Average Bowling Score – 6 Sneaky Tips To Improve Score

Bowling can be fun to play and enjoy with your friends but those who play it aggressively would often want to know what the average bowling score is.

Do you always look at the scoreboard and ask yourself, “what could be a good average bowling score for me” whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or professional?

The average score of the bowlers varies in different scenarios and it depends on the skill level, age, gender, and several other things that might affect the average score.

This article is all about what is the average score for beginners, intermediate and professional bowlers, also different age group scores in bowling, and what are the factors that can affect your score and how you can improve it.

How Is The Bowling Score Calculated?

To know about the good or average bowling score, you should know how the bowling score is calculated on the scoreboard.

In a standard bowling game, there are ten frames in one game and each frame carries two opportunities to roll the ball except the tenth frame where you get 3rd if you pick the strike or spare.

You will also notice “X” and “/” on the scoreboard which usually confuses beginners about what it means. 

The mark “X” indicates the strike when you just knocked down all the pins in a single frame whereas the mark “/” shows the spare that appears on the scoreboard when you miss the bowling pins in your strike.

You will also hear about doubles, turkey, and baggers around you in the bowling alley. The double happens when two strikes consistently target, three strikes called turkey, and same for four/five called four/fifth bagger.

A strike gives a huge improvement in score but it does not update frequently as it depends on the next frame of the game. For example, if you knock down all the 10 pins but in the second frame you only manage to target 6 pins then the score will be calculated as 10+6=16.

A spare is also working like a strike but it assists to improve your strike. For example, if you throw 10 in the first frame but in the second frame you knock 5 and then 3, you will be awarded 10 for the first frame and 5 for the second frame which is collectively equal to 10+5=15.

What Is Highest Bowling Average

The average high score in bowling is 300 which is earned only by 12 strikes consecutively in a row in the same game from 0 to 9 frames including 3 more in a tenth frame.

You will be shocked to know that a little girl scored a 300 score!

Hannah Diem is a young girl who held the record of 300 scores at the age of 9 years and she still has this record from 2013 until now and no one has broken it.

Bad Average Score In Bowling

Anything below 100 considers a bad average bowling score.

It could only be a considerable score if you just start the game and learn how to roll the bowling ball and knock a few pins or just play for fun occasionally.

However, if you are playing a competing game with your friends and consistently trying to improve your score and score more than 100 then you’re good to go with your game.

Average Bowling Score By Skill

It’s obvious to understand what is the average score for a particular skill level among beginners, intermediate and professional bowlers. 

The following is categorized as the bowling score on an average basis for different skill levels of bowlers.

What Is the Average Score For Bowling Beginners

People who just started bowling are struggling to get good scores, however, they are still curious about their average score when they see an experienced bowler around them.

The score for newbie bowlers may vary and depends upon their ability of skill, the environment of the bowling alley and the use of the bowling equipment properly they have. 

The bowlers who just started their bowling journey and started rolling the bowling ball on the lane and hit a few pins have scores between 50-70. Normally, the acceptable average score of a new bowler is around 100 to 170 however if you try to manage and give some more proper time to practice then most often the score ranges between 130 to 170.

What Is the Average Score For Bowling Amateur

The intermediate or amateur bowler is a category that lies between beginner and professional bowlers who focus more on their skills to polish them to reach the professional level.

These bowlers comparatively score more than beginners and the average intermediate bowler’s score can range between 170 to 210. Amateur bowlers can easily score 180-200 and it is considered a good score by following skill level.

What Is the Average Score For Bowling Professional

Professional or experienced bowlers are high in the spot and know how to knock all the pins on their first roll of the frame.

They are more skillful and play in different leagues locally and internationally and earn a handsome income.

Generally, the professional bowler scores more than 220 and somehow manages to reach 260 or 280 in a game.

Average Bowling Score By Age

• Kids Under 10 score 30 to 70 on Average In Bowling
• Teens 11 To 19 score 70 to 190 on Average In Bowling
• Adults 20 To 30 score 170 to 220 on Average In Bowling
• Adults 30 To 50 score 200 to 250 on Average In Bowling
• Adults 50+ score 120 to 150 on Average In Bowling

The little bowlers under 10 often score between 30 to 70 and somehow the lower score may dishearten them so keep encouraging them and give them lighter bowling balls.

