Author Topic: Lets take a step backwards! (Read 2570 times)

Smash49 · « **on:** March 04, 2011, 02:39:20 AM »

Crazy thought. One of the most expensive things for proprietors is to replace their scoring. Across the nation scoring is becoming dated and crt monitors eat a lot of electricity, Figuring that to replace 24 lanes of scoring with new is in the area of $135,000 and the electric cost on top of that who would be opposed to keeping score by hand the old fashioned way. If a new center opened with manual scoring but a reduced rate for league and open play would you bowl there?

Smash49

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milorafferty · « **Reply #1 on:** March 04, 2011, 10:50:42 AM »

I actually like this idea. But why not take it one step further and get rid of the automatic pin setters as well. At least on a few lanes. You would need to have a few pin setters available, but you could charge very reduced rates for those lanes at least. Would be great for practicing.

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Smash49 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 04, 2011, 11:01:49 AM »

Back in 1971 when Brunswick introduced the automatic scoring a line of bowling cost 35 cents a line at a manual center. The center with the automatic scoring charged 75 cents. At the time many centers had A2's and they still have them in place. The appearance of automatic scoring has driven up the cost of bowling dramatically and to maintain it keeps the price up even more.

Smash49

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kidlost2000 · « **Reply #3 on:** March 04, 2011, 11:25:54 AM »

It wouldn't bother me to have a form of manual scoring minus the clear score sheets you had to write on that projected the score.

Instead of having two monitor per lane just have the one monitor down with the keypad that has the score. Some centers have one keypad with monitor per team table which would also work. You still have automatic scoring just the scores are at the table on smaller monitor/keypads and not on tvs posted up above the approach.

Be good, or be good at it.

9andaWiggle · « **Reply #4 on:** March 04, 2011, 11:46:02 AM »

I'm not sure that would work... You see, then you have to pay the guy sitting on the machine $7.50 (or whatever min wage is these days). Might actually cost more.

As for the original topic, I'm all for keeping score manually. Damn automatic scorers are a PITA when they mess up (especially if they keep messing up all night and the center cannot fix it during league). I hate them. Bring back the grease pencils and plastic score sheets - they double as a souvenir if you have a great night!

milorafferty wrote on 3/4/2011 11:50 AM:
I actually like this idea. But why not take it one step further and get rid of the automatic pin setters as well. At least on a few lanes. You would need to have a few pin setters available, but you could charge very reduced rates for those lanes at least. Would be great for practicing.

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Hogsharley · « **Reply #5 on:** March 04, 2011, 01:07:44 PM »

I wouldn't like the automatic scoring for league. Who's going to do it will be an issue every week. I want to just bowl and chat during league and wouldn't want to be bothered keeping score. As for practice, I'm all for manual scoring since I don't even keep scores. I wouldn't mind shadow play for practice. I just practice my mechanic's and 10 pins anyway.

3 holes of fun!!

Edited by Hogsharley on 3/4/2011 at 5:07 PM

bigz · « **Reply #6 on:** March 04, 2011, 04:00:17 PM »

you can still have shadows without automatic scoring..i'd bowl with manual scoring,people need to know how to keep score old school.

BIGZ-
BIG ON THE LANEZ!

GO STEELERS!!

charlest · « **Reply #7 on:** March 04, 2011, 05:30:00 PM »

While I have no objection, personally, with keeping score myself, "YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN".

I'D VENTURE THE ESTIMATE THAT 90% OF OPEN BOWLERS CANNOT SCORE AND 60% OF LEAGUE BOWLERS CAN NO LONGER KEEP AN ACCURATE SCORE.

I saw recently some guesses about how to keep track of marks. And the vast majority had no clue what to do with them or even what they meant. We used to keep frame by frame amount of the team marks per frame to get an idea of who was ahead without looking at the pin total.

"None are so blind as those who will not see."

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baltimora · « **Reply #8 on:** March 04, 2011, 06:13:24 PM »

we do still keep score where i work on weekends and we do charge less to bowl. we also have wood lanes (which i love). i can be honest and say most people don't like either wood or keeping score. i guess i am already out of step as i like both.

qstick777 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 04, 2011, 06:49:10 PM »

Hogsharley and charlest have it right. Every week it seems like it is a monumentous task for somebody to grab the score sheet and write down the scores - you'd have better luck asking them to give blood or donate a kidney. And heaven help us all if they don't have a calculator to add up the series totals (some people don't realize the automatic scorer gives you all of that at the end!).

