What is a perfect score in bowling?
A perfect score in ten-pin bowling is 300. A bowler must roll 12 strikes in a row in one game, one in each of the first nine frames and three in the tenth frame.
In bowling scoring, a strike is worth 10 points plus the pins knocked down by the next two balls. So a strike followed by two more strikes earns 30 points for that frame. Ten frames of 30 points each adds up to the maximum of 300. Because the tenth frame allows bonus throws after a strike, it takes 12 strikes in total.
A perfect game is rare for amateurs but more common among professionals, and thousands are officially recorded each year in the US. Bowlers who roll a 300 often receive special rings or awards from bowling organizations.
Other milestones
The highest possible score in a three-game series is 900, which requires 36 strikes in a row. Glenn Allison bowled a 900 series in 1982, but it was not officially approved because of lane conditions. Jeremy Sonnenfeld recorded the first officially sanctioned 900 series in 1997.
Did You Know?
Three strikes in a row is called a turkey, and some bowlers call six in a row a wild turkey.