GREENFIELD — Just like any business reopening during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are different rules to abide.
At Strike Force Lanes, some of those new instructions are cleverly stated on the floor that leads up to the Greenfield bowling alley’s front counter.
You have to slow your roll.
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Spare us, stay 6-feet back.
It’s okay to split.
Those are new social distancing requirements, and it’s okay with Rob Barnhart, Strike Force Lanes general manager.
He’s glad to finally get his business reopened after three months without a spare, split or strike, let alone a Brooklyn or Turkey.
Last week, Governor Eric Holcomb gave the go-ahead for bowling alleys to reopen beginning Friday, June 12. To go with the plan Barnhart had in place for his establishment, the business reopened to bowling on Tuesday.
“We’ve had a good response,” Barnhart said. “We’ve pretty much had bowlers all day.”
Due to the pandemic, Strike Force Lanes had been bowling-free since March 16. They were still serving food, but had to shut that down, too, in April, when supplies were hard to fine. They resumed food sales in May, but the first ball rolled on one of the alley’s 32 lanes didn’t happen until Tuesday.
It’s open, but it’s not business as usual.
Currently, bowling is by reservation. Only 16 of the 32 lanes are in use, as social distancing regulations have them using every other lane. Shoes and bowling balls — unless someone brings their own — are left in the seating area for workers to pick up and clean. They also sanitize chairs, keyboards for scoring, basically the entire bowling area before the next customer comes.
There are also acrylic guards at the counter. Doors are specified for entrance and exit.
Dan Short, 68, of Indianapolis, is the SFL veteran of his Early Birds League team Hit and Miss. Thursday was already his second day back to his bowling home.
The bowling team that includes his wife, Elaine Short, 60, and Lynn Grainger, 68, and Paul Myers, 86, both of Greenfield got together at Strike Force Lanes on Thursday.
“I adapted well, but (Dan) was climbing the walls,” Elaine Short said of life without bowling.
Dan Short said he has been coming to the Greenfield lanes for nearly six years and bowls twice a week. He was glad to get back, not just to bowl, but to reunite with friends. Thursday was the first time team Hit and Miss had gotten together in person in three months.
“The first couple two or three weeks (without bowling) were terrible. It closed, but so did everything else in the world,” Dan Short said. “There was nothing. You couldn’t go home and watch the Pacers to get over it. Everything was gone. Being an extrovert, that’s not a good plan.
“I started bowling again five or six years ago and I like it here because I came from small town America. It’s an easy drive over here and the (managers, Rob and, his wife, Linda Barnhart) are like family.”
Rob Barnhart said it has been a tough three months, but he and wife Linda are thankful for those that stopped in when they were just serving food. It helped pay some of the bills.
Now, they are open for bowling, too, and people are eager to get back to an old routine.
“People were wanting to make reservations two weeks before we were allowed to open, when they knew we had to go by reservation,” Linda Barnhart, who is the office and snack bar manager, said.
The Barnharts are hoping to have leagues return in August. Rob said there just wasn’t enough time to start and finish a summer league before the fall/winter leagues get started.
“Traditionally, summer is our slower time of year,” Rob Barnhart said. “It’s too early to tell, but after being open for two days, business has probably been little better than normal during the summer time. It hurts a little bit not having leagues, but we’ll get through it.”
The building is limited to having 70 people at one time, but a constant flow of keglers have returned to the open doors.
“I don’t know why the bowling business was held back for so long,” Rob Barnhart added on the three-month hiatus. “It was probably because of the balls and shoes, but we sanitize that anyway. That’s standard procedure in a bowling center. We’ve always told our staff that we get a lot of compliments for our cleanliness.
“We’ve got good customers in this community that tried to come out and support us as best they could (when we were just serving food),’ Rob added. “It’s a pretty phenomenal community that we live in.”
Hours of operation are from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. On Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., they host Cosmic Lights Night where bowling is done with special lighting and music. Reservations can be made by calling 317-477-2695.
