Partner Bowling Games

Like most sports or games, bowling is usually more enjoyable when shared with a friend. A little friendly competition between bowlers is an entertaining way to spend a few hours. If you would rather join forces, you and your partner can enjoy some doubles games that emphasize teamwork over individual strategy.

  1. Regular Doubles

    • Regular doubles games are most often contested in tournaments. In straight doubles, each member of the team bowls his own game, and the team's scores are combined. Teammates usually proceed in order, with the first player bowling on the left lane, followed by the second player directly behind her. For the second frame, the players would remain in order but switch over to the right lane. They would return to the left lane for the third frame, and continue switching back and forth until the match is over. The strategy for success in straight doubles is generally the same as in individual bowling, since each player is responsible for his own score.

    Scotch Doubles

    • The Scotch doubles format sees one teammate throw the first ball of all 10 frames, while the other player throws the second ball each time. This format plays to the strengths of a team that has one bowler who throws plenty of strikes, or a player who is adept at converting spares. The drawback is that, if the first player gets hot and puts together a string of strikes, the second player could go several frames without throwing a shot. Not only is this unfair, but it can also lead to the second player getting rusty due to inactivity. For this reason, teams usually favor switching positions from game to game.

    Other Doubles Games

    • There are two other popular variations of doubles bowling. Alternate ball is set up so the first player takes the first shot, the second player goes next, and the game continues in this pattern for all 10 frames. If the first player gets a strike, the second player begins the next frame. The other option, alternate frame, features one player bowling the odd-numbered frames (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th) and the second player playing the even-numbered frames (2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th). These variations give both players close to equal representation in the game.