What Are Bowling Lanes Made of, And Why? Synthetic vs. Wooden Lanes

Bowling is an exceptionally remarkable sport; almost everybody can enjoy it regardless of age or proficiency level. However, if you want to become proficient in bowling, you must learn many factors, including the tool and the area where this sport is carried out. Our center of discussion for today is all about bowling lanes.

You must be thinking of what and how bowling lanes are made and what is the mechanism of bowling lanes. Well, this is exactly what I’m going to discuss. This piece of writing will talk about almost everything related t bowling lanes. So, make sure you read this article well until the end if you want to get more knowledge about bowling lanes.

Bowling lanes – Interpreted

Bowling lanes can be defined as a long straight surface or a path with a smooth and plain appearance that players roll the bowling ball on to attain the maximum points. When we talk about bowling requirements, bowling lanes are the most crucial element to think about.

The slipperiness and softness of the surface of the lane play a key role in taking up the heavy bowling balls toward the bowling pins standing at the end of the bowling lane. In the case of children, similar bowling lanes are utilized in terms of measurement and material.

The only dissimilarity reviewed is that there are stands that are sliding in nature, utilized for kids who are interested in sport and adults who are unable to bowl without support.

What is a Classification of Bowling Lanes

You might consider it as unusual, but the types of bowling lane play an important role. Identical bowling circumstances and oil patterns can ultimately have a different impact on the bowling ball in case the lane is different.

In state-of-the-art bowling, there are generally two kinds of bowling lane, one is called as the wooden bowling lane, while the other is called as the synthetic bowling lane. Let’s have a brief look at them:

Which Bowling Lane is Better, A Synthetic or a Wooden Bowling Lane

If we talk about comparison between these two bowling lanes, there has always been a discussion on which lane is good for bowling. It totally depends on the type of ball you are employing and the oil patterns of course.

For instance, if you are utilizing a plastic ball that gives a sliding motion and does not have a hooking power, for this kind of bowling ball you are required to have a wooden bowling lane.

This is because the wood absorbs oil instantly, and the bowling ball would be provided with a hook in a natural way only because the absorption of lubricant, assisting it maintain it’s movement towards the pins.

On the other hand, if you are utilizing a ball that gives off a little more hooking motion and friction such as a reactive resin or a particle bowling ball. For this, a synthetic bowling lane would be better option in order to have a great performance and a sliding motion provided by it initially.

But, from a neutral point of view, I would definitely suggest that synthetic lanes are good for beginners or amateurs in view of the fact of low hooking power they provide, and are better for sliding, straight and linear motion.

What is the Extent of a Bowling Lane

Now if we talk about the height of a bowling lane, the width of a standard or regulation bowling lane is 2 inches. This measurement is almost equal in all types of bowling lane and does not actually depend on the form of material or the kind of bowling lanes that are being employed.

It is the same in each of them. A bowling lane is only durable or have great endurance if it is thick in it’s extent. However, unluckily, now there are other types of lanes that are comparatively less thick which makes it wear out earlier.

The bowling lanes with thicker width are normally stays a little longer due to the durability factor. But these are needed to be replaced or changed because of the wear and tear of the lane surface which makes the ball roll differently.

What are Bowling Lanes Surfaced With

No matter if you are playing on a wooden bowling lane or a synthetic bowling lane, both of them are coated or surfaced with a layer of material. The material that is coated on the surface of a bowling lane is actually oil. Yes, you heard it right, oil patterns are utilized to conceal the bowling lane.

There are two reasons for coating the bowling lane with the oil patterns.

The first motive involves the using of oil pattern to secure the surface of a bowling lane. The layer of oil pattern that is utilized for the bowling ball is to secure the surface of bowling lane while avoiding any damage. Mostly people are unaware of this purpose.

The second motive is to create a sense of challenge among the bowlers and give smooth appearance to the bowling lane. This smoothness then causes the simple rolling of the ball hard by launching spin and hook on a bowling lane.

How to Keep Up the Bowling Lanes

Notwithstanding the material that is being utilized in bowling lanes, these are required to be accurately maintained. Besides looking good, sufficiently maintained lanes are secure, good for the game and are durable.

Now, you must be thinking of how to keep up the bowling lanes. Here is the approach that bowling alleys take routinely to maintain their bowling lanes. Dusting is needed for bowling lanes in order to keep the dirt away. Regular decontamination is also required.

