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Fifty-year-old Greg Thielsen smiled and lifted his right hand shoulder high as 22-year-old Aaron Schultz approached.
The two high-fived as the distinctive rumble and crash of balls striking pins reverberated in the background. Warmups were under way, and the Wednesday night men’s league at Raymond’s Bowl in Johnsburg was about to start.
“I bowled in high school,” Thielsen said, recalling his introduction to the sport. “They had bowling in gym class.”
Thielsen, a McHenry resident, added that he’s been a league bowler since he was 17. A 200-average bowler, Thielsen plays in two leagues each week at the modern, 24-lane alley on Johnsburg Road.
“I love the people, the friends,” Thielsen said.
Despite enthusiasts like Thielsen, as an industry, bowling witnessed a steep decline between 1998 and 2012. U.S. Census data show the total number of U.S. bowling centers fell from just under 5,500 to just more than 4,000 during that period.
Part of that decline was attributable to the recession, but a significant portion came down to a dwindling number of people signing up for leagues.
In a 1995 essay called “Bowling Alone,” and later in a book of the same name, author Robert D. Putnam mused that the fall-off in league play had far-reaching roots – and consequences.
“The rise of solo bowling threatens the livelihood of bowling-lane proprietors because those who bowl as members of leagues consume three times as much beer and pizza as solo bowlers, and the money in bowling is in the beer and pizza, not the balls and shoes,” Putnam wrote. “The broader social significance, however, lies in the social interaction and even occasionally civic conversations over beer and pizza that solo bowlers forgo.
“Whether or not bowling beats balloting in the eyes of most Americans, bowling teams illustrate yet another vanishing form of social capital.”
Social capital aside, bowling remains a $3.2 billion business, said Bart Burger, director of membership and educational services at the Texas-based Bowling Proprietors’ Association of America.
Citing IBISWorld and Experian Simmons research, Burger added that 67 million Americans have bowled in the past 12 months, making bowling the No. 1 participation sport in the country.
“It is more popular than baseball, soccer, football, golf or any other sport you can name,” Burger said in an email. “While league play has declined, casual guests tend to spend more per visit and are more profitable on a per-visit basis. League bowlers are more profitable in total as they have a much greater frequency.
“Successful proprietors today have learned how to balance both and provide a great experience to both types of bowlers,” he said.
Jim Contos, who owns the historic Metro Bowl on Brink Street in downtown Crystal Lake, said the key to his business’ continuing success is atmosphere.
“Business is good,” he said. “And what we’ve done is we’ve focused on maintaining that at-home feel. All of the people who work here are bowlers. We all bowl in at least one league here.”
Contos’ son, John, agreed.
“We’re out there having fun with everyone else,” he said.
Built in 1956, Metro Bowl was the first automatic bowling alley in McHenry County, Jim Contos said. The family has maintained the 10-lane alley to have a nostalgic feel. Although its automatic pin-setters were ultra modern in their day, there are no automatic scoring machines here. Paper and pencil still mark the strikes and spares.
The Contoses also have shuffled the league deck to keep up with modern families’ hectic schedules. Leagues are available that meet just once a month for those who can’t commit to greater frequency. And the proprietors are careful to offer leagues that match skill sets, so those who are lucky to break 100 aren’t up against those for whom a perfect 300 might be within reach.
At Pinstripes in South Barrington, the vibe is decidedly upscale, and league play is of only minor consequence.
Founder and CEO Dale Schwartz has opened six of the bowling and bocce centers nationwide, with four more on the way. The South Barrington location, part of the Arboretum complex on Higgins Road, opened in 2008.
With its elegant and expansive wine cellar, leather couch seating at the alleys and more, Pinstripes is part fine dining, part corporate party and wedding venue, and part gaming. Even as many bowling alleys were closing, Pinstripes locations were opening, and so far, the mix is working, Schwartz said.
“In May 2007, the Dow was at 16,000,” Schwartz said. “In September 2008, the Dow was at 6,400. We’ve been opening locations in the face of negative economic headwinds, but we’ve still been doing well.
“Our prices are very fair, and our quality is very high,” he said. “It’s an exceptional value, and [regardless of economic times] people still like to have fun. People might be less apt to fly to Florida or Paris, but more apt to head to Pinstripes, stay local, and still enjoy some terrific times.”
Back at Raymond’s in Johnsburg, co-owner Steve Kuna surveyed the Wednesday night crowd as bowlers chatted about their jobs and families between turns.
He said the recession, which hit hard shortly after his family opened their new location in 2006, did make for a rough start. But the alley now is busy daily.
“We’ve just stayed proactive and we treat people well,” he said. “We appreciate the people who come in. We have a lot of nice people who come in here.”
New recruits
• More than 18.8 million youth between ages 6 and 17 bowl each year
• 48 states have high school bowling programs
• More than $6 million in bowling scholarships are awarded annually
• More than 250 schools offer collegiate bowling through NCAA and NAIA
• 54,000 students bowl in high school varsity competition
• 10 million children attend birthday parties in a bowling center each year, making bowling the No. 1 birthday party destination for children ages 12 and younger
Sources: Experian Simmons and the U.S. Bowling Congress