I'm a big fan of Better Off Bowling and regularly tell all my friends (and sometimes co-workers) about in when recruiting my team every season. You don't have to be a good bowler so everyone is welcome! It's a really great way to get out and have some fun with friends while meeting some awesome new people. The leagues regularly have a bunch of different teams to meet during and after bowling - the host some after bowling hangs complete with games. There's also trivia during bowling. Overall it's a really fun time and a great way to meet fun new people - give it a try next time they have registration open. read more

Better Off Bowling - Hanging with everyone, waiting for my turn to bowl. - Bowling Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Okay, I signed up as a free agent and they put me on a team with 6 other bowlers. 7 is a pretty big group, but I thought nothing of it. More the Merrier right? Well, know what you are paying for. the lanes turn on for 90 minutes. when times up, you're done. You will likely get 1 full game and an additional 3 frames. So you are basically paying 11 bucks for a single game. I saw no drink specials. every drink I bought was priced as was on the menu. Last time I was on a bowling league I was paying about 12 / week for 3 games. Everything else was as I expect for a typical bowling league. read more

A friend suggested I join a bowling league, and after seeing this come up many times in my searches of bowling alleys, I finally decided to join. I am extremely glad I joined. I enjoyed it so much, I'm signing up for next season! What I like most about this league is that you don't have to be a good bowler. You can be completely awful, and it's okay. You won't feel yourself under a whole lot of pressure to get a score over 100. the idea of this league is to have fun, to meet new people, and have fun. The price is very reasonable, ~$70 lets you both 6 times with your team for about 90 minutes each time. Shoe rental is included! how many games you will get in depends on how many people are in your team, and how fast you can bowl. I will give the league points for trying to make the experience as social as possible. However in my experience this last season, despite the League's efforts, the social aspect could have been more prevalent. There was trivia to be worked on by the two teams competing against each other that week, and there were some games such as Jenga available, I found it does not facilitate mingling that much. People were very focused on getting as many strings in as they could People pretty much stayed in their team's, and because people are trying to get in as many games as possible, there isn't a whole lot of opportunity to interact with the other teams. As for the after bowling "party", well there were some people from the league there, once again people pretty much stayed within their own teams. Don't get me wrong this is not the League's fault, they do try to do what they can, just the way it ends up happening. A possible solution would be to have an event or two outside of bowling time when everyone could get together. this could just be mingling, or it could be a different kind of non-bowling event The location it takes place is quite good. Jillian's is fairly modern, not so much so that you can't hear your teammate over deafening music, but not so old school that you still have to do the scoring on paper. The location is fairly easy to access with the green line, and there are plenty of bars and restaurants around to hang out before or after. A couple gripes about the location (alley): 1. The layout of the couches and tables. When your turn is up you have to almost climb over your team-mates' feet. 2. You may have difficulty getting a ball that is of the right weight (and finger hole size) for you. You are welcome to bring your own if you have one. Balls themselves could use some love 3. The computerized scoring needs some love too, it can be hard to input names, and is harder to skip a bowler, the control desk needs to do that. read more

Got a few friends together and easily signed up for one of the 6 week bowling leagues. Despite the restrictions Covid has put on them, they did a great job running the league and making it both fun and safe. Our team will be back. Thanks! read more

My friends and I joined to meet new people in a fun atmosphere. It worked out great! We met new and fun people while sharing a common interest. Every night was a blast! Also, best bowling alley food I've ever had! read more

I love everything about Better Off Bowling. It got my husband and me out of the house every Sunday (even after our Halloween party, when I bowled literally the worst game of my life) and we got to hang out with friends and have a ton of fun. The league is organized really well; the games are spaced out so that you have enough time for the team before you to clear out before your bowling time starts. The wonderful staff at Lucky Strike will print out your scores for you, or you can just keep track of them on your own and you have a few days to enter it into the website. I think the price is really fair for what you get - bowling for 8 weeks, including lane time and shoe rental. They also run early bird specials for people that sign up early. They have an end of season party, and pre- and post-bowling activities at Tequila Rain. We liked it so much we signed up for the winter league, as well! read more

