleys that have closed. Only one company makes duckpins, and it only leases them.Duckpin bowling has rules similar to ten-pin bowling. In a 10-frame game, bowlers try to knock down pins in the fewest rolls per frame. Bowlers have three balls per frame, instead of two as in ten-pin bowling, to knock over a set of 10 pins. If a bowler knocks down all 10 pins with their first roll in a frame, it is scored as a strike. If all the pins are knocked down in two rolls, the bowler has made a spare. If all the pins are knocked down in three rolls, it is scored as a ten, as in candlepins, with no bonus. If pins are still standing after the third ball, the bowler gets one point for each pin knocked down.In 1999, Sports Illustrated named Elizabeth “Toots” Barger among the fifty top Maryland athletes of all time, Barger having claimed thirteen NDBC No. 1 rankings for having the highest female duckpinner average. Barger won nine world championships, and, in 1961, became the second woman to be inducted into the Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame.

The executive director of the National Duckpin Bowling Congress said in 2016 that there were 41 congress-certified duckpin bowling alleys, down from nearly 450 in 1963. In comparison, there were about 4,000 ten-pin centers in 2018. The Baltimore Sun reported in 2017 that the number of professional duckpin bowlers is down by more than 90 percent.In 1905 a variant called rubber band duckpins was introduced in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area by William Wuerthele, in which the pins are circled with hard rubber bands to increase rebound action in collisions, and therefore scoring. Wuerthele observed bowlers wasting their third ball as well as flying pins injuring pin boys, so, according to a defunct publication called The Ducks, Wuerthele added the rubber band to increase scoring.

The origin of duckpin bowling has been disputed. A commonly recited assertion is that the sport began in Baltimore around 1900, at a bowling, billiards and pool hall owned by future baseball Hall of Famers John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson, both of the old (1882–1899) Baltimore Orioles. One such claim is reported in the Pittsburgh Press of March 3, 1929. However, research has since found references to duckpin dating to the early 1890s in New Haven, Boston and Lowell, Mass. Author Howard W. Rosenberg wrote in 2005 that his research showed the sport was around “at least as of 1894, and probably well before that”, with former Duckpin News editor Stacy Karten stating in a 2016 publication that Rosenberg found an 1892 reference to duckpin in The Boston Globe.

In the case of a strike, the bowler gets 10 points plus the total number of pins knocked down with the next two balls rolled, for a maximum of 30 points. In the case of a spare, the bowler gets 10 points plus the number of pins knocked down with the next ball, for a maximum of 20 points. If it takes three balls to knock down all 10 pins, the bowler gets 10 points, with no bonus. A bowler’s final score is the sum of the points earned over 10 frames (a spare or strike in the tenth frame earns one or two rolls respectively). The maximum possible score of 300 points, which is accomplished by rolling 12 strikes in a row, has never been achieved under official conditions.

The American Duckpin Congress was formed in the 1920s to govern the game of rubber band duckpins. The organization later became the American Rubber Band Duckpin Bowling Congress in 1945 and became an affiliate of the National Duckpin Bowling Congress. The rubber band game is now almost extinct, with most of the lanes located in private clubs, though there is one alley in the U.S. still open to the public in Glassport, Pennsylvania.

Depending on how many lanes you’d like to build in your home, you will need about 1,000 to 1200 square foot per lane to have enough space for everything that’s needed. As briefly mentioned above, the space should be about 100 feet long for a regulation size bowling alley. The bowling equipment itself needs 87 feet, which includes the approach (16 feet), the lane and pinsetter machine (67.5 feet), and a service aisle behind the pinsetter (minimum 3.5 feet). Add a seating area (roughly 13 feet) and you’ve got yourself a 100-foot space.First, let’s look at the specifics when it comes to sizing up the space in your home for a bowling alley. A regulation bowling alley can typically be between 60 and 100 foot, sometimes not even including the amount of approach room you need to bowl. If you have that kind of space, a regulation bowling alley is great for getting that authentic feel of being at an actual bowling alley.

However, installing a home bowling alley isn’t the same as installing a new light fixture. You need to take into consideration many factors such as soundproofing the room and the amount of space you’ll need to install a home bowling alley in your home. Today, we’re going to look into how much space you’ll need for a home bowling alley and which type of bowling alley would be best for the space you have available at home.Ceiling height is another measurement to take into consideration. At an absolute minimum you’ll need an 8-foot ceiling. Not only because lanes are very long and could draw the room in, but players can become enthusiastic and throw the ball a little higher than anticipated and therefore damage your ceiling or the bowling equipment you’ve had installed. It’s recommended with regulation bowling alley lanes that you should have a ceiling height of around 10 or 11 feet. Higher ceilings also allow technicians to service or repair your bowling equipment. If you love bowling, you might be thinking of adding a bowling alley into your home to enjoy alone or with family and friends. A bowling alley can be a great place to blow off some steam after work as well as being an incredible talking point for entertaining guests, not to mention being able to get in some practice if you’re a serious bowler that likes to compete. Our mini bowling systems also come fitted with everything you’ll need for an immersive bowling experience such as 43” monitors, scoring setters, graphics above the pins (your choice) and designs that are fun for any aged bowler.With this information, we hope you can make an informed decision about how much space you’ll need for a home bowling alley and more importantly, what kind of home bowling alley will suit your needs and your home.

