Duckpin Social: A New Way to Bowl
CSI Design Expo Americas talks with Brunswick's Brandon Meigs about Duckpin Social—a faster, more accessible bowling format that fits a third of the usual footprint.
Creating a Space That Inspires: SociBowl and Brunswick's Duckpin Social
As seen in IBI (International Bowling Industry) magazine, August 2023, in a Success With Smaller Footprint Solutions story by Corrie Pelc.
What do you get when three friends share a passion for craft beer and community? For Joel Kamp, Chad Doane, and Michael Brower — The Three Amigos — it was Pigeon Hill Brewing Company, founded in Muskegon, Michigan, in 2014. When they wanted to expand into family entertainment, they dreamed up SociBowl: a place expressing their values of community, inclusion, Mid-Century design, and fun.
The building they found had once been a traditional bowling center, but years of repurposing meant they couldn't reintroduce traditional lanes. Brower, co-founder and chief brand officer, still wanted bowling in the mix — so they installed six lanes of Brunswick's Duckpin Social. "We thought Duckpin Social was the perfect way to utilize the space for bowling with the actual constraints that we were under," he says.
Key takeaways from the article:
- A focal point that draws people in. Since opening in December 2022, Duckpin Social has brought in guests from a wider geographic area thanks to its novelty. "It provides a nice focal point for a facility that's centered around the idea of social fun and social entertainment with people interacting throughout the facility," Brower says. Complementary offerings keep groups in the building longer — including those waiting to bowl or not ready to head home.
- A new demographic. "It's brought out people that we've never really seen in our facilities before, which is phenomenal," Brower says. Anyone over age five can play: "You'll see grandparents bring in their grandchildren; you'll see folks in their mid-20s coming out for a social hour; you'll see couples in their 50s coming out for a date night."
- Less space, less maintenance. Duckpin Social uses one ball size for all guests and requires no shoe rental — a good fit for limited space. It also needs less maintenance than traditional lanes. "We don't have to have an expert in bowling maintenance on staff. Almost everything that needs to be done is handled by our team."
- Getting in Sync. Duckpin Social runs on Brunswick's Sync scoring and management system, which Brower says is easy for both staff and guests. "The guests certainly seem to enjoy the ease of getting into it, the ability to use the kiosk to get on the lane, and the ability to reserve lanes online."
- Interactive guest experiences. Through the Sync Scoring Tablet, guests choose from a variety of Duckpin Social games, look back at games they've played, upload photos, and have scores emailed to them.
Read the full story from IBI magazine here.
Frequently Asked Questions
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The building had once been a traditional bowling center but had been repurposed over the years, making traditional lanes impossible. Duckpin Social's much smaller footprint let them keep bowling in the mix within their existing space constraints.
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A remarkably broad mix. Anyone over five can play, and Brower describes grandparents bringing grandchildren, folks in their mid-20s coming out for a social hour, and couples in their 50s on date night—including people who'd never visited their facilities before.
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One ball size for all guests and no shoe rental, which keeps the footprint small. Maintenance is also lighter than on traditional lanes — SociBowl doesn't need a bowling maintenance expert on staff, since its own team handles almost everything.
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Duckpin Social runs on Brunswick's Sync scoring and management system, which guests use to reserve lanes online and check in via kiosk. The Sync Scoring Tablet also lets guests pick from a variety of games, revisit past games, upload photos, and get scores emailed to them.
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