The rich history of AMF Inc. began in 1900, when the American Machine and Foundry Company Inc. was founded in New York. The company revolutionized ten-pin bowling, introducing the automated pinspotter in 1959 and kick-starting a boom time for bowling.
AMF Inc. was taken over by Minstar Inc., which sold off many divisions of the company.
The bowling interest was one of the last to be sold, to a group of investors from Richmond,
Virginia, who transferred the AMF name to the Bowling Division.
Throughout the 1950s and 60s, AMF actively pursued international involvement in the
business, establishing companies or representation in England, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan,
Singapore, Australia, Canada, Mexico and Brazil.
AMF arrived in Australia in 1959 as a joint venture that, by 1960, was manufacturing pinspotters in response to the growing popularity of ten-pin bowling. By 1964, there were 1,600 lanes throughout Australia, but the popularity of the sport wasn’t to last.
AMF bought out two major chains in Australia, helping to reverse the flagging interest in
bowling and, over time, reinvested heavily in new centres. By 1987, AMF had expanded from
16 to 30 centres, and by 2004, over 40.
In February of 2005, Code Hennessy of Chicago (which purchased AMF Worldwide in 2004), sold its Australian operation of AMF to Macquarie Leisure Trust (MLE).
MLE is serious about the Australian leisure industry (their portfolio includes Dreamworld,
WhiteWater World and d’Albora Marinas). MLE and AMF Bowling are a powerful match,
combining knowledge and experience to ensure customers can look forward to great
improvements at their local centre.
MLE has also purchased Bowl Australia’s Sydney and Canberra assets, impressive additions to their portfolio of high-quality leisure investments.
Successful, profitable and backed by our comprehensive knowledge of the business, AMF Bowling is helping to develop the exciting future of ten-pin bowling in Australia.
While we continue to improve our existing services and facilities, we’re also exploring
opportunities to invest in new centres and encourage the development of the sport through
our association with national bodies like Tenpin Bowling Australia (TBA). Additionally, AMF
Bowling is working closely with independent groups like the Australian Bowling Proprietors
Association (ABPA) and the Goldpin chain of independent centres to improve marketing and
sporting strategies across the industry.
