Five-Pin Bowling

Canada's home-grown bowling variant — five pins with different point values, smaller ball, no finger holes.

👥1 per team🌤indoor

What is Five-Pin Bowling?

Five-pin bowling is a Canadian variant of bowling invented in Toronto in 1909. Five pins stand in a V shape; each has a different point value (2-3-5-3-2 from left to right) totalling 15 per frame. The ball is small enough to fit in the palm — no finger holes — and each player rolls three balls per frame. It is played almost exclusively in Canada.

Quick facts

Category

Precision Sports

Type

Individual

Players

1 per team

Where played

indoor

Country of origin

🇨🇦 Canada

Estimated origin

1909, Toronto (Thomas F. Ryan)

Olympic

No

Popularity

regional

Sources & provenance

Last verified 2026-08-24.verified