After hearing that the center in Woodland closed, I have heard a rumor that Alpine is next on the hit list.  Anyone else hear anything?

Yes, It has been announced that Alpine Valley is closing.

Landpark should pick up some business once Alpine closes. There isn't another bowling alley in that area. There is Strikes in EG, but that starts adding a bit of drive time.

Bad news as far as another center closing, but I guess good news for the other centers in the Sacramento area.  Wonder who's next, Landpark, Rocklin?

They need to take the lanes from Alpine and put them in Landpark. I think it has only been maybe 2 years since Alpine was remodeled and Landpark really needs it. LOL

Strikes has their own problems though, their parent company filed for bankruptcy recently from what I hear. I think that is how Steve Cook ended up with Fireside.

Thankfully, Strikes is not controlled by AMF.  Hopefully Landpark will get some funds to fix the place up and perhaps get a real lane machine to replace the yellow bus

The group that owned Both of the Strikes bowling alleys and Fireside own none of it now. The one in Rocklin is now called Strikes Unlimited. The one in Elk Grove is called Pins and Strikes. As stated Fireside is now Steve Cook's Fireside Lanes.

Land Park's lanes are in great shape. They are a year older then Alpines. I think the plan is to take some of the lanes and place them at Mardi Gras and Rocklin. Mardi Gras has several pairs that the heads are horrible.

AVL just replaced the lanes, approached and seating around two years ago I thought. About  4 years ago they had wood lanes and the heads were just beat to a pulp. The last time I was there maybe a year and a half ago, the lanes had been replaced.

I bowled at Lane Park within the last year, it's not an impressive house. It's dark and just feels old and dirty inside. I didn't get the impression that the lanes were that new, but maybe it was just the overall feel of the house.

But if I had to choose between the two, at least Land Park is in a decent location as far as neighborhood go.

The other reason with AVL closing is how much it would be to remodel the place. With a bowling alley 3 miles or so away it wasn't worth it money wise.

Heard that Landpark upgraded their scoring system finally.  Quibica?

AMF Bowling Worldwide will close a second bowling center in the Sacramento region, Alpine Valley Lanes, on Florin Road.
Woodhaven Lanes closed July 12 in Woodland. The last day for Alpine Valley will be Aug. 26.

"It all comes down to traffic, the number of people coming in," said Merrell Wreden, AMF's vice president of marketing. " ... It's not performing."

Outside Alpine Valley last week, league bowlers told me that much more goes into their choice of bowling alley than meets the eye. They didn't always find consistent oil patterns in Alpine Valley's lanes or big enough purses from its leagues.

Recreational bowlers, on the other hand, said they were seeking entertainment beyond bowling – laser tag, arcades, live music, for instance. Alpine lacked the bells and whistles of many newer bowling alleys.

Alpine Valley is one of about 15 centers closed by AMF this year. Wreden doesn't see the closures as a sign that bowling has waned in popularity.

"We have successful centers all over the country, so I don't think it's a trend," he said. "I think what happens is there may be competitive situations. There may be demographic shifts."

Michael Halchak, a Standard & Poor's credit analyst whose job includes watching companies in the bowling sector, has a different view: "There's been somewhat of a secular decline within bowling. That, coupled with the economic recession that we saw in that 2008 period, have reduced consumer discretionary income, and people's inability to spend has put pressure on the revenue generation ... of bowling centers throughout the U.S."

S&P and Moody's Investors Services have questioned whether AMF's profitability is strong enough to allow it to successfully refinance hundreds of millions of dollars in debt due next year. The privately held AMF, based near Richmond, Va., retained the investment banker Moelis & Co. last year to help it explore a sale.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/07/24/4653571/merchants-national-ranks-among.html#storylink=cpy