Sewickley's Edgeworth Club keeps duckpin bowling tradition rolling

Joe Sawyer dampens his right hand with a wet green cloth, grabs his ball and lines a shot slightly right of center, much like he has done for about 33 years.

The Sewickley resident winds up, takes a few steps and lets the ball go with an underhanded toss down the lanes of Edgeworth Club in Sewickley.

His nearly five-pound-roller spins down the wooden strips, striking the rubber rings around the duckpins and knocking down all but one.

After a narrow miss, the pinsetter pulls the pins by their strings and readies them for the next frame.

The balls are returned to the bowler using a conveyor belt and gravity.

It was one of his better tosses in a warmup to a Friday night mixed bowling league game at the private facility at 511 East Drive.

“Speed is not that important,” Sawyer said about the delivery. “I had never seen duckpins until I came here. When I was in Chicago, I bowled 10-pins. It’s tough. I like the fellowship … It’s a nice competitive sport. The club had 600 families when I first moved here.”

Sawyer, 77, is the chairman of the men’s bowling league. He has been with the Edgeworth Club since 1987.

It was founded in 1893 and has been in its current location since 1930. Edgeworth has offered competitive duckpin bowling since the mid-1900s.

“In terms of being a club, it’s different than running a business,” club general manager Matthew Kurtas said. “Our members are really in their second homes here. The things that we have available for them are the things that they want to do and the things they want to bring their friends to. There’s a real appetite for unique, authentic experiences. This is something you’re not going to find anywhere else in the immediate area.”

Duckpin lanes are the same length and width as the more modern counterpart, 10-pin bowling. However, its balls are smaller, lighter and do not have holes.

The club’s current alley setup is the result of a major $50,000 renovation in 2002.

“We switched out traditional pinsetters for the string set pinsetters,” Kurtas said. “Our members liked them better. They give you a more traditional feel and a more authentic experience.”

Resident Jason Suslak and his fiance, Amber Gregg, have only been members of the club for about two years.

The couple moved to the borough from Cleveland, and have fallen in love with its duckpin bowling. They took over for Amy Locascio as co-coordinators of the mixed bowling league.

“It’s a great group of people (and) a really fun activity,” Suslak said. “I live close here in the community, so it’s great to have something where you can meet more people and just have a lot of fun.”

The couple said they are pleased with the club’s covid safety protocols, which have made it more comfortable for those who come out and play.

Masks are required to be worn upon entry to the club. All hotspots like railings, tables and many other items are cleaned and sanitized regularly. Game start times vary and bowlers rotate every other lane to help with social distancing.

“Right now it’s been pretty easy,” Gregg said about organizing league games. “People want to get out of the house. It’s a pretty tight-knit group of people. Everybody’s excited to see each other and come and bowl.”

Men’s and women’s league games are typically on Mondays, and mixed league games are on Fridays.

Club officials said no one has bowled a perfect game at Edgeworth. The club’s most successful bowler was Chet Fossee. He retired with several championships and his name can be seen on various plaques.

A special memorial invitational bowling tournament has taken place every December for nearly 25 years, named in honor of Marty Habich, who died on Oct. 22, 1998.

Habich served as the club’s alley manager for 25 years.

There are about 24 to 30 bowlers in the men’s league, about 20 in the women’s league and 30 in the mixed – co-ed – league. The number of players and active club members has decreased somewhat due to the covid pandemic.

“You’ve got people who are totally paranoid and other people who don’t give a crap,” Sawyer said. “It clearly has affected all socialization.”

Resident Greg Kaminski, former men’s league chairman and club board member, said he is not bowling this year due to covid. His wife, Susan, and Linda Hedin are the co-chairs of the women’s league.

Hedin, 62, was a junior bowler at the club in her teen years. She rejoined Edgeworth in 1997.

Susan Kaminski recalled her and Hedin watching the men play, and they would usually throw with a huge spin on the ball.

She said she began using that technique in her games, which resulted in both improved scores and strange looks from observers.

“We’d say, ‘bowling like the boys,’” Susan Kaminski said.

All three noted bowling provides great socialization, even for those not in the game.

“People come just to watch us and drink,” Hedin said. “That’s a Friday night.”

Edgeworth Club attendance is by invitation only, but officials said it is pretty easy to find a member in Sewickley.

“As people move in, it’s pretty hard for them not to learn about the club,” Kurtas said. “We’re right across from the Sewickley Academy. If you had just moved into the Village, one of your neighbors is bound to be a member of the club … The overwhelming majority are residents, but it’s not a requirement.”

More information about bowling at Edgeworth is available at edgeworthclub.com.