Recreational activity and physical exercise are important to the health of almost everyone, including elderly people. Amongst light to moderate physical recreational activities, bowling has one of the longest and richest histories of all sports. To our knowledge, this is the first study to address the health benefits of playing bowling in elderly people. This study was conducted using accessible relevant information on bowling practice and its health issues. Available data from Japan and other countries were reviewed and used as the basic material for this study. On the basis of the discussed material on the health benefits of playing bowling, including strengthening muscles of the upper and the lower body, losing weight, improvement in social behavior, stress relieving, and hand–eye coordination, elderly people are advised to get themselves engaged in physical leisure activity such as playing bowling at a regular time schedule. Those who keep themselves physically active can continue to do what they enjoy and sustain a healthy life as they age. (Jpn J Health Recreational, 2018: 14; 1-8)