Today the name AMF is synonymous with bowling centers but that’s a recent trend. The history of this company goes far back and involves a whole range of products that will leave you flabbergasted. The first staggering fact is that AMF was founded almost a century and a decade ago in 1900 in New York.

AMF stood for American Machine and Foundry and that’s exactly what they dealt in – the manufacture of equipment for the tobacco industry. It wasn’t until after WWII that AMF got in the bowling business. It did so at a time when bowling and bowling centers were in demand but it didn’t stop there.

AMF went on to add the production of bicycles, tennis racquets, bowling accessories and equipment, garden equipment, and a whole bunch of other product including Harley Davidsons. This situation held until the 1980s before AMF realized that it was in the declining stages.

It was in 1985 that AMF Inc was purchased by Minstar, Inc, a company based in Minnesota that then began to sell off the various divisions one by one. The billiards and the bowling division were purchased by a group situated in Richmond, VA.

It took another five years before that group could come up with an organized plan to revitalize the AMF bowling brand name. It was in 1990 that AMF Bowling Products teamed up with Qubica Worldwide (an Italian company) in an equal-share partnership.

AMF Bowling Centers is the current leader when it comes to the ownership of bowling centers. These centers are a big hit in the US where approximately 25 million bowling enthusiasts reside. The bowling centers offer bowling for kids from 10 years and up all the way to adults. They’ve also continued to manufacture AMF bowling balls. There are 19 AMF bowling balls that are available to the public as of now and can be purchased off the internet or through a retail outlet.

These nineteen include the AMF Clutch Pearl, Mega Recovery, Clutch, Sideways, Mega Friction, Code Nkryption, the Villain, Orbit Xtreme, Radar Alert, Radar, Terminal, The Original Black Solid, Angle Pearl, Orbit Xtreme Blue, Xtreme Glow Boogie, the Heist Pearl and Triumph TNT.

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