How to Score in 10 Pin Bowling

Electronic scoring has ushered the sport of bowling into a new era. In the past, bowlers were responsible for keeping score manually. During league play, the task was often left to one team member, who would sit at a scoring table and jot down every strike, spare and gutter ball his team put up. While most bowling centers have done away with manual scoring, some older alleys remain reliant on the pencil-and-paper method. It's not quite as easy as letting computers keep track, but learning how to tabulate scores by hand isn't difficult.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil
  • Bowling score sheet
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Instructions

    • 1

      Prepare the score sheet. Everyone bowling on your lane should be listed on the sheet in an order of your choosing (unless someone has volunteered to go first, in which case, he should be listed at the top.) If it is a league game, be sure to enter each player's respective handicap total next to his score line for use at the end of the game.

    • 2

      Keep track of every shot. For "open" frames–those without a strike or spare–write the number of pins knocked down with the first ball in the left box, and the pins knocked down with the second ball in the right box. The total of the two goes in the bottom box, located below the two smaller ones. If the bowler is left with a split after his first shot, then circle the number in the right box to indicate the frame included a split. If a gutter ball is thrown or no pins are knocked down, write either write a zero or a dash in the corresponding box.

    • 3

      Score strikes and spares. Strikes are marked with an "X" in the right-hand box, while a spare is indicated by a slash (\). A strike is worth 10 points plus the total of the next two balls thrown. A spare is worth 10 points plus number of pins knocked down on the next ball thrown. If a strike is followed by a spare, the bowler is awarded 20 points in the strike frame. Three strikes in a row earns the player 30 points in the first strike frame, 20 points plus the next ball thrown in the second strike frame, and 10 points plus the next two balls thrown in the third strike frame.

    • 4

      Score the 10th frame. A player who throws a strike in the 10th frame is awarded two bonus throws, while a player who gets a spare is awarded one bonus throw.

    • 5

      Double-check scores at the end of the game to make sure they were added up correctly. If it is a league game, add the players' handicaps to their raw scores to arrive at their totals.