After cleaning the lanes thoroughly, most of the bowling alleys utilize conditioner accompanied with synthetic additives and a blend of mineral oil. The condition of bowling lane assists in securing the surface from dents and scratches and allows the material to stay for a long time.

It creates a sliding surface in such a way that the bowling balls are not decelerated due to the friction. Different bowling alleys utilize various blends of conditioners with different lubricant standards.

So, if you think that you bowl better or worse at a specific bowling lane, the amount of lubricant used matters a lot. Little issues on a bowling lane like dents and scratches can turn into bigger ones if they are not considered instantly.

This is specifically true for any part of bowling lane that is continuously utilized or takes the impact of bowling ball’s strike. More wear and tear occur at the area where there is more traffic of bowling balls, so they are needed to be replaced as compare to the other portions of bowling lanes.

Why is there Variance of Colors in Bowling Lanes

When you play bowling ball for the first time, you might have seen that your bowling lane has different interesting frames of colors. You might notice the darker wood blending with the lighter wood. It might be a changing pattern or appearance or something like that.

The reason behind these light and dark wood in a bowling lane is that you’re witnessing two different kinds of wood. As we know, maple and pine are leading options of wood when we talk about bowling lanes.

If the alleys are still utilizing wood for the lanes, then it’s possibly maple and pine. Maple is bit darker in color as compare to the pine wood. You can ultimately figure out which wooden bar is maple and same is the case for pine.

What are the Measurements of a Bowling Lane?

Before we discuss about the types of different bowling lanes and the composition of bowling lane, we are required to learn more about the frame of a bowling lane. Most significantly, bowling lane measurements are something that you should be aware of.

A bowling lane is generally divided into various portions. The total length of a standard bowling lane is almost 60 feet, and if we talk about it’s breadth, on average it is around 42 inches.

There is a foul line present at the start of a bowling lane and before that we have a space of 12 feet surface that positions on the corner of a bowling lane.

And if we look at the first 3 feet of bowling lane, there are two rows present there named as approach dots and it is the exact spot where you will stand to roll your bowling ball.

At the exterior section of this surface, there is a foul line where you will roll your bowling ball while assuring that you are taking care of the foul line in order to not step on it in view of the fact that it will cause a foul while not rewarding you with any points for that foul shot.

Then there are aiming arrows that are present at almost 12 feet far from the foul line. The bowling lane finishes at the point where the ball touches the bowling pin present at first in the set of pins standing at the end of the lane.

That is all you are required to learn about the pattern of a bowling lane. After getting better at understanding the bowling lane, you can now roll your ball more precisely in order to attain maximum strikes.

Final Considerations

Now after reading this article thoroughly, all we get to know is bowling lane is the essence of a bowling sport. The ideal bowling lane coated with a good oil pattern permits the bowler to swing the bowling ball the accurate way and knock down all the possible pins in a single attempt in order to get strikes and spares.

So, solution is simple! Bowling lanes are composed of various different materials, however, the most ordinary are synthetic material, wood or may be a mixture of the two. If you do not remember anything else from this piece of writing, remember that the type of stuff that is used can effect your overall pattern of game, make sure to bowl on the type of lane that is suitable for you.

I really hope you get a lot from this article and that you will employ this information in your next bowling games. This information will surely assist you understand the concept of bowling lot better.

FAQs Of Bowling Lanes Made of

What material are majority bowling lanes composed of?

The wood called as pine is mostly utilized in making of bowling lanes which is soft in nature. This is employed in the center of the lane within the landing portion and deck of the balls. Pine is generally strong to decay and shrinking with a large amount of resistance.

What is the width of a bowling lane?

If we talk about the width of a bowling lane, it is 42 inches. And the wooden bars are normally about 2.5 inches in thickness. The wooden planks made of maple generally conceal about 12 feet at the start of the bowling lane and then 6 feet at the end of the bowling lane.

Why do bowling lanes not get damage?

With a standard thickness of about 2.5 inches, bowling lane surface can be composed of blend of different materials. The most widely utilized material for lane surface are synthetic, maple wood and pinewood flooring.

How are bowling lanes bonded together?

The bowling lanes are generally composed of panels that are nailed and then glued together for binding, which shows that a round saw would be utilized for cutting the bars through nails.

Are bowling lane flooring hollow in nature?

The fact is that all of the bowling lanes are not depressed or hollow in nature. Mostly bowling balls have different sizes and weight in view of the fact the way they are made while altering the filler and densities of material. This shows that a bowling ball with lighter weight utilize a material of low density for filler.