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I started golfing mostly by accident. Because of a broken foot, I couldn't do anything else, so Dr. said I could hit balls on the range. Well my bowling coach used to always comment that he thought I'd be a good golfer because I was a good bowler.
He actually had a point. Most of the "mechanical repetitions" needed for golf are the same type of mental thinking that's needed to bowl.

I know there is at least one more "former bowler" on this board, I was just wondering if there were others, or because of golf, you've found that you are good at bowling also.

I used to bowl in a 50 guy league, lot of fun...wasn't too bad at it, but not by today's standards, I mean we're talking 1997 or so and I know bowling has come along way too with technology, I carried about a 175-180 average only bowling 3 games/week...top players were about 190-195 at the time.

I agree about some of the same kind of disciplines, very much a mental game as well...my biggest problem was that I had trouble adjusting to the changing lanes conditions as the nigth wore on, never could learn to make the right adjustments to get a better scoring average...and of course the beer consumption also would assist in my drop off of scoring at times...

I picked up both games when I was young. I haven't bowled in about 10 years except for an occassional outing with my kids. I was a league bowler for 15 years(25-40), once a week. My avg was in the low 190s when I quit. I could kick that up to 200+ with one practice session per week(5-6 games), which I usually began around Christamas(mid-season). I called it my "honest sandbagging method". A 220+ avg would equate to a scratch golfer, I suppose. There are some similarities but, at least for me, bowling is sooooooooo much easier than golf. Bowling is like riding a bike and every shot is the same... pick your spot and roll. Differing oil patterns may change your 1st ball path & approach, but that's about it. I used to golf with the guys on my bowling team and believe me, for them the bowling skill didn't translate into golf skill. The best bowler on our team... great hands.. good tennis player, good pool player, etc. , while I wouldn't want to get into a chipping & putting contest with him, could never get any semblance of a full swing down. It was the same with another guy whose bowling skill was about equal to mine. I was easily the best golfer, though none of them had played for as long as I. There just isn't that much to bowling if you're reasonably coordinated, IMO. You get the ball coming off your hand the same way every time and hit your spot. 4-5 beers never hurt my game, in fact it helped at times. I have no doubt that I could pick up bowling again and be averaging 190 within a few weeks. I layed off golf for 5 years and now 4 years back at it am just beginning to get my game to where it was when I quit. One beer on the golf course and I may as well head for the lot, because I'm done for the day. Don't get me wrong, I loved my bowling, but it was strictly for the competitive aspect (we had a great team... 6 titles, 4 2nds in 15 years). If the guys wanted to get the team back together, I'd be there in a heartbeat but as far as bowling for fun... well it just ain't that interesting. I could talk about it for hours , though.. ok... I'm done now.

Good points guys. I think I must've been in it more for the "association" parts I guess. Because I haven't made a real effort to start back up. Been out for 2 yrs or so, and I have "sub'd" a cpl times but not often. I don't really like to play for fun, because I "know" what I'm supposed to be doing and can't stand knowing I can, but can't.
So, I know I'd end up trying to compete again and I don't have the time.
I never drink and play anything, so I love to buy for others though if we're competing!!

I started bowling when i was about 13 in a junior league. i quit about 7 years ago for about 5 years and bowled one league last year with another couple. whne i was younger 21-26 i bowled regional PBA events and 2-3 leagues a week. now its just 1 league for the last 2 years and not bowling at all this year with us relocating to the dallas area. My highest avg at the end of the year was aound 212. i am steady now at around 205 or so. my handicap in golf is 5. i really love bowlinig but would rather golf any day.....

I know I'm new here, but a "bowling coach"??? They exists I bowl once a year and I'm pretty decent at it.....I think there is a hand & eye coordination correlation (wow, say that 10 times fast) between golf and bowling.

At least you can find a poor bowling shot and your bowling ball is even conveniently returned to you. You've got to a real bad bowler to lose a ball!

I've bowled a bit but I'd have to say on a difficulty scale of 1-10 (with golf being a 10) bowling is about a 2. That's not a knock on bowling......Golf is just harder. :nodsmiley

I've always thought of bowling as a glorified game of darts...just a drinking game basically. I'm sure it takes some skill, and is probably pretty fun, but give me the game of golf with the variations in surface and ever-differing conditions between courses any day.

