If you’ve searched for ten-pin bowling and found Spinners, here’s the short answer: our lanes are duckpin bowling, ten-pin’s quicker, friendlier cousin. It’s still ten pins and a ball, still strikes and spares, but it’s faster to play, easier to pick up and fits neatly into a night out with darts, Clayshot and cocktails.
Duckpin vs ten-pin at a glance
| Duckpin bowling | Ten-pin bowling | |
|---|---|---|
| Ball | Small, fits in one hand, no finger holes | Large and heavy, with finger holes |
| Pins | 10 smaller, lighter pins | 10 full-size pins |
| Lane | Shorter | Full length |
| Rolls per frame | Up to 3 | Up to 2 |
| Bowling shoes | Not needed | Usually required |
| Game time | About 10 minutes per player | Usually longer |
What’s different about duckpin?
The ball. Duckpin balls are small enough to hold in one hand and have no finger holes, so there’s no hunting for the right weight or grip. Anyone can pick one up and play.
Three rolls, not two. You get up to three rolls a frame to knock all ten pins down. You’ll need them: with a smaller ball, strikes are harder to come by, which makes every one feel like a big moment.
Quicker games. A game takes around ten minutes per person, so a group of four is done in about 40 minutes. That leaves time for another game, or something else on the menu.
No bowling shoes. You play in your own (sensible) shoes and stay behind the foul line. The lanes score automatically, so no one has to keep count.
Which one is right for your group?
- Choose ten-pin if you want a full-length lane and a heavy ball, and bowling is the whole plan for the night.
- Choose duckpin if you want bowling as part of a bigger night out: a few frames, then darts, Clayshot or interactive golf, with cocktails and pizza in between. It’s also great for mixed groups, because nobody needs to be good at it to have fun.
Duckpin is especially good for work socials, birthdays and Christmas parties, where you want everyone involved rather than a few keen bowlers taking over.
Where to play duckpin bowling
Duckpin bowling is at every Spinners venue, from £7.50 per person:
- Duckpin bowling in Chester, Frodsham Street
- Duckpin bowling in Plymouth, The Barcode
- Duckpin bowling in Reading, Queens Walk
- Duckpin bowling in Solihull, Touchwood
New to it? Read how to play duckpin bowling before you go, or just turn up and our team will show you the ropes.
