Land O'Lakes center nicer and busier now

Royal Lanes has undergone $30,000 in improvements and has doubled the number of league bowlers, according to the general manager.

By KEVIN KELLY

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 22, 2000

When Steve Lee took over as general manager of Royal Lanes earlier this year, his plan was to make the center attractive again.

After $30,000 in improvements, from new carpeting to improving machine reliability, the 24-lane center in Land O'Lakes appears to be on its way.

"We've got double the number of league bowlers that we had last year," Lee said Wednesday. "Our open play seems to be a lot busier than it was last year."

New pins are scheduled to be in by August, just in time for fall leagues. Lee said he expects the center to have 23 leagues during the season.

"A lot of people didn't know we were here," Lee said, "let alone know there was a bowling center around Land O'Lakes."

MORE CHANGES: After four years at Hudson Bowl, general manager Sue Merritt has left the facility to pursue other opportunities in the bowling industry.

Merritt, who joined Hudson Bowl as a general manager in 1996 after working at the Bowling Corporation of America in White Plains, N.Y., left on June 10.

"I'm desiring to get back into the corporate marketplace and do things on the national level and create nationwide bowling programs," she said. "(Hudson Bowl) was quite the sentimental place to work. I made quite a few friends."

Hudson co-general manager Ron Woods said there are no plans to hire a replacement.

"Not in the near future," he said. "If somebody came along that we thought was perfect, maybe. We've kind of changed that around and we're going to kind of go without that position for a while."

PERFECT: Jason Mahr bowled a 300 game in the Long Oil League on June 15 at Hudson Bowl.

Lanes were set up to be like those at the Long Island Open -- a Professional Bowlers Association event in Coram, N.Y. -- with a different type of lane conditioner.

"It's like in golf," Woods said. "You want to play a course that's par 72 or 65. For the most part, bowlers want the 65. In this league, they know the conditions are going to be really hard."

On May 31, Todd Larson shot a 299 in the same league.

UPCOMING: The Suncoast Senior Regional Bowling Tournament will be held July 29-30 and Aug. 5-6 at Hudson Bowl.

The ABC-sanctioned event has a 90 percent of 210 handicap and is open to all members 55 and older. The entry fee is $15 per event.

The tournament will feature a four-bowler team event, two singles and one doubles competition. For more information, call tournament manager Bill Scoville at (727) 863-3767 or (727) 862-5523.

LEAGUES FORMING: Hudson Bowl is creating two leagues for the summer.

The Business League, scheduled to start June 27, will bowl at 6:15 p.m. Thursdays. It costs $10 per week.

The center also has formed a kids league at 6:15 p.m. Fridays. More than 20 children ages 6-11 already have signed up. For more information, call Hudson Bowl at 863-5481.

HIGH HONORS: The new synthetic lanes at Spring Hill Lanes produced two 800 series this month. Greg Toth bowled games of 280, 290 and 230 for an even 800 in the Monday Men's Trio league two weeks ago, and Jeremy Guck trumped that a week later with games of 255, 268 and 279 for an 802 series in the 580 Scratch Trio league.

Todd Jufko bowled 300 games on consecutive Saturdays in Mariner's Pot of Gold Jackpot special. While the games are not sanctioned by the American Bowling Congress, any back-to-back perfection is an accomplishment. Jufko had the county's first 300 of the year -- and the eighth of his career -- on Jan. 3.

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