My name is Andy Bartholomy, but anyone who knows me knows I go by Andy B.
As a kid, I could be found competing in all kinds of sports, but at the age of 14, bowling captured all my attention. I couldn’t get enough of it. My parents got their fill for sure. Let’s just say countless hours of practicing my approach in my upstairs bedroom was not exactly quiet.
At age 16, I landed my first job working the desk and oiling the lanes at Walnut Bowl in Springfield, Missouri. I was thrilled. Working there meant free bowling while off the clock – which I took full advantage of – and my game began to see the benefits as well.
When I was a senior in high school, I started competing in events for money. That’s when the real fun began. There is nothing more satisfying than competing in something you enjoy and getting paid for performing well.
I bowled professionally for the next six years. Unfortunately, a severe wrist injury from years of excessive play threatened my career. Now, don’t think I just hung up the towel after that. Bowling was the best thing I had going for me at that point. So, I took up bowling left-handed as I tried to rehab my wrist. Even then, I never fully recovered. The question then became, “How can I make a career out of the game that I’ve grown to love?”
In 1988, at the age of 25, I gathered up all the cash I’d saved from bowling competitively and purchased Coach Light Lanes in Marshfield, Missouri. What a gem! It was a 12-lane center complete with living quarters on the second level. I literally lived at work – and I loved it.
Little did I know that was just the beginning. Fast-forward more than 30 years and several facilities and you’ve arrived at the Andy B’s of today. Now more than just a bowling alley, Andy B’s offers top-notch eats and endless entertainment for all ages while still being centered around the game I love. It’s safe to say that having a career-ending injury was actually the best thing that ever happened to me.
Andy B.
Owner and Proprietor