You may still want to take ceiling height into consideration to avoid any damage to your ceilings and to avoid the room looking small once the mini bowling system is in place. We recommend having 12-foot ceilings to comfortably fit the bowling systems in place without the worry of damaging your ceiling or any of the equipment.You also need to take into consideration how much width you’d need in your bowling alley room. Some people choose to use the entire width of the room for their bowling alley, but this isn’t recommended because it often makes the room feel like a tunnel and users may scrape their hands on the walls when bowling. It’s recommended to have around 14 feet in width per lane – around 8 feet for the lane itself and 3 feet on either side, which also allows space for the service aisle too.

Because our mini bowling systems are designed as a unit and the lanes are contained, you can enjoy a quick and simple bowling alley without missing out on anything you’d get from a regulation bowling alley. Younger bowlers can also avoid disappointment thanks to the automatic bumpers that appear with the simple push of a button.However, a mini bowling system can be as compact as 27 feet depending on which system you decide to go for. This will give you ample space to bowl while still giving that authentic feeling of bowling in a bowling alley – but in the comfort of your own home. So, if you don’t have enough space for a regulation bowling alley, a mini bowling system is the perfect choice for your home. With our mini bowling systems you can choose from single or multi lane systems to your choice. Because the systems are so compact, even smaller spaces may be able to host a two-lane mini bowling system. You can check our brochure for sizing here. They are perfect for birthday parties, corporate functions and simply enjoying the game with your friends and family – of all ages! Let’s look at regulation lanes and mini bowling systems in more detail so you can make an informed choice about the right sized home bowling alley for your home.There was no automatic scoring at Papp’s, which gave the kids (and adults) practice with their math skills. Even on New Year’s Eve, Betty and Andy would stay open so families could have an affordable place to have fun and ring in the new year together.

So now you know you have some options the next time someone says, “Let’s go bowling!”. Hopefully, there’s a vintage bowling alley near you so you can take them up on the offer.Owner Tom Giordano continues to ensure that the Bowladrome stays true to history; while they do have automatic pinsetters, many other modern touches are avoided. No glow-bowling, no bumper-bowling, no website. Plus, you score by hand on paper—and cash only, please.

The duckpin ball’s small scale is a bonus when looking for an activity that the entire family can enjoy, says Bob Nugent, owner of Woodlawn Duckpins in West Haven, Connecticut: “The balls are the perfect size for small children.” He adds, “Since they are much lighter (than ten-pin balls) grandparents can join right in and have fun alongside the kids.”Luckily, there are still some charming holdouts to this hyper and hyped-up trend that offer a pleasant bowling experience sans fluorescent bells and whistles. Until 2014, Papp’s Bowling Center in Bordentown, New Jersey, was one of them.

Depending on where you live, you may have different images that come to mind when someone says, “Let’s go bowling!” For most Americans it’s Big Lebowski-style bowling (officially known as ten-pin) with hefty bowling balls and big pear-shaped pins. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find regionally distinctive strains of this popular sport—candlepin and duckpin—that are little known outside of the northeastern United States.From the replacement of pin-setting boys with automatic pinsetters, to computerized scoring, the sport strives to remain relevant in an ever-changing landscape of entertainment options. Bowling centers that have been around for decades are encouraged to upgrade and reinvent themselves as “Family Entertainment Centers” with bowling only a segment of the options offered to appeal to today’s increasingly online youth.

Nugent, who grew up bowling at Woodlawn, has owned the lanes for the last 10 years. Established in 1954, they still use the sturdy but antiquated automatic pinsetting machinery that was installed 60 years ago. While durable, this machinery is considered one of the reasons why this style of bowling isn’t more well-known.

Since parts for these machines have not been made since 1973, owners like Nugent will often travel to duckpin lanes that have closed in order to source parts for their machines, warehousing what they might need in the future.According to “Duckpin,” a documentary about the history of the sport that was partially filmed at Woodlawn, inventor Ken Sherman refused to sell the patent to his machine to the Brunswick Corporation, who held the patent for the automatic ten-pin pinsetter. Without the corporate investment and ability to scale production of the duckpin equipment, the sport remained in the alleys where it had originated, and was never was able to grow much past there.

