Bo-Fish Bowling News: the Positive Source for Bowling Worldwide

Lane Education
by Patrick Mitchell

Understanding the Playing Field

In the years that I have worked with bowling lanes - whether it involved resurfacing, installing or conditioning - I have been able to see, firsthand, the abuse that lanes go through. I have seen the type of abuse change as the generations of balls changed. This does not only apply to wood lanes but also to synthetic lanes. In this article I will try to educate all readers about our playing fields ... they are not just floors!

[In 1987 during the "The Urethane Age," I began resurfacing bowling lanes.] Bowling was still going strong despite the move to Limited Distance Dressing a year prior. The summer consisted of many complete sands and a few re-coats (screening lanes and pulling finish). A few centers used Oil Dry (an absorbing powder used with chemicals to extract oil from the lanes). This restored the heads (maple section) to their natural color. Repairs such as patching, edgeboard, kickback, and flatgutter replacements were common. Most centers sanded each year to provide a good product for their customers. This also provided longevity to the lanes and prevented costly damage. Bowling was still good for the centers during this period.

1993 was the first year in which the lanes showed more extensive wear. Reactive Resin had made a dominating presence in our industry. More centers were showing a greater number of ball burn markings in the heads. The heat created by the friction between the reactive ball and the lane finish would burn through the finish and scorch the bare wood underneath. This allowed oil to penetrate into the wood causing discoloration and softening of the impact area. This created more friction. The cure at that time was to put more oil on the lanes. This would help protect the lanes and allow the oiling patterns to hold up longer. The days of adjusting one board were gone.

Since 1993, our sport has been rapidly changing. The balls have gotten more and more aggressive and this requires more conditioner on the lanes. Water-base lane finishes have become inadequate. Urethane and 100% solids epoxy finishes have gotten better and conditioners have become more specialized. Most centers have less cash flow and the lanes generally get neglected. Centers sand once every two to three years on average (the cost of resurfacing and repairs can be very expensive). More centers are installing synthetic lanes, which require less maintenance (no resurfacing).

Wood lanes can no longer stop the oil penetration even with the best finishes. When the lanes cannot be protected they become very vulnerable to damage. Wood lanes will get large, deep ball burns that allow the conditioner a direct path to the wood. Once the penetration starts, the lanes discolor and become softer. If they are not repaired immediately, the penetration reaches deeper and the possibility of damage becomes even higher. Most lanes look terrible by the end of a year even with good maintenance procedures.

Film overlays wear very fast and become very hard to condition. The scratches can cut through the film and allow oil to penetrate. The penetration in that area becomes very noticeable and may only be patched out. Once the film starts wearing it becomes harder to keep the heads from hooking.

Synthetic lanes are laid on top of existing surfaces, often with no structural work done. After 30 to 40 years of abuse, foundations take hard beatings. Sometimes they come loose from the concrete allowing the lanes to float (meaning the lane can move, allowing the crosstilt to change depending where you stand), moving as the environment changes. The topography of the lane is more likely to change and sometimes it can cause drastic differences in ball reaction. Some lanes shift with each passing train. Many times you can see the lane bounce when the ball impacts. This creates higher friction and can also cause the surface to wear faster. Synthetic lanes do not provide any more of a benefit than any other surface. Each has its own problems.

This can have a great effect on the bowlers. A good sport to compare to would be golf. How often would you go to a course that has no maintenance? Don't you deserve the best possible product? Lanes that are neglected one way or another can create consistency problems. Add to this an employee that is not trained properly on lane maintenance. Think about this but do not draw any conclusions, yet.

Bowling has gone through what I consider the "Dark Period." This period started near the end of the 1980s and we are now starting to see the light. It has been a lack of understanding the results of new technologies that has caused the problems. The industry has been flooded with new products, from bowling balls to seating and from lane machines to lighting systems. If you are in the proprietors' shoes, what do you do? Where do you start to try to bring in more customers? How do you make bowling more interesting for the customers? Why do you go into a bowling center - to bowl or to admire the newly remodeled restroom? The center could be the most beautiful in the world but if the lanes are bad it may become a poor experience for the customer. Do not be upset at the proprietor; they have many decisions to make and some have not had the adequate education about the lanes. How important is the lane to the success of a bowling center? Inconsistent lanes are the biggest complaint in most centers around the United States.

What has changed the most over the years? Remember that there was a time when the lanes barely broke down a board. Now they can break down five arrows through the course of a high lineage tournament. I do not think anyone really considered the results of the new ball technologies. Of course, the rules set by the ABC do not address textured surfaces or absorbency rates. The fact is the lane surfaces are being damaged at a much higher rate than they should be. Most of the technology in bowling is beneficial; we just have this one problem which affects different areas such as lane maintenance (which will be the subject of my next article).

I hope you all understand the purpose of this article. I am here to help educate everyone I can about the importance of lanes. We are all aware of the tailspin that bowling is in and the industry has been working on the problems we face. I know everyone does care what is happening; otherwise, there would be no complaining. We, the industry (bowlers too), must work together to repair the problems. We need to stop the finger pointing and passing the blame. Together we all can be responsible for the revival of the most passionate game our world has known.

Read the following article:

"Designing Lane Patterns"

Take the:

"Lanes 101" Survey

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