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Lake Country Lanes has reopened July 1, upgraded with new equipment to improve bowling experiences.
The bowling center was closed for three weeks and reopened with strings now attached to the pins. No longer will pins be forced into a machine that sets them up in the proper format. Now, pins that were not dropped on the first roll will be pulled up on a string and set back down.
Lane manager Becky Worthy said efficiency was what led to owner Cynthia Binkley’s decision to make the switch.
“The maintenance on these machines is so much more cost-effective for us,” Worthy said. “They’re easier to maintain. They’re cleaner machines. Labor, parts, everything is less expensive on these machines.”
Most of the lane equipment is new including: pinsetters, the ball return and much more. According to Worthy, the underground ball track back to the bowler is in a future upgrade plan.
“Each of these updates were made due to the age and wear of the equipment.
The machines that were here before, the free fall machines, they’ve been here since 1985,” Worthy said. “They were still in working order, but we had to repair them. They were very hard to maintain.”
According to the manager, there has been very little adverse reception to the change.
“We’ve had very few people who have had any negative response to it.
Just about everybody who has bowled on the machines has been very pleased,” Worthy said.
However, to the possibility that the strings attached to the pins may affect reaction to the ball’s impact, Worthy said opinions have been mixed. While few customers have reportedly stated that the reaction has been impacted, she reassures that any difference should be insignificant.
“I think it may depend on how you bowl, your style of bowling. The reaction, if any, is supposed to be insignificant,” she said.
Open league resumes play in August and in September, but bowlers won’t have to wait to enjoy the new amenities.
Two brand new kiosks are in-place and available for players and guests.
Both bowling and snack bar choices can be made and paid for at the two machines.
“We are trying to make it more convenient for our customers. They can order whatever they want from the snack bar, or whatever products they want to bowl,” said Worthy.
The machines receive and program a lot of information including: the number of bowlers, what type of game, show rentals and sizes, and much more. After paying at the kiosk, players take their ticket or confirmation slip to the front counter to receive their shoes and lane number.
The upgrade also includes food and drink choices so that customers may order from the snack bar on the kiosks and have the food delivered to them. With all the upgrades, Worthy hopes that customers will have an even better experience at Lake Country Lanes, and she looks forwards to the second phase of upgrades.
“In August we have plans for the second phase of the project,” Worthy said. “We’ll pull out all the seating in and flooring in the pit area to replace them with new seating and flooring.”
That project should only take 1-2 days, with the work done in two phases so that half of the center is available for play.