Get to Know your Bowling Terms!

If you have ever gone bowling before, you’ve likely experienced some of these moves or bowling outcomes but didn’t know what to call them. Don’t sweat it! Here are a few terms to help you step up your bowling game:

BED POSTS: A 7-10 split

This term refers to the bowling outcome everyone dreads: the 7-10 split. If the only pins left standing are the two back pins, one on the far right, and one on the far left, you’re in for a tricky bowl. As one of the hardest spares to get, everyone has got their own way of tackling the 7-10 split! Think you’ve got the best move for this tricky combination? Test out your moves at Parkway Social to show us how it’s done.

SOUR APPLE: A 5-7-10 split

The Sour Apple is just like the 7-10 split but with a twist! One row ahead and smack dab in the middle is the 5 pin right between your 7-10 split. Don’t worry, though. This combination is much easier to tackle. Try using a trusty curveball to knock the 5 pin into the 10, while ultimately aiming to hit the 7.

Bonus: This 5-7-10 split may also be referred to as a Lily!

DOUBLE WOOD: Two pins left standing, one directly in front of the other

If you’ve got two pins left where one of the pins stands directly behind the other, you’ve bowled a Double Wood. There are only three ways to do this move: a 2-8 split, a 3-9 split or a 1-5 split. Did you know the back pin, which is typically hidden by the one in front, is called a “sleeper”?

PAR: A 200 score

If you’re a bowling master, or maybe just plain lucky, you’ve likely gotten a score of 200 but did not know what it was called. At Parkway Social, we call this score a “par”.

Bonus: The highest bowling score you can get is 300 points by bowling 12 strikes in a row. For obvious reasons, we call this a “perfect game”.

  1. FOUL: Putting your foot on or over the foul line as you bowl.

You can foul is basketball and you can foul in soccer, but did you know this term is also used in bowling? If you step on (or over) the line marking the start of the bowling lane, you bowled a foul. But for a fun night out, we don’t take this rule too seriously.

If you’re ready to put some of these terms to use, you can book your lane online at parkwaysocial.ca!