What is an Open Frame in Bowling & Related FAQs For You

Open frames are very common in bowling. You may have come across numerous open frames without even knowing. For those who still don’t know what an open frame is, this article is just for you. So what is an open frame in bowling? What do you think it is? Well, a game of bowling contains 10 frames, which many of us know already. So an open frame might be a type of frame, right? Well, why don’t you go through this article to know the answers to the things you’re looking for? So let’s get started, shall we?

What is an open frame in bowling?

Let me beat around the bush first. In a game of bowling, you as a player get multiple chances to throw your bowling ball. A single turn is called a frame. In bowling, you get to roll twice on each turn (if needed). The rule of frames is different for the final turn because here you can throw your bowling ball a maximum of three times. So, you know that when you knock down all the ten pins in a single ball throw, you secure a strike. When you get all the ten pins in two different shots, you call it a spare. But what if you fail to get all the pins in a single frame? Well, when there are still one or more pins left in a frame, we call it an open frame. 

What do you call a bowling game with no open frames?

I have told you y’all about a bowling perfect game, didn’t I? Can you recall what is a perfect game? Yes, a bowling game with nothing but strikes and a total score of 300 is called a perfect game. Like strikes, spares can also close a frame. Without these two shots, there will always be open frames. So when a bowling game has no open frames, and all the frames are closed because of throwing strikes and spares, we call it a “clean game” in bowling. 

Bowling a clean game is quite rare for new bowlers. However, skilled bowlers, who have been bowling for years, won’t have too much problem bowling a clean game. A bowler can play a clean game by closing all the frames. You can close all 10 frames in a single game of bowling in three ways— all strikes, all spares, and a mix of strikes and spares. So yeah, all perfect games are clean games, but not all clean games are perfect games.

I have talked to some of my friends who are now bowling professionally, and they said, “Don’t worry about a clean game, the 10th frame is going to be kind to you”. According to official rules by USBC, to make sure you have secured a clean game, you need to throw a strike on your first shot, or you need a spare using the first two shots in the 10th frame.

So what about if you have one or two bonus shots left after scoring a spare or a strike? Well, do not worry about closing it. Even if you can’t knock down any pins, and your ball goes into the gutter, it will still be a clean game. So if you leave the bonus shot(s) open by one or ten pins, it will still be called a clean game and your last ball throw will not get affect your entire game.

Is a miss called an open frame?

If you miss one or more pins, it is an open frame. As long as there are one or more than one pins standing at the end of the lane, you have not closed the frame successfully. So even if it’s just a single piece of the bowling pin, it is still an open frame. If you miss hitting and knocking down a pin, you can’t claim it as a closed frame. So does that answer your question? A miss is definitely called an open frame.

Can you bowl a 200 with an open frame?

So are you trying to improve your bowling score and boost it to a solid 200? The good news, a few open frames will still get you a 200-score game. As we all know that a 300 score ensures a perfect game. However, a clean game can get your score way over 200.

Practically speaking, you can roll a 200-game score by bowling only two strikes in a single game! If you can knock down all nine pins followed by converting your rolled spares with one “double” in the first eleven frames, which is two consecutive strikes—  then your bowling score will be equal to or greater than 200. Bowling by following this method will definitely ensure a 200+ score.

Another way you can bowl a 200-score game is by covering any open frame with three consecutive strikes on the first eleven frames, and getting all nine pin counts with the spare conversions on your non-strike bowling frames. A general rule of thumb is that every time an open frame is recorded, you will get at least a double to compensate for the loss in scoring in the open frames.

Conclusion

So do you now understand what open frames are? There’s nothing wrong with having one unless you’re opting to become a professional bowler someday. Frame rules in bowling are important, and learning about open and closed frames is just as essential. So if you weren’t aware of this before, well, congratulations, now you do! If you have any more questions on your mind, get in touch with me. I will try to answer your questions one by one. Till then, good luck and keep on bowling, my fellow bowlers! See ya later!