If you really want to blow the socks off of your clientele, then line up multiple lanes for a showstopping display and an unbeatable party atmosphere in your venue.

Brunswick’s Duckpin Social is a complete top-to-tail redesign and miniaturisation of the world famous game of 10-pin Bowling, allowing the thrills and spills of the bowling alley to be enjoyed both by entertainment venues and even at home as the ultimate games room centrepiece. Using a much shorter lane, smaller bowling balls and an ingenious pin reseting system, Duckpin is fantastic fun for all and unlike any 10-pin bowling you’ve ever tried, owing to the drastically different dynamics of the game. Anyone of any skill level can step up to the lane and bowl,bringing fantastic entry-level fun to first-time bowlers and a unique new challenge to seasoned bowling pros.Duckpin Miniature Bowling Alleys offer the perfect way to inject the fun of the bowling alley into a fraction of the space, allowing a huge number of new venues to pull in a whole new crowd of players. This innovation has player-accessability as its key point, meaning that not only can anyone walk up and play, but venues need very little to operate the system itself. Only 31ft of length is required to install the entire system, and players don’t enven need to rent bowling shoes to step up to the line.

Games Room Designer – this powerful browser-based app is free for you to use to design your floor plan and where to situate all the items in your games room, in fact in any room of your house. It’s a breeze to use, you can save your work, print it out and share it with others by email.Duckpin Miniature Bowling Alleys are made by Brunswick; the tried-and-tested bowling manufacturer with over 130 years of experience in providing commercial bowling equipment to bowling alleys all over the world, responsible for the unmistakable sights and sounds that the world has embraced for decades. Brunswick Duckpin is built upon those generations of experience, creating a game that whilst smaller in size, retains all the fun and challenge of its larger counterpart.

The dream of your own bowling alley at home can fiinally be a reality, as the reduced size requirement means that Duckpin system works just as well at home in a games room as it does out in the field. Simply roll up to your own personal lane, take aim and score, letting the system do all the work of scorekeeping and resetting your pins.Duckpin is a truly one-of-a-kind experience, and it’s best enjoyed in a set up built with the fun atmosphere of the game in mind. If you want to give Duckpin a try for yourself, then head on down to Strike Bowling in Wandsworth, London. This beautifully finished boutique bar and bowling alley has a number of Duckpin lanes all set up that you can try for yourself (booking required).

Manufactured in Stockach on Lake Constance since 1998 and delivered worldwide: whether Germany, Europe, Asia or overseas – SES pinsetters for bowling or skittle alleys have the highest reputation. In addition, our comprehensive dealer and service network guarantees quality and reliability – even after installation. Even your tax dollars have contributed to our nation’s bowling room at the White House. Now you can indulge. Bowling for your home is a very real and very affordable amusement showpiece. • If a loading dock or fork lift is not available, then arrangements will need to be made to off load the bowling equipment from the delivery truck. INFINITY can unload but this will add a day for technicians’ labor and travel expense.Watch how we deliver & install a FULL Size bowling alley over marble floors, down a two level staircase and into a basement setting with a 7′-2″ ceiling and a floor space of just 34′ x 8′. It is an amazing transformation.

This type of decadence was only reserved for the uber rich. Many captains of industry or Hollywood moguls chose to install a lane or two in their estates. “I’m blown away by how incredibly gorgeous this is. I cannot call this a basement any more, my Basement is a Replacement. Now a kid from Hollis Queens has a bowling alley in his home!” Our full size Bowling ranges in length from 34′ to a regulation 80′ in length. Our DuckPin Bowling units range from 26′ to 54′ in length and Ninja Bowl is 20′ Long.“Who’s Got a “Real” Bowling Alley in their house? WEEE do!” “This is going to be Epic, Ninja Bowl … Look out!” We only had 25ft of space and Steve of Infinity custom built us a 21ft bowling lane.” Go Ninja Go Ninja Go!• For long hauls or larger orders (+4 Lanes) will require delivery on pallets via a common carrier. Overseas orders will transport via sea container. Equipment ranges from 1800 to 2400 lbs per lane, a forklift or a liftgate truck will be required. Most carriers only allow a couple of hours to unload.

