Bowling has always been one of Jackie’s favourite activity, and because the house balls are always drilled with holes much bigger than my fingers or the holes drilled too far apart such that they make my fingers cramp after a while, since last year December, I decided to have my own customised ball.
My bowling technique has always been poor such that my score multiplied by 2 still loses to Jackie. Somehow, the ball will end up cleaning the ‘drain’.
Today, we had a bad bowling experience in Hougang Superbowl. We had 3 different groups of bowlers on the lane on our left but all of them had the same bad habit. A few times we had our throws interrupted: we were already getting ready to throw our balls, but they seem to ignore this point and went ahead to throw their balls.
The 2nd group of people from China (I decided to edit this word from PRCs as it doesn’t sound nice) were the limit. I ended up moving a few steps ready to throw my ball only to find myself having to stop the momentum as they had went ahead of me to throw their balls.
Therefore, I decided to post this bowling etiquette which I’ve found on the Internet:
1 ) DO yield the ‘right of way’ When two bowlers are on adjacent lanes, and simultaneously ready to bowl, the bowler on the right delivers first. The other bowler ought to remain off or to the rear of the approach area. This rule doesn’t apply if the bowler on the left is shooting for a spare.
2 ) DON’T take a practice swing with your bowling ball on the concourse or behind the approach. Wait until you are upon the approach itself before doing any practice exercises.
3 ) DO be ready when it’s your turn to bowl. Remain in your lane area while your teammates are bowling, don’t wander off.
4 ) DON’T use an excessive amount of body gyrations at the foul line after delivering the ball. Confine your body ‘English’ to your own lane.
5 ) DO bowl immediately when it is your turn. Once you have your ball, assume your stance and start your delivery, it isn’t necessary to wait for lanes on either side of you to be cleared before you bowl, just observe the ‘right of way’ rule.
6 ) DON’T bring food or drink into the settee or bowlers area, a drop of liquid or any type of foreign substance spilled on the approach could cause a slip and serious injury.
7 ) DO wait until you have completed the frame before checking your score. Don’t come back to the scorekeeper after the first ball has been rolled.
8 ) DON’T bench jockey while others are bowling. Friendly bantering is an accepted part of the sport, but don’t overdo it. Be a good competitor.
9 ) DO return your bowling shoes to the counter control desk after bowling, and if you’ve borrowed a ‘house ball’ return it to the storage rack.
10 ) DON’T linger at the foul line after releasing the ball. As soon as your ball hits the pins return to your seat.
