We can thank Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, the inventor of bowling, for introducing “The pin is mightier than the sword” and “Fortune favors the bowled” into the cultural lexicon. Heed his words of wisdom with today’s Groupon: for $12, you get two hours of open bowling for up to five people on one lane (up to a $40 value). Your Groupon can be used for any of the three locations around Madison: Ten Pin Alley in Fitchburg, Prairie Lanes in Sun Prairie, and Bowl-A-Vard on Spring Drive. Each location offers open bowling every day, except Prairie Lanes, which is closed on Sunday. The Bowl-A-Vard location does offer Monday night bowling for $1.50 a person per hour, but only from 9 p.m. until midnight.

All three affiliated bowling alleys offer state-of-the-art synthetic lanes for bowling as smooth and entertaining as Captain Kirk's romantic prowess. Both Prairie Lanes and Ten Pin Alley sport 32 lanes, and the Bowl-A-Vard location offers 40 full lanes of polished fun. An automated bumper system lets kids bowl on the same lane as adults, making the experience fun for the whole family or for five unrelated strangers forced to bond over recreational sports for an upcoming reality-television series. With today's deal, spend two hours taunting your friends and taking out frustrations on a group of hapless pinheads. Unlike other competitive sports, such as dogsled racing and rap battling, bowling has zero barriers to entry and a shallow learning curve.

Call ahead for lane availability and to reserve your spot. The price of shoes is not included.

Reviews

Bowl-A-Vard Lanes and Prairie Lanes don't have many reviews, but three Insider Pagers give Ten Pin Alley a three-star average, and four Yahoo! Locals give it a four-star average:

• They have a really friendly environment for family bowling, especially for kids – Sisca W., Insider Pages
• They have great food and waitresses. The bartenders are fantastic and they are glad to see us every month when we come to visit. – Leah, Yahoo! Local