I love that BoB not only forces me to get off my butt on lazy Sunday afternoons and actually leave the apartment, but allows for weekly hang-out time with some of my friends that involve cheap beer and a fun, friendly bowling game. I shied away from the other social sports leagues because I am not athletic at all (or competitive, for that matter), and you can't really hide that fact when you're on a dodgeball or kickball team (having my entire team mad at me because I suck = not the way I want to spend an evening). One of my favorite things about BoB is not only does it not require any athleticism (just skill, although even that is debatable as I have none and sometimes do pretty well), but only the top 4 scores from your team actually count... meaning there's no pressure for me to do well at all (on a team of 10), no one will be mad if I personally suck, and I can go into the games knowing I'm just there to have fun and hang out and drink some beers. This is key for me. It seems like a good opportunity to socialize and meet new people if that's your thing... me, I'm happy in my own little friend bubble, but people tend to be pretty friendly and this would be good if you're looking to meet new people in a non-sketchy way (especially with the post-game socializing at the bar, and the end-of-the-year league party). Also, who doesn't love customized bowling shirts?! (Oh yes, my team's got 'em, can't wait to bust them out this week for our third season...) read more

Going into my third year of BoB and I can't frikkin' wait. There are so many reasons to hate winter in Boston. (I won't start listing them because I will probably run out of room and never get to my review. I hate winter.) BoB is your light at the end of the tunnel. Your north star through the frozen seas. In short - it's worth leaving the heat of your house and trudging over to Fenway. Go on, you say. I get raised eyebrows when I say I'm in a bowling league. No, I am not a Big Lebowski nut. No I do not own any bowling shirts. Ok, I AM from New Jersey. But this is not your average bowling league. BoB is a league made of young professionals looking to get together with old and new friends to have a little Sunday fun. Let me preface this by saying that everyone is terrible at bowling. It's usually one of the first questions. Everyone is awful. It is half the fun. One of my friends has actually sat on the floor and kicked the ball down the lane. But that's the beauty of BoB. Bowling is merely the pretext for getting together with some people you know and some people you don't (new friends!) and making Sunday more than just the day before you have to go back to work. The league has an awesome set up. It takes place at Jillian's by Fenway, and we have the whole floor to ourselves. Your team is preassigned a time, an opponent, and a lane. The games start from 11:30am to 4-5pm. The league has grown so much that this many times slots have become necessary. BoB makes deals with Jillians to bring you $3 PBR tallboys and $12 buckets with 4 tallboys. Everything (shoes, bowling, etc) is included in your registration price. (You can either register as an individual, with a friend, or make up a team.) You bowl for an hour and a half and get as many games in as you can. But what about the big game? There are a ton of big screen tv's right in front of your lane where you can watch Sunday football or (later in the season) basketball. Not only do you not miss your game, but you have tons of friends and cheap beer. You win, my friend. After your game, you move on down to the bowling bar (Last year it was Tequila Rain. Right inside the building. No need to coat and then uncoat!) In the bar, there are the same deals that BoB snagged just for you. They also set up flip cup, King of the Hill, cornhole, and (my favorite) Slap-a-bitch (just ask around. someone will know.) You can stay as long as you want and this is where you have your true team bonding moments. This league has single handedly brought the magic of winter back to my life. It is centrally located, so it's easy for anyone to join. (Brighton, Cambridge, Boston, Somerville. You can all get there). There are so many great deals and the price is right. There are two sessions of bowling and you're welcome to join one or both. There is no reason not to try it out. Check out their website. read more

I joined better off bowling a couple winters ago to meet new people in Boston and so glad I did! Not only was it something to do on a cold winter Sunday, it was a fun way to expand my circle of friends. You don't have to bowl a 200 to fit in (I'm lucky to even bowl 100) but you do need to come for a good time and bring your drinking shoes. It's so much better now that the league is at lucky strike and tequila rain is the league bar ... It's like being at Fenway during the off season. If you are feeling cabin fever in the cold winter, this is a fun way to get out of the house! read more

I had a great time in the league, league and our host made the environment quite fun and friendly. Thanks Danielle and Better of bowling for making such a fun league read more

Better off bowling is an excellent deal - especially if you get the early bird pricing ($69 - hahaha...). One season is 6 weeks and includes bowling for 1.5 hours, shoe rentals, and a weekly drink ticket for the bar downstairs (think Coors or Gansett), and half off apps at the bar. You can join as a team (6-10) or as a free agent and get grouped with a team that has open space. It's an excellent way to spend winter Sunday afternoons! (There's even tons of street parking during the Sox offseason on Sundays). read more

