bowling

Bowling is a sport in which players roll a ball along a lane to knock down pins. The most widely played form is ten-pin bowling, typically on a pair of lanes, with a 60-foot approach to the headpin and ten pins arranged in a triangle. The objective is to maximize pinfall across ten frames per game.

Equipment and play

A bowling ball is typically drilled with finger holes and weighs about 6 to 16 pounds. Balls and lanes are designed for specific performance, including oil patterns that influence movement and hook. Players wear bowling shoes that grip the approach and lane. Pins are 12 inches tall and reset automatically after each frame. Scoring is conducted over ten frames, with a strike (knocking down all pins on the first roll) ending the frame and a spare (knocking down all remaining pins in two rolls) allowing up to two rolls for that frame. A strike is scored as 10 plus the total of the next two rolls; a spare as 10 plus the next roll. A foul cancels pins on that roll, and a perfect game scores 300.

Variants and formats

Besides ten-pin, other forms include candlepin (no finger holes, flexible ball; lighter), duckpin (smaller ball, shorter pins), and five-pin (Canada; no finger holes, five pins). Nine-pin bowling exists in parts of Europe. Bowling also encompasses leagues, tournaments, and professional circuits.

History and governance

Bowling has ancient precursors and modern forms emerged in 19th-century United States. The American Bowling Congress established standardized rules in the late 1800s, later merged into the USBC in 2005. World Bowling serves as the international governing body, while professional players compete on tours run by organizations such as the PBA and PWBA. Bowling is widely played for recreation and competition worldwide.