Dart Bowl Pro Shop

This is my go to shop. This is the place to get a ball drilled in the city of Austin. I have been bowling here in Austin for a little over a year and been bowling for almost 20 now. This will be the only place that I get my stuff done. David will take his time and get the job done right. When you leave his shop you will have a ball that fits correctly and comes of you hand smooth. Now he takes his time so if your one of those i want it done in 10 mins bowlers this is not the shop for you. He carries all the latest Storm/​Roto gear and for my preference all the latest DV8/​Brunswick as well. But he can order anything for you to the specs you want if the vendors still have and have it to you and ready to drill within a week. Again this is the go to place for getting gear done in Austin.

i brought a ball to dart bowl to get drilled at the recommendation of Unilocal reviews. i got there early… noonish…and was second in line. i am a complete novice, but the lady in front of me was not only a pro, but a regular. i almost turned around and left because i don’t know all of the jargon and was intimidated. however, when david waited on me i can honestly say he WAITED on me. he spent thirty mins fitting my ball. i learned a lot just talking with him. he is a true enthusiast. i don’t want an hourly working on my ball… i want someone who wants me to become a good bowler. his father works there too. they make a good team. this place has been around longer than most of you have been in austin (or alive). i mention this because this place is very modest. the pro shop is in the very back of the bowling alley. i think they should be in the front. watching them at work work is half the fun. oh yeah… the enchiladas are good too.

We came in looking to buy our first bowling balls, and we knew very little about the process, the lingo and had almost no clue of what we wanted. The amazing owner (the son, I think) spent so much time explaining the different balls. I wanted a lighter ball, but he knew his stuff and he took the time to debate and explain to me why a heavier ball was better. I am SO glad he did-​it is paying off! Go here-​buy local! Be sure you’re not in a hurry-​buying a bowling ball is NOT like buying a soda. It takes time! :) We did check out several other places, and I wouldn’t buy from any other place in the Austin area.

I’m a relatively new «intermediate» player, and I have to say — the pro shop is where it’s at. We checked out a few other pro shops before trying Dart Bowl, and the gentleman (the son of a father-​son team I believe) was absolutely badass. He did not rush anything, despite getting the typical rush of customers near closing time. He made our presence feel welcome, had a discussion about what we wanted to accomplish, and cut no corners in the whole process, including measurements. There is no doubt that I will go to him for future gear/​advice needed. He even gave us some free pointers on rolling in the hallway! Just awesome.

I wish more shops would be as helpful and generous to their customers.
I had originally bought a used ball from the Dart Bowl pro shop and David was extremely helpful in getting me something that would be better than the lane balls. Keep in mind I only spent $ 30 and he spent at least 45 min with me trying to be as helpful as possible and teaching me about bowling. A month later and I’m in the 150 range consistently so I go back to discuss getting a new ball. He had some thoughts on what would work best for me and I ended up getting a Rotogrip Uproar. He walked me through the fitting process and even let me watch him drill the ball. A few hours later and the new ball was done.
I couldnt be happier and I am a customer for life with these guys. HIGHLY recommended for their knowledge and truly caring about their customers.

I recently bought my own bowling ball online and brought it here to be drilled. I’m a total beginner, so really had no idea what I was doing. David is super knowledgeable and took the time to answer all of my questions. The fitting process was much more in depth than I expected, but when I went to pick up my ball I was shocked by how comfortable it was on my hand. Awesome! I wish I would’ve known this before I purchased my ball online, but they will match Internet prices and their price includes having the ball drilled.

So for a brief stint of a few months a couple of friends and I were going bowling on a fairly frequent basis so I decided to buy a bowing ball.
The whole process was really cool and it’s nice to have a bowling ball that was custom built for me. They took a lot of time to measure my fingers, the span they stretched, and all sorts of other weird stuff like how far the first joint of my finger moved.
The gripping distance initially felt to far, on a tool utilized for sizing purposes, but the pro in the pro shop assured me that, with a properly designed ball this wouldn’t be an issue. When all was said it done this was accurate.
They took time to answer my questions and educated me on the different bowling ball brands and the components of a ball, all I remember is the shell and core, the core of the ball seemed to affect a lot about how the ball rolls, and separates custom balls from the house balls that the alley has.
I also picked up shoes and a bag, and got a discount, if I remember right I had to haggle to get the discount. Although this is the only bowling ball pro shop I’ve ever dealt with, and therefore I don’t have a basis of comparison I had a good experience.