We often don't realise how much we take bowling for granted nowadays. You just head down to the local alley and all the equipment is there waiting for you, ready to enjoy a game or two.

However, bowling has come a long way since it first evolved into a proper pastime, with many technological advances over the years turning it into a fun and simple option for parties for kids.

Every aspect of bowling, from equipment such as balls to the entire scoring system, has seen radical changes to make the game fun and easy to enjoy.

Balls

Bowling balls in the past were a far cry from the sleek, shiny balls you see at the AMF.

Modern balls are made with solid cores to achieve the perfect weight and polyurethane coverstocks to make them last longer, but the earliest version were rough spheres of stone or wood.

Even the finger holes on modern balls are a luxury, as the first bowling balls didn't even have them - imagine trying to throw such a heavy object down the lane without a proper grip!

Pinsetters

One of the main issues that bowling technology tried to address was the human labour involved. Even in a simple game of bowling, there were scores of people required just to ensure the game would run smoothly!

For example, we're used to automated systems clearing the pins after each round and bringing the ball back literally to our fingertips, but both these duties were actually performed by human labourers in the past.

Scoring systems

Even scoring in bowling is done automatically these days. You don't even have to count how many pins you knock over after each roll. A computer does it for you and instantly tallies your score, and even provides cheesy animations should you get a spare or strike.

It wasn't always like this. Scoring was originally done with the humble pen and paper, which, as you can imagine, would have been an issue for those who weren't the sharpest at maths!

To take advantage of the technological marvels that have revolutionised bowling, why not head down to an AMF for your next work party?