Ever since I was I child, I’ve loved going bowling. This love is in direct correlation between how many episodes of The Flintstones I watched and now much I loved wearing funky retro bowling shoes. Bowling with friends gives you the chance to strut your stuff in front of others while hurling a heavy ball down a glossy lane of ten pins. It’s fun, it’s retro, and it’s recreational.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard I try to get a good score in bowling, I’m lucky to break 100.

While I was in college, I took a bowling class to sharpen my skills. On the first day of class, before learning any rules or basics of the game, we got to play a free round of bowling. I scored 111, which ended up being the highest score I achieved in 4 months of bowling classes and volunteering with the Special Olympics bowling league. I gained some good techniques, learned the lingo of the game, and am aware of physics of being a good bowler. But the more I focus on technique, the worse my score is at the end of the game.

Therefore, I’ve learned to play for the fun of the game, and to wear rocking bowling shoes.

I was contacted by BowlingShoes.com to review a pair of shoes. Although I’ve had my own pairs of bowling shoes in the past, they were cheap, uncomfortable, and had an unnecessary amount of velcro. When I searched their site for a pair of shoes to select, I focused immediately on the Elite Neon Sun Ladies’ Bowling Shoes. Why? Because they GLOW IN THE DARK. If you know me at all, you know that I can’t resist the glow.  I think that nighttime cosmic bowling is the most fun, and these shoes are perfect for it!

The shoes are matte black with a neon yellow/green tongue, logo, and laces, with white contrast stitching. When under black lighting, the shoes glow a cool greenish tint. The shoes are lightweight with a felty-bottomed universal slide sole. The fit is a little wider than the shoes you would rent from the bowling alley, which is good for my feet. I am not sure if the shoes are genuine leather or some type of vinyl composite…the descriptions on the product box and on other websites do not specify the materials.

In wearing the shoes around my hardwood-floored home, I did find them quite comfortable. The soles had just the right amount of grip/slide that I like for my game, and there was adequate support within the shoe. My only complaint is that the back heel portion of the shoe is very stiff, and made my skin feel raw after a few minutes. I think I’m more prone to that  shoe/heel rubbing than the average person, so next time I’ll wear some padded athletic socks to minimize the friction.

The Elite Neon Sun shoes are available for $49.99 through BowlingShoes.com, which is an affordable mid-range price for the casual bowler. Owning your own bowling shoes means that you don’t have to deal with the germs that the rental shoes can have. I’ve always hated watching bowling alley employees “spray and pray” away the germs with aerosol disinfectant, so I’m happy to only deal with my own foot germs.

I can’t wait to try these shoes out in action. I found a bowling alley less than a mile from my house that has cosmic bowling and karaoke on the weekends. Paired with some funky socks and a striped shirt, I’ll be glowing with pride in my new bowling shoes.

Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary pair of bowling shoes from bowlingshoes.com in exchange for a review. Images in the review are property of their website, but opinions are all my own. Retail value of the shoes is $49.99.