Gerlachs Bowling Center

Gerlach's is the bowling alley that I grew up in. The first time i went there they had 12 original wood lanes, now they have expanded and to a total of 18 lanes and changed over to all synthetic. i do have to admit that i am partial to this house and have issues coming up with any negatives concerning it. the customer service is right up there with the best I've seen through all the houses I've been to. its one of the best family friendly alleys with a fantastic laid back fun atmosphere that keeps you wanting to go back. i really cant say enough good things about it. They have a full kitchen with a reasonable menu, including all the standard food and beverage choices for a party night or a family outing.

 On the down side the open bowling pricing is on the high side of average with no hourly rate yet but the summer and winter open bowl hours are terrific, they are open everyday except the 4th of July.  when they switched from wood to synthetic the oil pattern was a little dicey as they tried to figure out the difference but as of late they have been pretty consistent and easy to read and bowl well on. 

The Pro Shop is also one of the biggest i have been into yet, it takes up a good portion of the basement level of the center, it even has an elevator, Dan has hundreds of balls displayed and books with all the stats for the balls. he also has a selection of shoes and other needs from shoe sliders to finger lifts to towels and a lot of memorabilia and a huge selection of bags.

Grand Blanc Lanes

     This is one of my favorite places to bowl. They always have great deals here. Ben and I can bowl for 2.5 hours for under 20$. Which is great because neither one of us are independently wealthy, but we are both bowling addicts! We can always get a lane because they have a million! They have two sections to their building. The annex which has 32 wood lanes, and is mostly used for over flow open bowling during leagues, or you can host an event there. The more modern synthetic lanes are in the main side of the building. There are 76 lanes and they are usually pretty full on Saturday nights.
      I have recently bought a ball here and had it drilled by Neil Cross, who has the in-house pro shop at GBL. He helped Ben and I pick out new balls that have helped increase our averages. He spent a lot of time watching us bowl so that he knew the best way to drill, so the ball would do exactly what we needed it to do. He is a really nice guy and I would recommend him to anyone. Neil is full of knowledge and willing to do what needs to be done to make sure you get what you want.
     The atmosphere is really fun and laid back. For a long time, GBL was a dry alley. It has been a few years since they put in the bar, but it seems like they still have a rep for being a dry house. I never really see too many people drinking, which makes it feel more family oriented. I enjoy that a lot, because I'm not a big fan of the bar atmosphere.
     The best part about GBL is, we have never had a lane with really poor oil. This point really makes or breaks an alley for me. I want to bowl at a house with consistent lanes. It is way more fun to throw well and have a few high games, than it is to fight to get the ball into the pocket over inconsistent, broken down oil patterns. We have had very few pin jams and stuck balls, except for last night when lane 29 jammed every few frames. Even then, the control desk did a great job fixing it proactively. They would see the problem and call on it before we attempted to contact them. If we ever have a problem there, the staff is willing to jump up and take care of it. GBL has really great people working there. You can tell they care about their job, and that is what sets them apart from other bowling alleys.

Introduction

My best friend and I have traveled all over Michigan determined to find the best bowling alley.This blog is a chronicle of the experiences we have had over the last year. Since the start of this search our goals have changed a little. Our experiences have been so good at so many places it has been very hard to decide on just one as the "best". So we have decided to try and go to every bowling alley in Michigan instead. 

There have been MANY different things that have stood out to us, such as customer service, lane conditions, and atmosphere. We have only recorded the most recent alleys, but we can remember most of them. The ones we can't remember we plan on revisiting. Each blog we post will be an experience from the past or the newest bowling alley to make our list.

Together we have been to 31 bowling alleys, but combined we have been to 47. We know our goal is a big one, but we both love bowling so much it's almost unhealthy. We bowl every chance we get. Ben is on multiple leagues, and I sub on a few of them. Whenever we get a day off of work together, we try to scout out a new place to get our fix. It has turned into a great adventure, and a great chance to see more of our home state.

Michigan has A LOT of places to bowl, and what complicates it all, is that most of them are behind the times in technology and advertising. Most places have online advertising, but the smaller ones, way out in the sticks may not. So if anyone knows of a place to bowl, please feel free to leave us directions, phone number, or an address so we can find them and see what they are all about!

The list as of 2-18-2013: