If you’re new to bowling, you may have noticed that the lane looks different beyond the foul line. It’s shinier and very slippery looking.
You might’ve even had someone warn you to be careful when you’re stepping over the foul line. So, why are bowling lanes slippery?
There are a couple of reasons why bowling lanes are slippery. Let’s find out why it’s necessary to keep bowling lanes slick.
Why are Bowling Lanes Slippery?
Here’s an interesting fact. The lanes weren’t always oiled in a bowling alley. In the dark, non-oiled days (okay, I may be exaggerating here), there used to be a spark when the heavy bowling balls hit the lanes! Yes, literal sparks flying during bowling, somewhat akin to an anime.
When bowling centers started oiling the lanes, they saw immediate benefits. The oil keeps the lanes in top condition while also improving throws. There are different types of bowling lane oils as well.
The oils aren’t applied randomly; however, there are patterns and rules. Here are the top five reasons why bowling lanes are slippery.
1. Helps the Ball Roll
This is the most important reason for you, as a player. The oil in the lane helps the ball roll easier and helps you to be more consistent. Additionally, different oil patterns can have varying effects on your throw.
You would get random results if you just oiled the lane however you wanted. So, there’s a lot of thought that goes into oiling the lane. For example, the lanes’ sides will have less oil than the middle.
This slight imbalance helps to center the ball. However, if the lanes were too slippery, the ball would just rocket toward the gutter, which is not the best outcome.
Therefore, the oil helps your shot. You can use this knowledge to improve your game, as well as aim for the center. The oil in the center catches the ball if it rolls to one side slightly.
2. Protects the Bowling Lane
The oil is also used to protect the lanes. Bowling balls are really heavy. I’m sure you already know this without me telling you. With the weight, along with the high-speed impact of a throw, a bowling ball can do some serious damage to the lane.
A bowling ball would crack and become deformed if the lane wasn’t oiled properly. Not only will that cost the bowling alley a ton of money in maintenance and repairs, but it can also throw your game off.
Your shots won’t be as consistent. Moreover, your ball would start to veer off the center and fall into the gutter more easily. So, oiling the bowling lanes is a win-win for you and the bowling center.
3. Gives Harder Hook
However, the oil does not go all the way to the pins. As the ball approaches the pins, there’s less and less oil. This helps to hook the ball toward the pins, increasing your chance of dropping more.
With the ball hooking towards the pins, if your ball is slightly off, it may still recover and hit some of the pins. However, the oil pattern doesn’t do anything to help if your throw is wildly off. Therefore, you still need to aim for the middle.
4. Different Levels of Difficulty
Another reason they oil the lanes in a bowling alley is so the difficulty levels vary. You can control how hard it is to hit the pins by how the lane is oiled. Two types of oiling patterns dictate the difficulty of bowling lanes:
- The house pattern
- The sport pattern
House patterns are meant for beginners. The margin for error is large, which means you don’t have to be as precise during your throw, and you can still manage to drop some pins.
However, even on a lane with a house pattern, if your throw is bad, your ball is likely to go into the gutter or miss the pins. But, the house pattern isn’t suitable for professional bowlers or competitive play.
That’s why pros use a sports pattern oil. As you might imagine, the margin for error with a sport-patterned lane is much lower. Therefore, you need to be very precise with your delivery.
You can use this information to pick the right bowling alley (or lane) for your skill level. Start with house-patterned lanes first. Then, slowly move to lanes with a sport pattern oil as you gain more experience.
5. Easy Maintenance
Lastly, the oil on the bowling lanes also helps to do the maintenance easily in the center. This not only benefits the bowling center but also you. Lower maintenance means lower costs and more consistent lanes.
Since the bowling alley doesn’t need to frequently replace the lanes, you can count on the lanes to be in optimal condition.
Because of this, there’s very little downtime. If the bowling alley had to replace the lanes regularly, you would have to wait till the maintenance was over.
Since the lanes remain pristine and usable for longer periods of time, you also get more of a consistent performance from the lanes.
Your throws won’t vary as much, you’ll get consistent practice, and you’ll get better at the sport. Ultimately, easy maintenance helps both you and the bowling center.
Final Thoughts
Why are bowling lanes slippery is a question that pops into a lot of beginner’s minds. Well, now you know. You can use this information to improve your game and be able to pick the right lane for your skill level.
No matter which sport or what skill level you play at, knowing more about that sport is always a good idea. The more knowledge you have about the sport, the better you’ll be at it.