Bowling is a both a recreational activity and a sport where you roll a ball down a lane in order to strike and knock down pins.
Bowling is a very popular pastime around the world and many professional players bowl as a full-time career and earn a great salary doing it.
The sport of bowling can be quite technical and you need need plenty of practice and skill to become an expert. Some of the important information you will need to know include the dimensions and weights of the items being used. This includes the bowling lane itself.
I guess if you want to perfect the game of bowling, you should know the actual dimensions of the lane including the gutters. Here is what you need to know.
Dimensions of a bowling lane with gutters
A regulation size bowling lane is 41.5″ wide which includes 39 boards across. Each gutter is 9.25″ wide making the total width 60″ or 5 feet across.
The bowling lanes are designed to not be less than 60″ across or more than 60.25″.
The distance from the beginning of the lane to the headpin is 75 feet. There is a foul line which is 15 feet from the start position making the headpin 60 feet from the foul line.
How wide are the gutters of a bowling lane?
The gutters for each bowling lane are designed to catch the ball if rolled off the lane and deliver it past the pins. There is one gutter on each side of the lane.
If the ball enters the gutter, it will not hit any of the pins. The gutters are 9.25″ wide and have a depth of 1.875″ below the lane surface.
What is a bowling lane made of?
The wood used in making a bowling lane is both maple and pine. Normally the lane is broken down into sections where the different woods are used.
The first section usually contains hard maple, the middle section is pine, and the last section contains maple or a combination of both pine and maple.
Pine is used more than maple in construction. Other synthetic materials may be used as well and must be approved before use.
Bowling lane layout
A typical bowling lane consists of a few different sections. First is the approach section which extends out 15 feet to the foul line. 6 feet In front of the foul line are the dots.
Next are the arrows which are located 15 feet ahead of the foul line (2nd row of arrows). After the arrows is the breakpoint which extend out to the headpin which is 60 feet from the foul line.
The distance from the beginning of the approach section to the headpin is 75 feet total. There are 10 pins in total.
What are the arrows on a bowling lane for?
The bowling arrows play a very important role in improving the accuracy of your shot. The arrows are sometimes called dovetails. They are effective in helping you target the required pins to knockdown.
Essentially being used for alignment purposes. There are 7 arrows in total and they are evenly spread apart and placed diagonally behind each other.
The first arrow is located around 5″ from the edge of the lane. The fourth arrow is the center and is aligned with the headpin.
How much space do you need for a bowling alley?
The minimum amount of space required for a regulation size bowling alley would be 100 feet long.
This would include the 75-foot distance from the beginning of the lane to the headpin, the pins themselves, and a pinsetter machine.
You will need to allow for extra space for maintenance and walking around the lane itself.
Are bowling alleys sloped or flat?
There are no bowling alleys that are perfectly flat. Some are flatter than others but the truth is there will be a very small amount of slope.
Older wood bowling alleys would need to be flattened and restored on a consistent basis.
Newer bowling alleys also use synthetic materials that help eliminate this need.