Common Bowling Terms Every Beginner Should Know

Strike

Knocking down all 10 pins with your first ball. Marked with an "X." The best single-ball result you can get.

Spare

Knocking down all remaining pins with your second ball. Marked with a "/." A solid spare game is the fastest way to improve your average.

Open Frame

Failing to knock down all 10 pins in a frame. No bonus points. These are the silent score killers.

Gutter Ball

When your ball falls into the gutter (the channel on either side of the lane) and hits zero pins. Marked with a "—." It happens to everyone.

Foul

When your foot crosses the foul line at the approach. Your ball counts as zero pins even if it knocks some down.

Double

Two strikes in a row.

Turkey

Three strikes in a row. This is a milestone for many bowlers and a real confidence booster.

Four-bagger

Four strikes in a row. (Five is a five-bagger, and so on.)

Perfect Game

12 strikes in a row for a score of 300. The ultimate achievement in bowling.

Clean Game

A game where you mark (strike or spare) in every frame. No open frames. You don't need to bowl 200 to have a clean game — it's about consistency.

Pocket

The ideal entry point between the 1-3 pins (right-handers) or 1-2 pins (left-handers). Hitting the pocket is the key to consistent strikes.

Brooklyn

When your ball crosses over to the other side of the headpin. A right-hander hitting the 1-2 pocket is a brooklyn. Sometimes you still get a strike, but it's not intentional.

Split

When the headpin is knocked down but remaining pins have a gap between them, making the spare very difficult. The 7-10 split is the most famous.

Baby Split

A split with pins close enough to convert, like the 3-10 or 2-7.

Washout

Leaving the headpin standing along with other pins. Not technically a split because the headpin is still there.

Tap

When you hit the pocket perfectly but leave a single pin standing. Frustrating, but it means you're throwing well.

Messenger

A pin that slides across the deck and knocks down another pin. Lucky but exciting.

Approach

The area where you walk before releasing the ball (about 15 feet of floor before the foul line).

Arrows

The triangle-shaped markers on the lane about 15 feet past the foul line. Most bowlers aim at the arrows rather than the pins.

Oil Pattern

The invisible layer of oil applied to the lane surface. It affects how your ball moves. More oil = less friction = ball slides straighter. Less oil = more friction = ball hooks more.

House Ball

A bowling ball provided by the bowling centre. They come in various weights and have conventional (finger-tip to second knuckle) grip.

Reactive Ball

A ball with a special coverstock designed to grip the lane and hook. Most serious bowlers use reactive equipment.

Series

A set of consecutive games, usually 3. Your series total is the sum of all game scores.

Average

Your total pins divided by total games over a season. This is the single most-used measure of a bowler's ability.

Handicap

Extra pins added to your score to level the playing field in leagues. Based on the difference between your average and a target score.

League

An organised competition, usually weekly, where teams bowl a set number of games. Most leagues in Australia run for 20-30 weeks.

Mark

Any frame where you get a strike or spare. "Marking" in every frame means a clean game.

Leave

The pins remaining after your first ball. "What did you leave?" is the most common question between frames.