If you want to bowl like a pro, then you got to talk like one. Or at the very least, you need to be able to understand basic bowling terms so that you can converse with your fellow bowlers and friends! So check out these common bowling terms to get a grip on the lingo:
- Strike – Knocking down all the pins on the first throw.
- Spare – Picking up a spare is knocking down all remaining pins on a bowler’s second throw.
- Double – If you get two strikes in a row, you’ve just made yourself a double.
- Turkey – Three strikes in a row is a turkey.
- Badger – Once you’ve made a turkey, next up is a badger. A “four-badger” is four strikes in a row, a “five-badger” is five in a row, etc.
- Perfect Game – 12 strikes in a row is a perfect game and totals 300 points.
- Open Frame – An open frame is a turn with a score of zero points.
- Pocket – The area just to the right of the head pin (for right-handed players) or the left of the head pin (for left-handed players). This is the sweet spot you generally want to aim for to minimize your chance of a split.
- Split – When the remaining pins are left with a gap between them. Often, this is caused by hitting the head pin straight on instead of in the pocket.
- The 7-10 Split – This is one of the toughest shots in bowling and occurs when only the leftmost and rightmost pins remain (i.e. the 7 and the 10 pin).
- Handicap – Handicaps are most commonly applied in recreational leagues. Typically this is done by adding points to a more skilled bowler’s average to make a game with less skilled bowlers competitive.
Now that you know the lingo, come try it out at our Middletown bowling alley! Check out our hours and make your plans today.
