BakeMyFish
Humorous Observations
Where can I go in Southern Maryland? I used to bowl at Parkland, Marlow Heights and Suitland? Where now?
Duckpin Bowling
- Thread starter BakeMyFish
- Start date
johnycarcinogen
New Member
The closest place I know of is in College Park...I don't know if that is there anymore. I don't think we have any in the tri-county area.
Black-Francis
New Member
Curly's (RIP)
T
toppick08
Guest
They used to have duckpin at Esperanza Lanes but they've been gone for many moons.
Used to love them duckpins...
morningbell
hmmmmmm
T
toppick08
Guest
THE HISTORY OF DUCKPIN BOWLING
Duckpin bowling was born in Baltimore, Maryland, has been around since 1900. It was one of Babe Ruth's favorite games, besides baseball, of course! Ten-pin bowling used to be strictly a winter sport. Most alleys closed down for the summer, but a few of them remained open so that bowlers could practice with small balls, about 6 inches in diameter. They usually played odd games called "back five," using just the 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 pins, and "cocked hat," which used only the 1, 7, and 10.
In 1900, summer bowlers at the Diamond Alleys in Baltimore suggested it might be interesting to trim down the standard pins to match the size of the ball. Manager John Van Sant liked the idea. He had a wood turner do the job and many of his customers enjoyed the new bowling game. At first, the rules of ten-pin bowling were used. But, because it's much harder to get strikes and spares, one small rule change was made: A bowler is allowed to use three bowls on each turn. If all ten pins are knocked down with three balls, it simply counts a score of ten.
Van Sant demonstrated the new sport to the owners of the alley, John McGraw and Wilbert Robinson. Though they're much better known as baseball managers, McGraw and Robinson were also avid duck hunters. When they saw the way the small pins flew wildly around the alley, one of them remarked that it looked liked a "flock of flying ducks."
ShortRound
Midget
For duckpin back in the day Curly's was it!!!! Used to be near the Wal-Mart in Waldorf....
MrX
High Octane
They won't fix it up or take it out. They use that area for storage.
Otter
Nothing to see here
Suitland..or move to B-more, more choices up there.
steeler1970
New Member
When I was student teaching in 1992 I went with my cooperating teacher to the American Legion in Cresaptown, MD (near Frostburg in Western Maryland) Upstairs they had two duckpin lanes where they had a small league. They paid two kids to set the pins up and roll the balls back. It was pretty cool
clevalley
...
I miss Curly's as it was the bomb! Bowling on tilted/wavy lanes. 
It did not matter how many beers you had, it was pure chance.
Otter
Nothing to see here
By far the worst duckpin lanes in the USA..
OldHillcrestGuy
Well-Known Member
Those were the days, Saturdays as a young boy, bowling duckpin at the Marlow Heights Fairlanes for the Silver Hill Boys Club, proably for at least a dozen years. Remember those days Wineo Im sure you spent a Saturday or two with your big brothers up there while they bowled. Never ever became fond of ten pins, duckpin was so much more of a challenge.
Wineo Im sure you remember Billy Watson, he was one of the top ranked duckpin bowlers on the East Coast.
Wineo Im sure you remember Billy Watson, he was one of the top ranked duckpin bowlers on the East Coast.
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cattitude
My Sweetest Boy
OldHillcrestGuy
Well-Known Member
Jeff Pyles
I remember the name, way back in the days the 'Washington Daily News' (rip) use to have big articles in the sports pages about duckpin bowling and have the rankings and what took place in league play. Did Jeff Pyles bowl from the Hyattsville area, or was he one of the Camp Springs Pyles?