Bowling Terms

Bowling Terms

Do you know what all those bowling terms mean? Here are all the

important bowling terms you will need to know to make bowling a

more enjoyable adventure for you and your family.

Frame: There are 10 frames to a standard bowling game.

Strike: All 10 pins are knocked down with one ball. A strike is

worth 10 pins plus the total of the next 2 balls.

Turkey: Getting 3 strikes in a row.

Strike out: You start striking and finish the game with strikes

Spare: All 10 pins are knocked down with two balls. A spare

is worth 10 pins plus the total of the next ball.

Open: 2 balls are thrown and there is at least 1 pin standing.

Dutch 200: A strike and a spare is alternated every other frame

for a total score of 200.

All Spare Game: A spare in every frame for 10 spares.

Fill: The amount of pins you knock down on your first ball after

a spare.

Split: When the 1 pin, or head pin, is knocked down and there

is a wide space between several pins left standing for instance 2-7,

5-7, 5-10.

Mother-in-law or double wood: 2 pins left standing, with one pin

directly behind the other. The one behind is called a sleeper or your

mother-in-law.

Goal posts or bedposts: The 7-10 pins left standing. The most

difficult split to pick up. This also has an award given for picking it

up in league play.

The big four: 4-7-6-10. This split is difficult to pick up and there

is a National award offered when it is picked up in league play.

Perfect game or 300 game: There is a strike in all 10 frames

for a total of 12 strikes in a row.

Fouls: Automatic foul lights on each side of the lanes are set to

go off, usually with a buzzer, if you step on the foul line. There is

a penalty for fouling. You lose the pins knocked down with the

first ball and your pins are reset and you get one more ball for

that frame. If you foul on your second ball, you lose the pin count

for that ball.

Beer frame: If everyone but 1 strikes in a particular frame, the

one that doesn’t strike buys everyone else a beverage.

Anchor: The person who bowls last in a league game. They are

usually the best bowler and are expected to strike out in the 10^th

frame and win the game for the team.

Now that you understand the meanings of these bowling terms,

you will enjoy going bowling more and have more fun.

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