Bowling in Oakville

A vintage photo of Mallwitz’s Island Lanes, presumably from the 1980s, shows a much different alley than the one that stands today. Its patrons are dressed and coiffed for the times, bright yellows and reds flash across the walls, and strikes and spares are scrawled by hand. A modern-day snapshot illustrates the transformation that has occurred since the center's 1980 opening: 24 lanes feature computerized scoring systems and freshly oiled surfaces that glisten in the muted glow of black lights like a newborn’s head after his first waxing. Other contemporary touches include a full bar, complete with a food menu headlined by popular wings.

As the home of the TSN Classic Bowl Championship, Classic Bowl sees its share of high-stakes bowling. Even during recreational matches, the alley’s shimmering lights reflect the competitive glint in bowlers’ eyes as they stare out at the polished surfaces of 60 lanes that span 70,000 square feet. The echoes of crashing pins resonate throughout this expansive space seven days a week and reach their zenith during cosmic bowling on weekends, when party lights set matches aglow and pins sway to the beats of popular tunes spun by a live DJ. In between games, recharge with food and drinks at a full-service bar or sharpen hand-eye rapport during button-smashing melees in the arcade. Experts at the on-site pro shop equip bowlers with gear, offer helpful advice for improving scores, and feed energy bars to the hamsters that thanklessly propel balls toward their targets.

Dickson Bowl spices up the traditional sport of bowling with five-pin lanes designed to test the accuracy and finger-counting abilities of players of all ages. During late-night and weekend cosmic-bowling sessions, an incandescent glow radiates throughout the facility, creating a surreal experience not only for bowlers, but also for visitors to the on-site arcade and diner, which crafts house-made pizzas in addition to several breakfast and lunch options. 

Outside of cosmic and open-bowling times, the alley offers league opportunities for women, children, and men of all ages and abilities. It also hosts theme nights each month, inviting guests to bowl in hockey jerseys, pajamas, or camouflage suits that hopefully go unnoticed by the pins.

Bowling balls trundle down Splitsville's 34 slick lanes as touchscreen scoring tracks each player's strikes and splits. At this interactive entertainment mecca, computer-controlled bumpers emerge automatically whenever players requesting them step up to bowl. Friday and Saturday night cosmic bowling sessions enhance frames with black lights and drop-down screens. More than 20 plasma screen televisions and five projectors over the lane enthrall players awaiting their turn. Further overhead, Splitville's lounge, The Loft, treats guests to two stonewalled fireplaces and an entertainment stage as they munch on the kitchen menu's pub eats. Splitsville also pits drivers against each other in a bumper car arena, lures gamers to more than 55 redemption and video games in the arcade, and baits pool sharks at the billiards table by dangling chum from cues.

The rattle of scattered bowling pins echoes throughout the 7,000-square-foot ibowl Family Fun Center, a former shoe factory that has been repurposed for bowling, miniature golf, and other games. Inspired by an around-the-world theme, the nine-hole miniature-golf course takes putters globetrotting around igloos and pint-sized models of the Taj Mahal and the Eiffel Tower populated with Lilliputian tourists complaining about jet lag. Bowling balls barrel toward sets of 5 or 10 pins at the centre's bowling lanes, which boast automatic scoring and optional bumpers. The mini-game emporium also features air hockey, foosball, and pool tables, allowing competitors to prove who has the superior hand-eye coordination without entering juggling competitions with a meat cleaver.

Kennedy Bowl’s 32 bowling lanes were paved in 1959, but over the years its owners have kept it modern. The most notable updates they’ve made have been building a snack bar, installing automated scoring, and putting in new Brunswick Anvil synthetic lanes with bumpers. They even replaced the carpeting with a glow-in-the-dark carpeting pattern, which is most noticeable on Friday and Saturday nights when the lights dim for cosmic bowling.