Define Gutterball

The sport of bowling involves rolling a bowling ball down the lane with the purpose of knocking down the ten bowling pins. The gutter is found on both sides of the bowling lane; when the ball rolls off the lane into the gutter it is termed a "gutterball."
    • Bowling balls

    Bowling Terms

    • "Strike" refers to knocking down all ten pins with just one roll of the ball; a "spare" results in knocking down ten pins in two attempts. A player commits a "foul" when he steps on or over the foul line and onto the bowling lane; fouls and gutterballs both result in a score of zero for that attempt.

    Gutterball Scoring

    • The game is composed of ten frames for each player, with two opportunities to knock down all ten pins. A point is scored for each pin knocked down, a gutterball results in a point score of zero for that opportunity.

    Bumper Bowling

    • Inflatable tubes, known as bumpers, can be placed in the gutters of the bowling lane to help children bowl with more ease. When the ball hits the bumper it gently goes back onto the playing surface, which allows for children to score points.

    History of Bowling

    • Bowling can be traced back to the ancient Egyptians and was popular in the early American colonies as well. The USBC (United States Bowling Conference) now governs the sport of bowling in the U.S.

    Professional Bowlers Association

    • The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is composed of more than 4,000 members from 13 countries and serves as the professional competitive league.