Saturday, March 5, 2011

Bowling alley review 1 - Kallang Bowl

This will be the 1st of a series of reviews on bowling alleys in Singapore. First and foremost it will be a reference point for me. I also hope that fellow bowlers will find the information useful.

Location
Situated on the 2nd floor of Kallang Leisure Park, this place is highly accessible via major expressways like ECP, KPE and PIE. Alternatively the Stadium station of the Circle Line is right beside the building.

Price
S$3 for non-peak (before 6pm)
S$4 for peak (after 6pm)

Scoring Systems
Modern scoring system with touchscreen panels and animation showing optimum line of entry for sparing and speed of last throw. I'm one who always think that scoring systems have alot to improve in terms of user interface design and friendliness. Good enough but can be better.

Lanes
The toughest lane I've played so far (against NSRCC TM and Orchid Tampines). Tough because different areas of the lane have very different reaction. And the pins have less action compared to the others. Yet to play an over-200 game here. Will definitely go back again to break 200... Some bowlers are such whores...

Atmosphere
Alot of kids. Kids with no manners and knowledge of bowling etiquette. Lighting is fine, sitting area is spacious but music a bit too loud for my liking.

Proshop
As far as I know the pro-shop has been around for some time. A pretty impressive stock of balls including Hello Kitty and soccer ball polyesters. If I remember correctly the price is a little bit on the high but my memory don't always serve me well.

Other Services
Not many other things to do in the bowling alley except eat and drink from the cafeteria if you are on waiting list but you can catch a movie, go to the arcade or go for ice-skating in the same building.

Conclusion
Score: 6/10
6 is a pretty low score considering that the place is quite new and the equipment modern. But the place just doesn't give me the impression that it is meant for serious bowling. I will go back because its near my place and its a challenge yes because bowlers are such whores. But to play league bowling there... I really got to seriously think about that...

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