Why and how are bowling alleys/lanes slippery?

Question

I just saw a person on TikTok that slipped when he stepped on the Bowling lane. I just wanna know why and how are they slipper?

In: Engineering

Answer 1

Most bowling alley are synthetic and not wood (but some with wood still exist).

Part of the mechanic is to apply an oil on the alley that will let your ball slide and only on the last few inch, the effect you put on the ball will allow it to grip and come back in the middle to strike

Each bowling center have a slightly different owl pattern so you get used to the own where you often play and need to learn in practice when you visit a new place

Also oil distribution is affected by the number of games played and temperature