Pin-point accuracy

Set'em up, knock'em down. Bowling is one of the most traditional forms of entertainment still popular in the modern age. Thought to date back to the ancient Egyptians, with wall drawings depicting a pin and a ball game being played back in 5200 BC, it's fair to say this game has stood the test of time. Despite advancements in technology and playstyles, there is still a definitive lineage that runs through to the modern game.

Jim Krogsund, the QubicaAMF product manager for capital equipment, states that these innovations have been necessary for bowling to continue to exist in a crowded amusement space. "Nowadays, customers expect more from visiting a hospitality venue," he said.

"This is no different for bowling. The traditional centres still have their place in the market, but customers are now looking for their bowling centres to offer different activities and services, from boutique-style centres offering drinks and restaurant food, to venues offering a multi-activity location where the family can stay and enjoy activities from bowling to karting."

Like other manufacturers, QubicaAMF offers its own small-ball game: Fly'n Ducks. Krogsund says that the game often tends to be more popular with families over other demographics.

He said: "Small-ball variants of bowling have been around for decades, positioned as scaled down arcade versions of full-size lanes. Many of these small-ball games had whimsical themes and therefore tended to cater more toward family groups with younger players".

"While these games are still popular, and do quite well in select markets, what has really been booming in recent years is the demand for shorter lenght variants of duckpin bowling. Duckpin is arguably more challenging than traditional tenpin bowling so decreasing the length hardly effects the game play and excitement. And since duckpin lanes are the same width as tenpin lanes, groups of four to six bowlers can still gather and socialize comfortably in the space of a single lane."

"QubicaAMF has seen tremendous interest from new customers that would never have considered putting in bowling in the past because of the space requirement and complexity of running a traditional bowling operation. About 25 per cent of new projects in the US are now small-ball oriented, up significantly from previous years. Bars, restaurants, breweries, resorts, movie theaters, amenity centres and interest from home entertainment markets have contributed to this incremental investment in small-ball bowling attractions. The primary reason for this growth is the ability for locations to offer real bowling entertainment in a reduced footprint"

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