Glorified darts? Pub rats will throw anything when you get a few pints in them!

I've talked about my bowling career before. I "retired" from bowling about nine years ago with a book average of 200. I live in a small community, and hold a few house records for women: scratch series 750, average 200, and I was the first woman ever in town to shoot a scratch 700 series (big fish, small pond). I bowled for twenty years winter and summer. I'm naturally left handed, and bowled left handed with a hook. I play golf right handed, which I'm told is an advantage. I've always been in athletics of some sort, softball, bowling, now golf. By far, golf is the most difficult sport I've ever attempted. I seriously doubt I'll ever see a single digit handicap, but I guess it could happen.

The corellation I see between the two sports is the hand-eye coordination and the importance of dynamic balance. For women bowlers especially, and I would imagine this would translate into golf, our real power comes from our legs. Both sports are games of angles as is the game of pool.

Another reason I love golf is that is smells so much better than bowling!

I bowl twice a week, average between 215/220. Have several 300 games. 1 800 series. My golf game is 10/11 handicap.
Bowling has become much easier in the last 10 years. Between the new equipment (balls) and how the lane owners now are oiling their lanes, 150 avg bowler 10 years ago is now a 180 avg bowler, 180 to 200. You just need to be consistant in hitting your marks, with the same tempo.
Bowling lanes are flat....not like rolling greens. I've never had a problem with weather conditions, (wind) bowling indoors. NO HAZARDS, same distance. The ball is in my hand, I have total control of the ball, not hitting it with a stick.
I also practice alot at the range for golf, never practiced for bowling.

Bowling is something I do, to get thru winter.

That's a great point Muffin. The smoke gets into everything. My wife used to make me put all of my clothes on the back porch after bowling.

Just to be devil's advocate sort of... let's disagree. (I actually could agree also...but just for argument's sake......)

I think Bowling is HARDER, mainly because you KNOW you're going to avg 200-225 when you're in the upper percentile of bowlers. Only problem is, you KNOW you're going to have a "miscue" somewhere along the line, just "when" is the question hanging over your head.
I agree it's easier to control and less things to worry about, but to concentrate enough to repeat it as well as adapt to the lanes, is in itself a challenge.
Golf, you can miss a little to the left or to the right and still get around. (similar to a spare). You can still end up in a hazard with no hope of recovery unless you get lucky...(similar to a split).
So with every delivery equal to a swing, I would have to say they are pretty equal in overall difficulty. :nodsmiley

ok, debate away>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I would have to agree that bowling has become easier for the average bowler in the past 10 years due to improvement in technology. The same can be said about golf.

But when you really look at the players at the very top percentage of their sport whether it's bowling (their averages aren't much higher) or golf (their averages aren't much lower), the conclusion I reach is that the manufacturers of equipment have made it easier for the recreational player to score better and therefore enjoy the game more. It's just good marketing.

Please let me emphasize that when I refer to the top percentage of players, I'm mostly talking about those in the professional ranks.

Furthermore, as a former bowler and mediocre golfer, there is no doubt in my mind that to carry a 200 average on bowling is tough, and agree it was even tougher 10 years ago But golf is far and away a lot more difficult!

As far as the upper echelon goes, I think the difficulty factor is similar. But by upper echelon, I mean touring pros. Those guys average 220+ on varying and extremely difficult conditions from week to week. Put one of those guys on your standard, weekly classic league, bowling on the same lanes all of the time and they'd probably average 240+. I haven't bowled competitively in 10 years and HarleyGuy says standards have changed and it's easier now. I can only speak from 10 years ago. Back then, I'd say 220 = scratch, 200 = high single digits & 175 = bogey golfer. I'm certainly no expert at either game but I could work with anyone who was reasonably coordinated and have them averaging 175-180 in a matter of months. Turning someone into a bogey golfer is a much more iffy proposition, IMO. At the upper echelon both games are equally difficult to master, but becoming fairly proficient at bowling is much easier, IMO. Even at the upper echelon, there is the fact that there simply is no money in bowling which keeps many great bowlers from even trying to make a living at it...so make that - golf is a lot harder than bowling at all levels.