You may think a bowling league is only for older gentlemen who have their own pair of shoes and a monogrammed ball. This bowling league is a bit different. While bowling is the first activity of the day, the rest of the afternoon generally evolves into hanging out with friends and playing games in the bar while watching football. I have been bowling with BoB since it started about 4 years ago and it has grown and become more fun each year. It is a great way to meet people, hang out with friends, and network. We have also gotten some pretty sweet deals from the bar in the past, which always makes things a bit better. Add that to an end of season party that provides a keg or two and is free for league members and you have yourself a recipe for something the old timers aren't ready for. read more

I've bowled many seasons with Better Off Bowling in Boston. I'm giving three stars as a rating for the way the league is run (not my experience bowling in the league which has been great because of the people). A few years ago I would have rated 4 stars; today I feel like rating 2 stars. Lately the league has been disorganized with scheduling issues, website issues, and lack of influence with the lanes (Lucky Strike). I've met some great people in the league and always have fun, but this review is for BOB as a business. Keep the "free" t-shirts and improve the business. read more

I did BoB two winters ago right after I first moved to Boston. Considering this city lacks in the social category once the temperature drops to below 50 degrees, BoB was a great way to keep my friends and i active, all the while allowing us to meet new people....its amazing what alcohol before 1pm can do! Don't forget to hit up Who's on First after your game for some more drinks and hilariousness...pretty sure the winner of the league is determined by Flip Cup and not Bowling...I dare anyone to deny this read more

I joined Better Off Bowling in Boston last winter, and it has been such a great experience! I'm relatively new to the area, and so it was hard at first to get out and meet people, especially during the winter months when it's so friggin' freezing! This has been a great way to meet new people and hang out with friends! The league has a social focus, which is great for me since I kind of suck at bowling (but no one really cares). We always roll to the bar afterwards where you can either chill with your teammates or get in on some flipcup action. Oh, and there's an end-of-season party with a bunch of free kegs... It's sweet! read more

I played the first few seasons in Boston after the league's inception. There was no better way to spend a Sunday in the winter. Lots of fun people, drink specials, good food (go to Bukowskis next door after the bowling party is over), and a little competition if you're in to that sort of thing. It's also a hell of a deal....60 bucks gets almost two months of bowling, shoes, specials, and a party atmosphere in the middle of the day. Bowling has got so expensive everywhere else; this is tremendous bang for your buck. Since I've moved, I'm just waiting for something like this in San Francisco. read more

I've been bowling with Better Off Bowling for years now. It is a great cure for long, depressing Sundays. The league is very organized (they even have a website!) and everyone that plays is very friendly and a lot of fun. Since they bowl at Lucky Strikes, you also have the option to keep up on all your favorite NFL teams while getting in your game. Skill levels definitely run the gamut...so you don't have to worry if you're not any good. And afterwards, you can head on down to the bar to hang out with fellow players, catch more football, and play some games. I definitely would (and have!) recommend this league to all my friends! read more

I was one of the first bowlers for Better Off Bowling back in its onset a few years ago and I've been bowling every season ever since. When the weather gets crappy, it's great to get together with a good group of friends (who can preferably bowl decently), drink some cheap PBRs (with limes... I'd highly recommend it), bowl and socialize. It's a great way to spend your lazy winter Sundays, meet new people, watch football/bowl/drink beers (all at the same time), and kick friend butts in bowling. I'd highly recommend both seasons in the winter. read more

Better Off Bowling is a great, inexpensive, fun way to bowl! For people more interested in having a good time that trying to score 300, there is no better league to be a part of. You don't need to be a serious athlete to participate in Better Off Bowling, and it won't cost you an arm and a leg to bowl. You'll have a great time, meet new friends and have a blast playing! read more

Better off Bowling is a great way to spend a lax Sunday with your friends. (You can even bring along your friends who suck at bowling and not worry about them bringing down the team score). This league is more about enjoying an afternoon with fun people so leave your own bowling ball at home. League is quite organized with a fun website and solid relationship with the bowling alley and bars. Great for people who are just out of school or new to town looking to meet new people. Also great for people who like beer and want a good deal on bowling during the crappy months of the year. read more

Well run league, great location, and great people! The emphasis in this league is having fun and meeting people, so it may be better suited to more casual bowlers like myself read more

I started bowling in this league a couple years ago and have had a ton of fun! I have met a bunch of people, stayed out way too late on a Sunday, perfected my bowling skills (if a 120 can be considered perfect), and I keep coming back. Definitely the perfect winter Sunday afternoon activity! read more