If people can't manage to add 150, 208, 179 without a calculator, do you really think we can trust them to manually score a game of bowling?

Pinbuster · « **Reply #10 on:** March 04, 2011, 07:04:00 PM »

I personally always liked keeping score. It kept me in the game.

But few did and in more casual leagues it was tough to find people willing to keep score at all at times.

Just as people flocked to centers with automatic pinsetters they also went to centers with automatic scoring. They didn't care that centers generally raised the price 10 cents a game at the time.

Plus much of the secretaries work was taken over by the centers computers.

I don't believe a center could survive without automatic scorers.

Stan · « **Reply #11 on:** March 04, 2011, 08:15:27 PM »

I would say, keep the automatics. I have very bad memories of burning my hand on a very hot telescore unit. Also, checking the adding or not only my team but the other. Greese pencils breaking or too thick to be able to read the score. Do you put down a "X" or fill in the box, Do you put down a "/" or do you just fill in half the box. Everyone seemed to have their own method and it was funny when the game was close, one of the half filled in boxed got filled it.

I would say, league/tournament play keep the automatic, open play, who cares.

sutherngent · « **Reply #12 on:** March 05, 2011, 04:20:03 AM »

I always enjoyed keeping score during league...plus I always knew it was right and nobody was cheating with me sitting right there. I also kept score during the pot games after the big scratch leagues. These could run until 3 or 4 in the morning and the bowlers always chipped in to pay the scorer. On a good night I could make over $100 just keeping score. At that time I was nowhere good enough to bowl against the pot game shooters so I made my bucks scoring. It could get crazy at times when you had 10 guys all bowing at the same time...been so long I dont know if I could even do it now.

Smash49 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 06, 2011, 06:56:52 PM »

Cost of owning a center is unbelievable. Maintaining it cost a fortune especially if you have to replace scoring, lanes or other capital equipment. The more you can do without the easier it might be. The 27 inch monitors alone cost a fortune to keep up and running. With a shrinking league base money is extremely tight and if you need to replace anything where is the money going to come from. Lets face it glow bowling in many places is a bust and open play is not dependable. The cost of bowling will most likely skyrocket in the future as less owners are able to keep up. I also forgot to mention the cost of replacing roofs and airconditioning, parking lots etc on older buildings.

Smash49

Slick, tacky, wood or synthetic it does not matter your slide is correct with SLSM Designs Bowlers Slide Sock. The Finest Slide Sock on the Planet!!!
www.bowlersslidesock.com
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Hogsharley · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2011, 07:27:03 PM »

Agreed. It's a very tough business. People don't want to bowl in alleys with wooden lanes, a 20 year old oil machines which can't lay down the same pattern twice, broken equipment, old scoring and leaky roofs but how do you stay a float when you don't have a budget to fix or to upgrade. Bowlers start leaving and the downwards spiral begins. Propeitor's are hesistant to add money because there's no guarentee that the lost bowler's will come back.

The alleys need a good recipe in order to suceed. My center tries to do an upgrade about once a year. Over the 10 years I've bowled there they have; replaced all the carpeting, new synthetic lanes and pin decks, took out the old CRT's and replaced them with 42" flat screens, new ION oiler (actually upgraded twice), cleaned the duct work out for the 1st time in 50 years and a few other smaller items. This summer it appear's they'll do the roof since it was leaking in the lounge. It's never ending but if they didn't do all of these upgrades, the center may not even be there anymore since there are 2 other alleys within 10 minutes. Bowlers are fickle. They would have moved on.

Smash49 wrote on 3/6/2011 7:56 PM:
Cost of owning a center is unbelievable. Maintaining it cost a fortune especially if you have to replace scoring, lanes or other capital equipment. The more you can do without the easier it might be. The 27 inch monitors alone cost a fortune to keep up and running. With a shrinking league base money is extremely tight and if you need to replace anything where is the money going to come from. Lets face it glow bowling in many places is a bust and open play is not dependable. The cost of bowling will most likely skyrocket in the future as less owners are able to keep up. I also forgot to mention the cost of replacing roofs and airconditioning, parking lots etc on older buildings.

Smash49

Slick, tacky, wood or synthetic it does not matter your slide is correct with SLSM Designs Bowlers Slide Sock. The Finest Slide Sock on the Planet!!!
www.bowlersslidesock.com
IBPSIA Certified Technician
Bowlers Journal International's Top 100 Coaches!!! 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010(73)
USBC Register Volunteer

3 holes of fun!!