Thursday 13 August 2015

Ten pin Bowling in Qatar

We are now, without doubt, officially well into the heat of summer, and for those of us who haven’t already shipped off to a coastline in Europe somewhere in an attempt to escape Qatar’s soaring temperatures, we may find ourselves tucked up in Arctic air conditioning, working our way through one box set after another. But for those who are looking for a little more of an active lifestyle without succumbing to heat stroke, there are plenty of things to do indoors once you climb out of your comfort zone, and ten pin bowling is one of them.

You have probably driven past the somewhat unassuming Qatar Bowling Center building time and time again, and have asked yourself, “I wonder what it’s like inside?”

From the outset, the building doesn’t initially attract an astounding amount of interest, but as the time old saying goes, “never judge a book by its cover,” which is precisely the case for the Qatar Bowling Center.
The Qatar Bowling Center is more than just a couple of lanes for the occasional bowling enthusiast; it’s an institution. 



Get bowling
Once you have navigated your way to the building from either the Guest Palace Roundabout or Mannai Roundabout, (Google Maps will get you there no bother), you will see there is ample parking and no need to trek miles in the heat. Once in the building you will be amazed at how much there is on offer. Before you even get to the bowling lanes you pass through a massive hall with billiard, snooker and foosball tables. To the right there is an additional hall with an abundance of table tennis tables as well as a fully serviced restaurant with a widely varied menu. There is also a PlayStation area for the tech-fans.

To the left of the entrance and down the stairs is where the real action can be found, in a rather sizeable bowling arena. There are 32 bowling lanes equipped with bumpers and kitted out with top-notch technology. The bright colours and flashing screens are reminiscent of the “golden age of bowling” in the 1940s, 50s and 60s in the USA, where friends and family would gather for good old-fashioned fun.

Overlooking the bowling lanes is an exclusive, glassed off VIP seating section for those who prefer to enjoy the game in style, with a front row view of all the action.

Play in a league
The walls are bedecked with trophies from all over the gulf from the various competing leagues and the Qatar Bowling Federation which calls the Qatar Bowling Center its home. There are numerous leagues, particularly a massive following from the Philippines, but the Qatar Bowling Centre is not exclusively for those belonging to any league. Anyone is welcome to gather a group of friends and head on down to the Qatar Bowling Center for a night of action and fun.

Times to play
During Ramadan, the Qatar Bowling Center will be open from 6pm-2am, while normal operating hours are from Saturday-Wednesday 9am-12am, with the exception of Sunday and Tuesday where from 9am-5pm it is ladies only. Thursdays continue later into the night from 9am-2am, and Fridays from 8am-6pm are for leagues only and from 6pm onwards open to all.

Another benefit is that it is affordable, with non-members paying only QR8 per game during happy hour from 9am-4pm and QR15 a game thereafter. Shoe hire is QR2 and there is an optional sock hire of QR2. There is also an hourly rate of QR75 per lane, with a maximum of 5 people on each lane, if you prefer.
Now that you have all you need to know, there is no excuse not to try out something new in Doha, which could soon become a habit. 

Source-http://www.timeoutdoha.com/mobile/sportandoutdoor/features/64443-ten-pin-bowling-in-doha

No comments:

Post a Comment