nine-pin bowling
A place equipped for European-style bowling, with 9 pins arranged in a diamond pattern.
A nine-pin bowling alley is a place designated for European-style bowling with 9 pins, and equipped with lanes suitable for this sport. The game involves rolling a plastic or wooden ball down a narrow lane to knock over as many as possible of the 9 pins arranged at the far end.
In contrast to bowling, nine-pin bowling uses a smaller and lighter ball (about 2.85 kg and 160 mm in diameter), shorter lanes, and the pins are arranged in a diamond rather than triangular pattern. A common competition format consists of 120 throws across four lanes. Further specifications and rules for the game vary somewhat by region.
The nine pins and their diamond arrangement distinguish the game from ten-pin bowling. The number of throws and detailed competition format depend on the applicable variant and rules.