What Is Feather Bowling?

Feather bowling is an old sport that originated in Belgium. Today, feather bowling and its derivative, Belgium trough bowling, can only be played in two locations in the U.S., both if which are in Michigan. Feather bowling is still played by some in Belgium, though it is not a very popular sport. In Belgium, the sport is referred to as Rolle Bolle.

  1. Overview

    • Feather bowling is played on a hard, dirt-packed lane that is about 60 feet long. A feather is located at the far end of the lane. Two teams are required to play the game, a red team and a green team. Six small cheese-wheel shaped wooden balls are given to both teams to be hurled toward the feather. At the end of the round, the team with the ball closest to the feather wins. The game has been likened to bocci and horseshoes.

    Rules and Strategy

    • There is no limit to the number of players on each team. A coin toss is used to determine which team goes first. The first team then throws all six of its balls toward the feather. Strategically, many teams hurl the first three balls as close as possible to the feather. The next three balls are often thrown to block the other team's approach to the feather. The second team then tries to knock the first team's balls out of the way and get closest to the feather.

    Points

    • Scoring is determined after all 12 balls have been tossed by both teams. The team with the ball closest to the feather earns points. Points are scored by the number of balls that the winning team has placed closer to the feather than the other team's closest ball. A minimum of one point and a maximum of six points can be scored for each round. The game is over when 10 points are scored by the winning team. An average game lasts about 45 minutes.

    Where to Play

    • At the time this article was written, The Cadieux Café is the only place where true feather bowling can be played in the U.S. It is located on the east side of Detroit, Michigan. Here, the game has become popular enough to form featherbowling leagues. Belgium Trough bowling, which is closely related to feather bowling, can be played at the Bath City Bistro located in Mount Clemens, Michigan.