Patrick L.
Yelp
Stardust Bowl is the pinnacle of bowling alleys!
1,000 lanes, karaoke, dance floor/music, video poker, food, drink, kids arcade...basically an extravaganza of fun!!!
So, I'm not a bowler (I really suck at it), not from the Midwest, not really into karaoke or video poker...or bowling alley food...even kids arcades (ok, drinks yes), but this place is AWESOME!
On a recent business trip to the area, I was blessed with the opportunity to join a league for two consecutive Thursday nights matches...uh, what do you call it...games, sets, rounds? Anyhow, I was terrible.
However, it was fun and the folks were very welcoming - thank you!
I'm currently busy studying bowling terms for my return to Stardust Bowl in hopes of impressing my new crew.
In case you're interested, learn with me:
Bowling Terms - A to Z
Approach - The act of taking steps towards the lane before rolling the ball; also the name of the area directly behind the foul line that contains three sets of dots used for lining up of the feet.
Angle of Entry - The direction that a bowling ball takes when hooking into the pocket.
Backup Ball - A ball thrown with reverse spin: hooking from left to right for right-handers and right to left for left-handers.
Big Four or Big Ears - 4-6-7-10 split (also Double Pinochle, Golden Gate)
Bed Posts - Another way to refer to the 7-10 split
Blind - In league play, when one of the members of a team is not present, using his or her average instead (often with a ten pin penalty)
Boards - One-inch wide strips of wood that you can see along the width of the bowling lane. There are 39 boards in total, and are numbered from right to left for right-handed bowlers. (Lefties count from left to right.)
Brooklyn - Hitting the wrong side of the head pin. For a right-handed bowler this would be the left side of the head pin, also known as the 1-2 pocket. For left-handers this would be reversed. (A Brooklyn Strike occurs when a bowler scores a strike by hitting the Brooklyn side.)
Carry - The ability of the bowling ball to knock down more pins.
Cincinatti - Nickname for the 8-10 split.
Clean Game - A game with no open frames, that is, in which all the frames are either a strike or spare.
Dead Wood - Pins that have been knocked over but stay sitting on the lane or in the gutter, as a result of having missed being cleared away. They must be cleared as soon as possible in an official game.
Double Pinochle - 4-6-7-10 split. (Also Big Four, Big Ears, Golden Gate)
Dry - Lanes that have been applied with little oil. This causes the ball to hook more than usual
Fingertip - A bowling grip in which your fingers are only inserted up to the first joint. It results in more hook, but is much harder to control. For this reason it is a grip for intermediate and advanced players.
Five-Bagger - Five consecutive strikes
Foul Line - The line that marks the start of a bowling lane. If your foot crosses the line, it is known as a fault and zero pins are scored. (If pins were knocked down, the pins are reset before the second ball is thrown.)
Four-Bagger - Four consecutive strikes
Golden Gate - 4-6-7-10 Split (Also Big Four, Big Ears, Double Pinochle)
Handicap - Usually reserved for league play, this term refers to an amount of pins added to your actual score that is meant to even the playing field for bowlers of differing skill levels. Handicaps are what makes bowling so inclusive; anyone can compete against anyone else regardless of their experience.
If you're still reading this, I award you 5 stars along with Stardust Bowl!
Have fun!
5 stars for Stardust...and you, my friend.