Bowling often conjures up images of a heavy ball barreling down an oiled wood alley knocking into 10 white pins with skinny necks and wide bottoms. Yet bowling encompasses many more games than the standard 10-pin variety most Americans play. The following types of bowling games provide fun variations on the traditional sport.
Candlepin
Played mainly in New England and northern Canada, candlepin bowling uses a smaller ball and lighter pins than traditional bowling. The ball has no holes, measures only 4.5 inches in diameter and actually weighs less than the skinny pins. The pins are cylindrical in shape and slightly taller than customary bowling pins. Players throw three balls per frame instead of two, and any downed pin remains in place until the end of the frame.
Duckpin
Duckpin bowling is popular along the east coast of the United States. It follows the same rules and scoring system as traditional 10-pin bowling, but the ball and pins are much smaller. The duckpin ball is only slightly larger than a softball and weighs at most 3 pounds, 12 ounces. Contrastingly, standard bowling balls can weigh up to 16 pounds. Duckpin pins are 9.41 inches tall and 4.125 inches wide, making them about 2/3 the size of normal bowling pins.
Five Pin
Invented in Canada during the early 1900s, five pin bowling attempts to quicken the game's pace. As its name indicates, the game only uses five pins that are deployed in a "V" shape pointing back towards the bowler. Each pin boasts its own point value, with the head pin worth five points, the two middle pins worth three points each, and the end pins worth two points each. Rubber bands may also be added to the pins to provide more action. Although each frame consists of three attempts, players roll smaller, lighter balls to further speed up play. Because of the unique scoring system, a perfect game in five pin bowling totals 450 points.
Nine Pin
Played mostly in Europe and rural Texas, nine pin bowling uses a smaller, lighter ball and various scoring systems depending on the league and location. The pins are placed in a diamond shape and sit farther apart than in traditional 10-pin bowling. Also, the center pin, known as the King Pin, is red due to its greater significance. Leaving the King Pin standing while knocking down the other eight pins yields the highest score, even more than knocking down all the pins.
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