Some Bowling History…and an Opinion By Len Nicholson

There is a lot of speculation as to when the game of bowling actually began. Some say that the game has been around for over 10,000 years. A few years ago there were some artifacts that were found that support those theories. There is also some ample proof (in bowling's archives), that the game was seriously played in 5200 B.C.

Throughout those hundreds and thousands of years, the game took on many different forms, in many different countries. On several occasions, throughout the history of the game, the actual game obviously changed. The changes were for several reasons.

At one time (in the 1800's), it was banned on Sundays in this Country. The history of bowling is well documented in many publications and makes for very, very interesting reading.

In the late 1800's, there were several groups in this country (the United States of America) that had ruled the game. A serious problem developed when all of the groups had different rules and regulations. The popularity and the growth of the game had come to a standstill because of these differences.

In 1895, a new group called The American Bowling Congress (ABC) took over in an attempt to standardize all of the rules and regulations. Basically, this new group was a political force that possessed a will to keep the game alive. As difficult as it was to do, the ABC succeeded and began to enforce their new, "iron-fist" standardization.

At that time, many "major" changes needed to be made to standardize the game. Some of those immediate changes included the following:

A. Flat gutters lowered to 2-inches
B. Periodic lane inspections by ABC personnel
C. Minimum pin weight set at: 3 lbs. & 2 oz.
D. Bowling ball weight set at a maximum of: 16 lbs.
E. Flat gutters (again) lowered to: 3 & 1/2 inches
F. Resurfacing of bowling lanes required every twelve months, (in 1909)
G. Minimum pin weight, (again changed) to: 3 lbs. (plus or minus 2-ounces)
H. DoDo bowling ball outlawed; I .Lacquer (synthetic) lane coatings developed to replace shellac
J. Approval of 42-inch, with-the-grain drum sander (replacing the hand used, 12-inch belt-sander).

Those were just a few of the most important changes that came to the game, and that the ABC enforced. These, in my opinion, were all positive changes.

However, it is also my opinion that the change that was made in 1963, stands as the most critical change in the modern history of the game.

Bowling Proprietors were enjoying a boom in business and politicked the ABC to change the resurfacing rule that was already in place. The ABC gave in to their pressure, and now the proprietors could forego this all important, critical maintenance duty until their lane surface surpassed the existing ABC specifications. This was (and remains), a crucial mistake.

Within a few years, lane conditions began to be sub-standard. Lane patching and excessive re-coating became the norm. More application of lane oil was needed to off-set the higher friction that was being created. Some huge inequities were beginning to be seen among the top players in the game, and it was starting to become very noticeable on the Pro Tour(s). Social problems emerged due to lefty-righty problems that were occurring.

It could have been avoided.
It should have been avoided.


Editor's note: The author, Len Nicholson, was the former Director of Lane Maintenance for the PBA National Tour and traveled the PBA Tour for over 25 years. He has been involved in the conditioning of over 800 professional tournaments.


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