PerfectBowling.com

So have you ever wondered where the term ‘turkey’ originated?

Some time in the late 1800′s to early 1900′s bowling proprietors would give out prizes for those people that could bowl 3 strikes in a row. The most common was a free turkey for the first person to bowl 3 consecutive strikes.

Back then, it wasn’t easy to bowl consecutive strikes. Bowling alleys were using men to set up pins instead of the automated pin setting machines we have today. Since pins were set manually back then, there wasn’t a lot of consistency in the way the pins were placed. The headpin could be off to the right a little or it could be to the left. Also, bowling balls were just hard rubber balls and didn’t have the advanced technology today’s balls have that allow for better control and consistency.

But even though the technology has changed, we still use the bowling references from generations ago. Even though there are no more prizes for bowling consecutive strikes, it still is a cool thing to see on your score sheet.