“These are just too heavy,” customers grumbled to bowling club owner Thomas F. Ryan, no doubt hefting the weighty game spheres in their hands as they spoke. “The 10-pin bowling balls are too big and awkward. They’re making our arms sore, and it’s taking the fun out of the game.” The co-founder of the Toronto Bowling Club listened to his clients. Tenpin bowling balls were large, with a diameter of 8.5 inches (21.59 cms) weighing between 6 and 16 lbs (2.72 kg and 7.3 kg). Ryan devised a plan. The striking invention would vastly expand the newly formed foundations of Canadian bowling.

5-Pin Bowling, a New Game

Starting with a much smaller ball, Ryan then “had his father whittle down five pins to match,” said Canada Post Corporation on the launch of a four-stamp postage series titled “Canadian Inventions: Sports” in 2009. Ryan “devised a new scoring system and introduced his game in 1909.” Cupped in the bowler’s hand, the ball weighed 3.5 to 3.625 lbs, (1.6 kg to 1.64 kg) and was a comfortable 4 ½ to 5 inches in diameter, or approximately 12 centimetres. Unlike customary bowling balls, the smaller balls sport no finger holes. The newly designed pins and balls were about 25% smaller than the standard 10-pin system.

Restructuring the pin settings, Ryan “spaced five of these pins equally on the 36” (91 cm) tenpin triangle,” according to Ronald Wolf in The Algoma News article, “Thomas F. (Tommy) Ryan – 1915 – 1961” (October 27, 2010.) The first smaller ball tossed down the wood bowling lane was a “hand-sized hard rubber ball.” The balls flying toward the pins now come in a dazzling rainbow of attractive colours and designs. Later, Ryan added a blue rubber ring around the lower wide section of the bowling pin to add an interesting spin to the game. Two other bowling developments also use the smaller ball and different pins – Candlepin Bowling and Duckpin Bowling.


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