Hi! My name is John and I’m the creator of HobbySeekers.com, your one-stop for all your bowling questions!
Bowling is a vast topic with lots of different areas, and as this website expands, we’re going to cover more and more topics.
It’s a big passion of ours and like most of you, readers, one of our favorite hobbies.
It’s been a talking point in many popular cultural landmarks, including The Big Lebowski, Kingpin, and The 13th Alley. Its presence in global society has been significant since the 1950s.
Interestingly, bowling popularity is on the rise.
Maybe because it’s an accessible hobby, and one you can do on your own or with any number of friends — the possibilities are endless.
Whatever your situation, bowling is sure to put a smile on your face and give you a good, competitive experience.
That’s why 100 million people in 80 countries hit the lanes every year, filling frames and scoring strikes in thousands of different venues across the globe.
Contents
Rising Popularity
Bowling interest peaked in the 1950s, where it played an integral part in society, especially for American culture.
If you look at films of the ’50s, a lot of the iconography is centered around the alley: Thunderbirds parked outside with people in Varsity jackets heading inside, drinking Coke from glass bottles, etc.
Part of this is due to the invention of the automatic pinsetter, which removed the most unenjoyable aspect of the game: heading down the lane yourself to reset your targets.
However, since the turn of the 1990s, bowling’s popularity has risen once more, and we’re here to serve that ever-growing interest with product reviews, general news, and anecdotal stories about our happiest times on the lanes.
The sport has grown exponentially in recent years, with the industry exploding in size from $4 billion in 2014 to $10 billion in 2018. This could be, at least in part, due to professional bowling being now more accessible than ever.
Videos of the sport’s greats, such as Pete Weber and Mookie Betts, have garnered millions of views on YouTube, opening the sport to a much larger audience who will, in turn, be inspired to hit the lanes themselves.
Another reason could be the redesign of bowling venues around the world. Often, they feature as part of entertainment complexes alongside fast-food restaurants, movie theatres, and bars. This helped create a different level of buzz and curiosity for the sport.
Suddenly, no longer is the Friday night bowling session reserved exclusively for families and young children. There’s an ever-increasing popularity among a more mature clientele who can enjoy bowling alongside their weekend beers and cocktails.
There’s a diverse range of lanes out there to cater to any need, including chains such as All-Star Lanes and Hollywood Bowl.
Additionally, there are a ton of independent venues worldwide that offer unique experiences.
We recommend Dog Bowl in Manchester, England, which offers happy hour on delicious alcoholic drinks and an excellent food menu.
If you’re stateside, Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl and Grill is the place to be. This venue has a unique oceanic design, with 16 lanes and a seafood menu with food caught in the waters nearby. You can ride this wave in Tacoma, Washington.
Topics
Like any sport, bowling has many different subdivisions and areas to explore. We’re going to cover numerous topics for you, to ensure all aspects are covered without compromising on information.
Some of these subjects include:
Equipment
Bags, gloves, balls, pins… you name it. Your quality as a player is mainly down to skill, hard work, grit, and determination, but the gear you use plays a vital role too.
Equipment can get expensive though, especially if you aspire to use the high-end ones. That’s why we’ll be providing reviews, recommendations, and offers I’ve found on the market’s best products.
Like all multi-billion dollar industries, there are both giant brands and hidden gems. We’re here to help you find the cheaper, high-quality alternatives that will help you generate the scores you always dreamed of.
Shoes are essential too, both for comfort and to help you with your plays. We’ll keep you up to date with both the classics and new models, all of which will help you get one step closer to hitting the illustrious Turkey you’ve been dreaming about.
Suppliers
It’s easy to get lost on the web – we’ll give you our favorite suppliers of the essentials to guarantee you don’t get pinned down by bad prices, dodgy salesmen and fake reviews.
Our website provides you with good, honest opinions. Although it’s up to you, we’ll point you in the right direction as best we can.
Highlights
Like all great sports, bowling has classic games, legendary players and huge tournaments.
YouTube has made it all much more accessible, and the group of interested bowlers and observers is higher than ever. Bowling regularly features on huge networks and sites like ESPN and Bleacher Report!
We’ll give you links to articles and videos of some timeless moments and player profiles.
News
With rapidly increasing interest, more people than ever are going to want to keep up to date with rising stars, tournament standings, upcoming fixtures, and industry changes.
Check out our ‘news’ tab to find all of this and more.
We hope you enjoy what we have to offer and that you’re bowled over by the content you see here. Get in touch if you have any recommendations for site additions or other things you want covered.
Happy bowling!