What America Missed About String Pin Bowling

String pin bowling was decades old before U.S. approval. The strings above the pins tell a story about tradition, scoring and the cost of running a bowling center.

The machine behind the argument was already part of bowling history when American governing bodies began their latest tests. Mendes sold string pinsetters long before the International Bowling Federation approved compliant string centers for sport bowling in 2020. USBC certification followed in August 2023, and the Professional Bowlers Association accepted the USBC-approved QubicaAMF EDGE String for professional competition in November 2024. Those dates reveal a gap between the existence of the technology and its acceptance in American sanctioned competition.

That gap mattered to two groups with different priorities. Operators saw simpler maintenance and a way to keep lanes running. Competitive bowlers saw pins whose strings could change familiar carry. The PBA found EDGE String acceptable for professional play while acknowledging differences in pin action. Its published strike percentages came from different competition groups, so they do not isolate a nine-point penalty caused by strings. The question is how to preserve a recognizable sport while changing the machinery underneath it.