Better Off Bowling – Bowling League

Been doing this league on Sundays for over 2 years now and it’s the best! Sunday is my favorite day of the week because of it and I can’t wait all week long. We bowl for an hour and a half and it’s so fun — not competitive. Everyone drinks and has a great time and goes to the bar afterward for the rest of the day. Super friendly people and the most social league I’ve ever joined (and I’ve tried them all.) and it’s an amazing deal at only $ 80 for 6 weeks of bowling!

So glad I found this league, the perfect thing to do on Sundays. I love everybody (Chris and Courltand) and everything (Harley’s, the pitchers) about it. I will be here as long as I have 2 feet.

I just started bowling with this league about 2 weeks ago and so far I am really enjoying myself. I am not a bowler by any means. I had probably only bowled once in the past 5 years but what i love about this league — -my teammates are nice and friendly and don’t care that i royally SUCK at bowling. It is nice to meet all the new ppl. The league only counts the top 4 scores from your team each week so if you are thinking about signing up but concerned that you may bring your team down — no worries — you won’t. My team has won our first two games (probably bc my score never had to count)!
Also, for bowling, this league is waaaaay more affordable than zogsports and nycsocial. i love both those other leagues for other sports but i won’t pay their prices for bowling when i can get the same deal (minus the team tshirt) from better off bowling.

I started bowling with this league last season and have been counting down the days for it to start again! It’s SO much fun and the alley we bowl at is really cool with low lights and good music. They also do half price towers of beer for us. Everyone is so friendly and the bar afterwards is ALWAYS a blast. I made so many friends last season, HURRY UP AND START ALREADY!

I haven’t been bowling since I was in fifth grade so when someone actually took me to a bowling lane, I was excited. This bowling lane has a very club-​disco feel and when I popped in there, I realized that this is a place where families go too. They rent out bowling shoes so you don’t have to worry if you are not wearing the appropriate shoes. I wore my Converse’s at the time and that was fine. :-)
I won’t explain how bowling works because I think most people know but even though I am not good at bowling, I had a lot of fun here. I do admit that watching the people next to hit a strike can hurt your ego a bit because they make it look easy. :-) I got plenty of gutter balls and two strikes total before I start to get the hang of it. :-P
What really made this fun was not trying to outdo or beat your partner but rather, you want to just play bowling. I think that’s what it really means. You just want to have a good time and the rest will follow.

I am now in my third season with Better Off Bowling. It has been a fantastic experience. It is a great bargain for a lot of bowling and a lot of fun. The league is well run and organized. The participants that I have had the pleasure of meeting are amicable and sociable. You don’t even have to be great at bowling, it’s more about the social aspect. If you have ever bowled, you know that bowling is a fantastic social game.
If you like to bowl, or want a fun new activity and want to meet new people, check this out.

Bowling is in my blood. Growing up in Florida, there are only really three things you can do: Watch a movie, go to Chili’s or Bowl. We would play so much back at home, it became economical to buy my own shoes and bowling ball (and also clearly great props for picking up the ladies…) It is not normally something worth doing in NY, due to high prices and low availability, but when I first heard of Better Off Bowling (BOB), I got really excited.
In total, there are 40+ teams sized between 6 – 10 people. The league is pegged as recreational, though don’t be amazed if you see players scoring 180+. Each week (total of 6) you are paired against another team, using your team’s top 4 scores to battle it out. At the end of the season, each team is put against a team of similar record in the playoffs, but there isn’t really like a single-​elimination tournament at the end to crown an overall champion. The current season is finishing up, but there will be a new season starting at the end of Feb with a Sunday league and possibly a Wednesday league as well. (I’ll update this post once more information comes out)
Regardless, it is another opportunity to do something unique in a city full of new and random activities, spending time with friends and drinking (half price) beer. There is also a great post-​game bar with loads of flip cup and beer pong a happening. So far, the people I have met during competition and afterwards have been awesome and ready to party (especially «Table Man», if any of you are lucky enough to meet him). Don’t let lack of bowling skill stop you from having some fun a normally boring Sunday afternoon.
I highly recommend getting a group of friends together and joining up. After all, dodge ball was only cool when the movie came out, so you should pick a different sport anyways.