A good bowling average depends on many factors, including the bowler’s age and the amount of time he/she has spent practicing the game.
For example, a child usually doesn’t score as much as an adult, and a professional will achieve more than a beginner. Yet, there are certain averages that people seek to beat.
From beginners to pro bowlers, scoring in a good range is what everyone wants to accomplish. Even though some may believe so, this is not a dying sport, and getting a good score can boost your confidence and offer excitement and prestige to anyone.
All you have to know is what score you should get to gain bragging rights and that you don’t need to get discouraged when you don’t hit a 300.
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What Is a Good Bowling-Score Average?
For the most part, a good average bowling score is over 200.
Yet, although 200 is a good score, what is a good average for each person depends on the person’s skill level.
For example, getting 50–70 points per game would be considered average if you are a beginner. Therefore, a 90-point bowling game would be a good score for a beginner who only plays recreational bowling.
A leisure bowler’s average will typically be around 130 to 160, so in most bowling alleys, getting over a 170 may be considered rather excellent by non-pros. For a typical amateur, scoring in the mid-100s is plenty solid.
As a result, a 200 is rather impressive in general, while scoring more than 220 is typically considered excellent. Even in professional games and tournaments, winners don’t achieve much more than this, averaging around 260–280.
A person’s maximum score in one game is 300, but a perfect game is rare, even amongst professionals. The odds of someone making a perfect game in a PBA tournament is 460 to 1.
The professional bowler who bowled the most maximum-score games was Jeff Carter, who managed to rack up 112. But remember that it will take a lot of work to get your average score as high as the pros.
If you want a good bowling score, you need to practice often to even reach above-average bowling scores. Overall, most bowlers will knock between 140 and 170 pins for a bowling average of around 155.
Just know that this average is closer to the average for a league bowler. According to various bowling alley owners, the most likely bowling score in ten-pin bowling is 78 because most players are beginners.
What is a Good Score for a Child?
A good score for a child is less than half of what it is for an adult. A 90 for the entire game is what young kids should strive to achieve.
Adults usually score more in bowling because they are stronger and more powerful, which is essential to knock down as many pins as possible. Children typically use less than the standard 15-pound ball, making it harder to knock down all ten pins.
But, kids shouldn’t get discouraged. In 2006, 10-year-old Michael Tang became the first child to bowl 12 consecutive strikes for a perfect game.
After he beat this record, other children hit perfect 300s as well.
Once a person reaches adult size, usually sometime in their teenage years, he/she should be bowling at the same level as adults. For instance, the players usually average around 150 to 190 points per game on a high school bowling team.
How is Bowling Scored?
In ten-pin bowling, there are ten pins in each game. Bowling a strike on the first throw or a spare in the second gives the bowler ten points for that frame.
To bowl a perfect score, you’ll have to get 12 strikes in a row, which means a strike in the first nine frames and then three strikes in the final frame.
Overall, a bowler gets one point for knocking one pin down. So, if a bowler knocks 102 pins down in a single game, you’d typically get 102 points.
You can get a higher score than a 120 because you get extra points in the next frame if you’ve bowled a strike or spare before.
Bowlers should also know that stepping over the foul line when you roll will result in a zero for the frame.
How to Get a Better Average
To get a better average, bowlers need to focus on certain aspects of the game, such as finding the right ball and perfecting their hook.
Bowlers should always aim for the highest possible score they can get. Know your bowling average and always try to do better so you can continuously improve and keep yourself from getting discouraged.
For beginners looking to get a better average bowling score, they should worry primarily about finding the right bowling balls for their body weight and perfecting their technique. These simple tips can quickly turn a bad bowling-score average into something more respectable.
Focusing your attention on spares is one way to increase your average bowling score. It may be instinctual to get upset if you don’t hit a strike right away, but getting good at hitting spares can easily bump up your average.
When attempting a spare, make sure the bowling ball is rolled straight for a better chance of knocking down all the pins.
Keeping a good consistency will also help you become an above-average bowler. If you use the same technique each time, your score will likely increase.
Even going to the same bowling alley may raise your average score because it helps to guarantee everything will be the same and will limit the number of distractions.
Mastering the hook ball will also bring you closer to league averages and get you the highest score possible. For most bowlers, the ball should hook from right to left.
If you’re left-handed, the ball should hook the other way. Hooking on the first ball gives many bowlers a higher chance of hitting perfect games.
Hook balls also let the bowler shape the trajectory of the bowling ball for a better angle to more effectively hit the pocket.
Finally, don’t be too hard on yourself. Professional bowling coach Michelle Mullen believes that your score in bowling practice is not as important as getting the highest score or, say, bowling seven strikes in a row.
Instead, pay attention to your technique, bowling on challenging oil patterns, or other issues that are bothering you.
Final Thoughts
A good bowling score is relative and depends on a bowler’s ability.
If you want a good bowling average for your ability and age, worry about the number of pins knocked down this time as opposed to last, and think about one ball at a time and how to guide the bowling ball down the lane.
Then, you can move on to the next ball, and before you know it, you’ll be bowling three or four strikes in a row.