Bowling, like many sports and other activities more popular decades ago, is undergoing a transformation.

Larry Hoffman has done his best over the years to contribute to the sport and promote it to the younger generations.

For a man who has rolled more than 30 perfect 300 games in his lifetime, it’s difficult to question his passion and precision for bowling.

And that’s what the Arizona State United States Bowling Congress Hall of Fame thought as well.

So the institution earlier this year inducted the Fountain Hills man into its Hall of Fame.

Hoffman said his Michigan bowling buddies have been telling him for years he needed to finalize the paperwork so someone could nominate him for the Hall of Fame.

“They kept telling me I wasn’t getting any younger,” the 77-year-old chuckled.

The ceremony was held in Safford, Ariz. and Hoffman for the most part downplayed the honor, which included, by the way, being inducted into the “Superior Performance” category, meaning he far surpassed the minimum points requirements in various categories.

“It’s been good,” he demurred.

What’s been outstanding, however, is his bowling career.

He remembers as a young teen working as a pin setter in a bowling alley: “I got 10 cents a line. I didn’t bowl much back then.”

It wasn’t until after Hoffman got out of the service that he took an affinity for bowling starting in the 1960s and beyond.

He participated in several leagues through the years, working for more than 20 years as an insurance claims adjustor and then as a claims manager in the office.

It wasn’t until he and wife Laurie retired and moved to Arizona on a nearly year-round basis in 1995 that he took up bowling with a vengeance.

Once in Arizona, Hoffman started bowling in various leagues and during his heydays would bowl in three weekend tournaments a month.

His list of bowling achievements is quite lengthy – he currently holds seven state team tiles, two doubles titles, three singles titles and two all-event titles.

He bowls both Mesa Metro and Metro Phoenix tournaments, and combined he has nine team titles, six doubles titles, six single titles, five all events, one Open Masters Championship title and five Senior Masters Championship titles.

He also has six Phoenix Classic Bowling Tournament titles.

Hoffman has several High-Roller titles from events in Las Vegas and a handful of second-place finishes.

He also has Master titles in associations outside of Arizona, which he earned prior to moving to the state.

So far he has 33 300 games and a dozen 800 series. He didn’t roll his first 300 game until after he retired.

“The first 300 game I saw him roll was this past January in Vegas,” Laurie said. “I’ve seen him hit 299 a couple of times.”

He’s maintained a 200-plus average for the past two decades, with his highest season average being a 231.

His highest three-game series is an 825. He also has a high four-game series of 1043.

He recalls winning $30,000 in a High Roller tournament in Vegas back in the late ‘90s.

“Let’s just say it’s a lot better than playing those table games at the casinos,” Hoffman said.

“And it pays more than golf for seniors.

“I’ve crossed lanes with some of the top bowlers in the country.”

But the best part?

“I like the competition the best,” he said.

“You find the most competitive people in the tournaments.”

Laurie travels with him to the out-of-state tournaments, and she likes the camaraderie the best.

“You meet a nice bunch of people and you keep seeing them at different events,” she said.

“I think one of the nicest things is the people you meet.”

Hoffman said technology has certainly changed over the decades – the balls are better, the lane machines are improved, the “science” of bowling has incrementally advanced.

“Machines can lay down different patterns of oil these days,” he said. “They can make it tougher or easier on you.

“The scores have definitely increased because of a combination of many things.

“Twenty years ago the averages were much lower.”

Participation among younger folks has dropped off over the decades as well, though Hoffman said the decline has more or less leveled off in recent years.

Many more activities available today have pulled away the younger generation from bowling. And you certainly couldn’t have “bowled” on a Wii video game system 20 years ago.

“It’s pretty hard for some houses to fill all their lanes,” he said.

Of course the local bowling facility is now shuttered. It went through three different owners since Hoffman moved here before closing this last time.

“There are more activities for the kids these days and the PBA seems to be picking up more tournaments,” he said.

“Bowling will always be around. It might not reach the levels where it used to be.”

Regardless, Larry Hoffman has reached the highest levels in bowling, and he has the USBC Hall of Fame plaque to prove it.