5-Pin Bowling

5-Pin bowling is a bowling variant of the 10-Pin bowling game, played almost exclusively in Canada. Across Ontario, many bowling centers offer only 5-Pin bowling or a combination of both 5 and 10-Pin bowling.

In 1909, the uniquely Canadian game of 5-Pin bowling was invented by Thomas F. Ryan in Toronto, Ontario, at his Toronto Bowling Club, in response to customer complaints that the 10-Pin game was too strenuous, time consuming and the balls were too heavy. He devised a new game with a smaller ball, only five pins and a new scoring system, by cutting five 10-pins down to about 75% of their size, added a rubber ring around the pin and used hand-sized hard rubber balls.

Today 5-Pin bowling remains a uniquely Canadian game played across the country.