I've been waiting on this news for some time, just so it will (hopefully) shut up a lot of the "scoring pace is the devil" critics who think that's what led to the downfall of league bowling.

What has led to the downfall of both sports is increased competition for a person's time from other interests, the breakdown of local economic systems, increased cost of participation, and sociological changes such as people simply becoming less social and more insulated behind computer screens. And while bowlers lost a lot of bowling centers along the way, golfers lost even more in terms of golf courses going under in 1999/2000 and 2006-2008.

It is much easier to identify the scoring pace, especially if the person doing it feels threatened by others suddenly bowling scores comparable to his/her own.

I've told this story before, but I used to live in a town where the local steel plant shut down its third shift, and when it did that, an entire 24-team league quit. That's 24 teams times five bowlers, or 120 people. You could add up everyone else I've ever known to quit bowling over the last 25 years, for whatever reason, and you wouldn't get to 120. I still can count the number of people who left because "scores are too high" on two hands and still have digits left over.

The scoring pace argument is a total red herring, and it becomes less of a reason every year, as older bowlers who were around pre-resin die off. Within the next 20 years, there won't be many people who began competitive bowling prior to resin's arrival, thus the excuse will be completely irrelevant, not that it isn't irrelevant already.

Golf's problems share a lot in common with bowling's problems, but people don't quit golf because it's too easy. I know plenty to have quit it because it's too hard; I'm still waiting to meet the first person to quit it because it was too easy. I have, however, met plenty of people opposed to six-hour rounds, $70 greens fees (plus another $25 for the cart if you don't want to walk), courses in shoddy condition for the price, etc.

If you want to bring both sports' numbers back, either work on the value side of golf and bowling for awhile, or figure out a way to spin the Wayback Machine back to where parents weren't helicoptering over their kids' travel ball schedules, the middle class wasn't economically threatened, or find a way to turn off video games. Just don't try to sell me on scoring pace being the problem, because it's not.

Jess

If you want to bring both sports' numbers back, either work on the value side of golf and bowling for awhile, or figure out a way to spin the Wayback Machine back to where parents weren't helicoptering over their kids' travel ball schedules, the middle class wasn't economically threatened, or find a way to turn off video games. Just don't try to sell me on scoring pace being the problem, because it's not.

Jess

Winner.

I think bowling is more guilty of pricing themselves away from their market than golf has been by a long shot.

Unlike Jess, I still have access to decently priced rounds of golf ($20 w/cart during week, $30 on weekend), but greens fees haven't escalated like bowling prices have. 

I would argue price is a bigger issue with bowling.  Let's be honest, bowling appeals to a lower income bracket and when bowling 4-5 games costs more than 18 holes at a municipal GC, that's a problem. 

Golf is following one path that bowling did.....equipment of the month.  TaylorMade is hor-ri-ble about mass equipment dumps on a yearly basis.  Equipment junkies can stay broke   On the flip side, I have no problem buying last year's driver for 1/2 price (or better).  Unlike bowling, golf equipment advances are strictly watched by the USGA and other than the speed slots, there haven't been any huge advances that warranted multiple purchases.

You can't compare bowling with municipal golf.  Most municipal golf courses are subsidized by the city's parks and recreation department.  So unless your city owns the local bowling center and subsidizes it the comparison isn't fair. 

As I've said many times, people want to bowl in shiny new bowling centers with new lanes and a lane machine that costs as much as a car, but pay 80's prices.

I think bowling and golf are both great games, that have their own share of weaknesses and strengths.  Golf has always seemed to be less intuitive to the average beginner, making it more difficult for many  to get above the proverbial hacker status.  Bowlings biggest challenge comes from the subtlety in difficulty of getting to the elite level.  The amount of versatility necessary to compete over a broad range of lane conditions is very much under rated.     

I've been waiting on this news for some time, just so it will (hopefully) shut up a lot of the "scoring pace is the devil" critics who think that's what led to the downfall of league bowling.
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Great post, saved me the typing. The dying middle class, blue collar manufacturing sector, coupled with the fast paced Facebook youth, and a craptastic economy make bowling wither on the vine - and this is put to rest with the aging houses not moving or staying relevant and marketing to the "new" bowler.

Golf has similar, but not completely identical problems...but it has advantages over bowling as it appeals to a more affluent market segment, exists on ground and in areas where the folks still spending live and want to be, and enjoys an "elite" sporting status.

Bowling is not coming back to the 1970's. Ever. Sorry, that's the post industrial world we're living in. Enjoy what we have, try to get people into it, hope your center has some marketing savvy. Or, find a new sport.