The Parts of a Bowling Alley
Dark Sith
Although they may sound similar, a bowling lane and a bowling alley are different things. A bowling alley, consisting of several parts, is the space used for bowling. One of those parts, and probably the most important, is the bowling lane.
The bowling lane is composed of planks joined together to form a lane 75 feet long and 3.5 feet wide. This long lane is kept smooth by the use of smoothing chemicals on the boards as well as polishing techniques. There are also measurements indicated on the lane, via the use of paints. These measurements serve as guides for players.
On each side of the lane, the gutters are placed. The gutters are composed of rubber or plastic and are 60 feet long. The length starts from the foul line and extends well to the pins. When a player's ball rolls over to the gutter, a player incurs a miss. Just beyond the gutters' sides, the borders separate one bowling lane from another.
At the end of the lane, facing the player is the bowling wall. The bowling wall is where the logo of the bowling center and other advertisements are placed. Just behind this wall is the bowling machine, one of the most important parts of a bowling alley.
Bowling machine manufacturers supply bowling centers with these machines. Their function is to place and rearrange the pins, and retrieve and return the bowling ball. The most common bowling game, the ten-pin, uses ten pins. The bowling machine works automatically, but is monitored by bowling center personnel.
The bowling ball machine retrieves the ball after every shot, and returns it to the player at the other end of the alley. It uses kinetic energy to take the ball through a tunnel located beside the alley, which rolls back to the player. At the end of the tunnel is a ball-sorting mechanism. A hand blow dryer may also be installed at the bowling ball sorter.
The game data is calculated by a computer and displayed on monitors located above the lane for the players to see. The players also have seats and a table at the end of the bowling alley. A rack with extra bowling balls is usually placed beside the seats.
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