There are pre-teenagers and teenagers, the pre-teenager between 10 to 12 years old may score 60 to 120 because at that age these little kids do not have enough strength to give a hook to the bowling ball. They should keep practicing and build the skill and basic grip on the bowling ball.

The next stage is teenagers who are physically and mentally fit and able to curve to the bowling ball and adopt different approaches to increase their scores. The ages from 13 to 19 generation often score between 130 to 190 according to their skill ability.

Adult bowlers are those who are in that position where they can pursue their bowling journey professionally and most of them join different bowling leagues. From the 20 to 30 age group bowler score 170 to 220 on average in bowling.

The bowlers between the 30 to 50 range are more competitive and can score above 200 and it can range from 200 to 250 or more depending on their high skill level.

The final age group of bowlers above 50 generally score between 120 to 150 on average in bowling because at that age their physical strength feels lost, however playing regularly at that age can maintain a score above 200.

Sneaky Tips To Improve Your Average Score

A bowler with high dedication to the game must want or improve their game to get a high average score.

Following are some of the factors that might play a major role in your gameplay to accelerate your bowling journey.

1-How Much Time You’re Giving To Play Bowling

The time you spend at bowling is directly proportional to your skill. The more you play, the chances are you perform better in a game which ultimately increases your bowling score.

 It’s obvious that someone who plays twice a week performs better compared to one time a year. The popular saying fits perfectly on the spot is that practice makes a man perfect and it’s implemented not only in bowling but all other sports.

2-Use Of Bowling Equipments Properly

In bowling, if you’re not comfortable while rolling the bowling ball on the lane, you might face difficulties to maintain the average bowling score.

Your comfort is more necessary and it directly impacts your bowling score. You should have a proper bowling ball with appropriate weight and perfectly drill the ball that is optimized according to your hand.

3-Bowling Lane Condition

We always focus on ourselves but ignore the bowling lane where the bowling ball actually interacts with. 

If the bowling lane is messy or damaged or there are some scratches it can deliver a poor result of rolling a bowling ball compared to the clean and oily bowling alley.

Always make a tour of the bowling lane and analyze it deeply.

The lane condition is either it’s high oil or light oil, check where you can play moderately. The high oil means it’s difficult to control the ball and you will need to acquire an aggressive bowling ball and light oil means the bowling ball may not even make it to the pins.

So, it depends on you which bowling lane is perfect for you by exploring different lanes.

4-Improve Your Physical Strength

No doubt, the bowling ball with more weight delivers massive pin action but it’s not supposed to pick a heavy bowling ball with a poor physique and in that scenario, you have to play with a lighter ball.

Obviously, it’s not necessary to play with a heavy ball and you can also play a good game with a lighter bowling ball but playing consistent shots may create strain. 

To improve your physical strength, you can start simple exercises at home or join a gym.

5-Compete With Professional Bowlers

You can learn from other bowlers by interacting with them. There is a beginner bowling league where you compete with other bowlers who are serious about the game.

It does not matter whether you lose the game, it will be a good opportunity to connect with serious bowlers and learn something new from them.

6-Turn On Your Focus

While playing with friends or partners then there are more chances you can lose your focus on the game. For the sake of winning the game, you may throw unsatisfactory shots that will lead to poor gameplay.

It’s better to play alone in your first week after joining the bowling and throw shots differently and analyze which approach is better for you.

Related Questions

Is 100 A Good Bowling Score

As a beginner, scoring 100 is considered a good bowling score. People who just started normally score 50 to 70 and if you compare them 100 or more is satisfactory for a newbie bowler.

Average Bowling Score For A 14-Year-Old

These are the bowlers who just turn into teenagers and are struggling to get more scores. For a 14-year-old, 150 is considered a good bowling score for them.

Average Bowling Score For A 12-Year-Old

A 12-year-old or 10 to 12-year-old bowler can score from 60 to 120 depending on their bowling skill and this amount of score approves a good average score.

Conclusion

We can’t say the exact average bowling score as it depends on the skill of the bowler, age, and the environment of a bowling alley.

However, a good average bowling score lies between 100 to 170 if you’re a league bowler and typically scoring 100 in beginning is quite a good score.