I love bowling and this place is really close to where J's folks live, so I should love Markham Bowl. Yet I'd rather travel an extra 15-20 minutes and brave the parking lot of Club 300 to get in a game.
To the benefit of Markham Bowl, it's independent, attracts a local crowd, and isn't as league-heavy as Club 300. It seems like lots of families come out here too - it's good for kids. They offer both 5-pin and 10-pin bowling at about a 50/50 split and it's not uber-expensive.
So why am I a hater? There's something wrong with the lanes. They're either warped, crooked, or just not waxed well, but bowling here is extremely frustrating. We're no pros - in fact we pretty much suck at bowling. Yet while we can normally get somewhere between 60 and 100, at Markham Bowl getting a 30 is a good day. It's impossible to throw a straight ball here!
So if you're coming here for some beer and really don't care if all your balls wind up in the gutter, this is totally sufficient. But if you want to knock down a couple of pins every now and then, I'd suggest bowling elsewhere.