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Most people view bowling as just a fun activity to participate in once in a while. For them, bowling consists of going out with friends or family and renting or borrowing any equipment they might need, such as shoes or bowling balls. There are quite a few out there, however, who take bowling a lot more seriously. These are the people who join leagues, bowl at least three games per week, and practice whenever possible. If you're this type of bowler, then obviously a house ball and rented shoes aren't going to help you improve your scores. Instead, this is a short list of the equipment that every serious bowler should make an effort to acquire.

First and foremost, a serious bowler needs his or her own bowling ball. House bowling balls are usually old, worn, and not very well cared for. They may even have chips or gouges in them from years and years of rough handling. This type of ball is okay to use if you're just hanging out with your friends on a Friday night, but if you're in a bowling league, then you'll definitely want to have a ball of your own. One reason for this is that the chips and gouges in house bowling balls often lead to unpredictable, inconsistent movement. In other words, this type of ball is very difficult to control. When you have your own bowling ball, you can take care of it to make sure that it remains in pristine condition for as long as possible. This will allow you to exercise more control over your shots, which in turn improves your accuracy and your final score. So even if you decide that you really don't need any of the other equipment listed here, you should at least make sure you have your own bowling ball.

Another item that every serious bowler should have is a sturdy gear bag. This might sound obvious, but you'd be surprised at how many bowlers entrust their ball and other equipment to bags of shoddy construction. There are two main reasons that you should get a good bowling bag. The first is to protect the equipment that you put in there. Bowling balls are heavy, and people drop their bags a lot more often than you think. If that happens, you want to be sure that your equipment will survive unscathed. A second reason to invest in a good gear bag is that it will allow you to keep everything organized. Bowlers can accumulate a lot of equipment over time, and this equipment tends to just get thrown haphazardly into their bowling bags. That doesn't seem like such a big deal -- until you need to find a particular item quickly. A bowling bag that has separate compartments for your miscellaneous items can help you get (and stay) organized so that you can focus on bowling rather than on digging through your stuff for lost items.

A third item that serious bowlers ought to have is their own pair of bowling shoes. Although the bowling shoes you wear can affect your performance at times, I'm recommending their purchase more for the sake of convenience than for improving your average. There's actually nothing wrong with the shoes that you rent from the bowling alley as far as performance goes. But if you're a serious bowler, you simply can't run the risk of showing up for your league only to find out that there aren't any more shoes available in your size. You'd be much better off investing in your own pair of shoes so that you never have to worry about this kind of thing again.

Those are the major pieces of equipment that every serious bowler really should have at his or her disposal. In addition, I can also recommend several other items that you should keep in your bag at all times so that you can use them whenever necessary. The first of these is a small container of baby powder. Baby powder helps smooth things over and reduces friction, which is perfect for bowling. So if your shoes are sticking to the lanes and you're not sliding enough, or if your fingers are sticking a bit in the ball and aren't coming out smoothly, then you can just sprinkle on some baby powder to take care of the problem.

A second miscellaneous item that you should keep with you is a rosin bag. Rosin bags are used for the opposite reason that baby powder is used. So if you're having problems with sliding too much on the lanes, or if the ball is slipping out of your grip, then you should use rosin to help your shoes or fingers stick.

Finally, every bowler should have a hand towel in his or her gear bag. It is possible to use a regular hand towel out of your linen closet if you have to, but it would be far better to purchase a towel made specifically for bowlers. That's because bowling towels are made to remove the oil and dirt from your ball quickly and efficiently. This is important for getting consistent movement when you roll the ball, so don't underestimate the impact of a good towel.

We all know that there are no guarantees in bowling. However, I think it's pretty safe to say that having all the equipment listed in this article will help you get better scores than you could get with borrowed or rented equipment. So check your gear bag now to make sure you have everything you need!