No need for special shoes or lane oiling machines. With our bowling lanes you can use your own street shoes, follow our U-tube videos to maintain your equipment. And there are absolutely NO oiling of the lane requirements.• Special arrangements can be made with our shipping company to coordinate delivery direct to a local moving company shipping dock. They can off load the equipment and hand deliver to you. This is the best way to deal with 2nd floor or basement deliveries.Your choice, Scaled-to-fit Full-Size TenPin Bowling or our Signature DuckPin Bowling. We can build you our DiY TV showpieces Vanilla Ice’s Ninja Bowl or Rev Run’s “Real” Full-Size TenPin bowling alley.“When we filmed the Bowling Attraction for Rev Run’s Renovation the Infinity Lane presented so well that we dedicated the entire first show to the basement demolition and installation of Rev’s bowling lane.”Infinity pinsetters are built to last with a 30-year plus life expectancy that will add extreme entertainment value to your home. This is a REAL commercial grade bowling machine not some low voltage toy-like imitation.We have a team of cabinet makers that will pre-fabricate your bowling system at our factory. We do all the measuring and cutting on our floor, leaving the construction dust with us. Deliveries are door to door directly to your home and our team will assemble your system on-site. Your friends and neighbors will be amazed that you have a REAL bowling alley that has auto pinsetting, auto scoring, auto ball return system along with glow-in-the-dark lanes. Be prepared to have your friends & neighbors ask to move in. But when searching for an answer to Shelley’s question, this fact became clear: There aren’t any duckpin bowling alleys in Milwaukee or in the state of Wisconsin.That stands in stark contrast with mini duckpin bowling, where a 300 game is so common that many first-timers players brag about joining the 300-club at Koz’s Mini Bowl in Milwaukee.

“The pins that they’re using are actually the free-standing duckpins, the balls that they’re using are probably standard size duckpin bowling balls, but the lane is short, the width of the lane is not standard as well,” explains Stan Kellum, the executive director of the National Duckpin Bowling Congress in Maryland.

“There’s never been a perfect game in duckpin bowling. The highest game ever bowled by a lady is 265 and the highest game ever bowled by a man is 279,” Stan says.

The National Congress of Duckpin Bowling is also unsure of the exact origins of the standard game. As for the name, Stan recalls a story he was told about its origination: “When they threw the ball in early stages of the game, and the pins would jump into the air and fly all around, they described it as like a flock of ducks taking off, where they all fly up together.”Bowling. It’s as Wisconsin as cheese curds and Packers gear. Some have even called Milwaukee “America’s 10-pin Capital” in reference to ten-pin bowling, the most common form of the sport. But there’s another kind of bowling that’s also popular in the area, and it’s a little quacky. Unlike the mini version, standard duckpin bowling uses the same kinds of lanes as 10-pin bowling. Players use a 3-pound ball and the pins are about 9-inches tall. Unlike standard 10-pin bowling, players are given three rolls per set and Stan says that’s in part due to how tough the game is to play. Owner Justin Kozakowski says its this ease of play that often attracts players to Koz’s, along with the novelty. For many years, Koz’s remained a sort of anomaly – a throwback to a bygone era of bowling curiosities.Justin explains, “Mini bowling was very popular in Milwaukee. There was about a dozen bars that was about the same style. And then, that was around the mid-60s that started falling out. My dad bought this place in ’78, ya know, but this was the last one like this.”

Duckpin bowling allies are fairly common on the east coast, particularly in Maryland. Wisconsin did have regulation duckpin bowling lanes at a place called Quackers in Thiensville, but it’s now closed. Currently, the closest regulation lanes to the state of Wisconsin are in Indianapolis, Indiana.She explains, “My sister lives in Green Bay and she’s got three kids, so I had mentioned to my sister, I said, ‘You know, when the kids come down, why don’t we go Duckpin Bowling?’ And she goes, ‘What? What’s Duckpin Bowling?’ She kind of like thought I was having an alien response and so I explained to her what it was and she goes, ‘I’ve never heard of that.’ And then that made me think: Is this just a Milwaukee thing?”Here at Global Bowling we include installation whenever you purchase mini bowling lanes for your house or residence. Our team of professional installers will come to your location, now matter where you are in the world, and perform installation of all your bowling equipment. Our staff will perform a training to make sure you are equiped with the knowledge to maintain the mini bowling lanes you just added to your home.

Duckpin bowling scoring is similar to ten-pin bowling. If a bowler knocks down all 10 pins with their first roll, it is scored a strike; 10 points, plus the total number of pins knocked down with the next two balls. If a bowler knocks down all the pins with their first two rolls, it is a spare; 10 points plus the number of pins knocked down with their next ball. If a bowler knocks all 10 pins down with three balls, it is scored as ten.

Foundry Social features 8 duckpin bowling lanes with a comfortable lounge area complete with couches and tables where bowlers can hang with friends, get in the duckpin zone, or just enjoy a night out.

Duckpin balls are about half the size of a regular bowling ball and have no finger holes so you can roll them with your palm. Duckpins are arranged in a triangle like in ten-pin bowling, and are shorter and lighter, making it much more difficult to get a strike. Since duckpin is more difficult, bowlers get three rolls per frame.Product Listing Policy – Intellectual Property Protection – Privacy Policy – Terms of Use – User Information Legal Enquiry Guide – Integrity Compliance