# Bowling shoes -- scam or legitmate need? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 4, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368 "2001-05-04T17:08:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zev\_steinhardt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/97f17d/32.png) [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/1 "2001-05-04T17:08:14Z")
I always wondered about bowling shoes. Is there really a need to have them on when bowling, or could I simply wear my own shoes and the whole thing is just a scam to get people to pay extra to bowl? Zev Steinhardt ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/2 "2001-05-04T17:31:10Z")
Well, as with any athletic sport shoe, you can generally “play the game” without them. It is not simply a scam, however. Originally they served two purposes: - They guaranteed that the bowlers would not mark up the special flooring a the end of the lanes; - They eventually began have design improvements to allow the bowler to have traction during the “wind-up” and slide during the delivery–all while _not_ marring the surface of the lanes. Among devoted bowlers, the lanes make no money on the shoes, anyway. Serious bowlers go out and buy their own. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/3 "2001-05-04T18:11:27Z")
> [@](#): > > - They eventually began have design improvements to allow the bowler to have traction during the “wind-up” and slide during the delivery–all while not marring the surface of the lanes. And the _sliding_ part is crucial - rolling a bowling ball in tennis shoes will often leave you stumbling out into the lane as you foot sticks to the floor, and your weight continues moving forward. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/4 "2001-05-04T18:28:03Z")
Yes, there is a need for them, as stated above: for traction starting your approach, but slidability at the end. They’re made of materials that won’t mark or marr the expensive wooden floors of quality bowling centers. You _can_ buy your own bowling shoes, as most people who are in bowling leagues do. That way, you don’t feel stupid wearing clown-colored shoes, or grossed out wearing something that hundreds of others have done before you. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/5 "2001-05-04T21:49:38Z")
Heard on the radio a few weeks ago - bowling shoes have become fashionable, and lanes have begun to have problems with people swiping the shoes. Now, most lanes I’ve been at, you have to surrender your street shoes to get theirs, and turn the bowling shoes back in to get your own shoes back. I suppose some fashion-concious teenager might be willing to leave some ratty old sneakers to make off with the newly-declared “trendy” footwear, but I still wonder how much it’s really happening. ---
**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2001, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/6 "2001-05-04T23:40:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by yabob \* > \*\*…but I still wonder how much it’s really happening. > \*\* A local bowling center hosted a fraternity/sorority “fun night”. Of the 100 or so kids attending, 42 made off with their rental shoes. The fraternity was billed. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/7 "2001-05-05T00:10:04Z")
Does that “spray” that they use after the shoes are returned really do anythiing in the way of sanityzing the shoes…or does it just make them smell less…umm…like a bowling alley? ---
**Author:** ![pmh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/df705f/32.png) [@pmh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pmh)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/8 "2001-05-05T01:25:01Z")
The spray is usually 1:1:1 trichloroethane (dry cleaning solution) or an equivalent. It would work well if used as intended, but is usually just breifly misted in the general direction of the shoes. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/9 "2001-05-05T05:02:58Z")
AWB\>\> They’re made of materials that won’t mark or marr the expensive wooden floors of quality bowling centers. Wooden? Old bowling centers perhaps but aren’t new centers made with plastic lanes that just look like wood? ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/10 "2001-05-05T11:41:36Z")
Having dedicated shoes for your bowling is a pleasure. First, that whole experience of being the 1000th person to slide into a cheezy pair of rentals is now a thing of the past. Second, they can be pretty cheap - my daughter got hers at KMart for $25, which we have already saved by not renting. Third, if you get nice ones, they aren’t symmetrical - for the typical right handed bowler, your right or “swing side” shoe has rubber on the sole, and your left or “slide side” shoe has suede leather on the sole, so you get the grip where you need it and can slide just so at the end (yes they make the opposites for lefties, too). But even the cheapest are better than rentals! ---
**Author:** ![Kid\_Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kid\_Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kid_Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/11 "2001-05-05T11:52:31Z")
I used to bowl quite a bit as a teenager. Once as we were getting ready to leave (after having changed into my normal shoes) I decided to bowl just one more frame. I practically broke my neck when my feet didn’t slide the way I wanted them to. You don’t want really good traction when you stop all of a sudden carrying a heavy weight, especially when you’re bending over at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Jman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jman/32/4416_2.png) [@Jman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2001, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bowling-shoes-scam-or-legitmate-need/64368/12 "2001-05-05T12:38:23Z")
I have my own bowling shoes. They’re not good, but they’re ten times better than rentals. They cost me something like $17 at K-mart. However, they’re comfortable, and solid black, so they don’t look that odd. I need to go bowling soon. I haven’t been in so long, and I used to be a bi-weekly bowler. I bet I won’t even roll a 170 game the next time out. (I used to be a 190 average). Jman