Linear Targets

Williams’ brand name for their version of Vari-Targets, the variable-score targets that reward shot power rather than placement alone. A linear target consists of a flat target face affixed to a long horizontal metal rod visible to the player; the harder the ball strikes it, the further the rod is pushed back through a graduated scale of increasing point values. Williams introduced the mechanism as a competitor to Gottlieb’s original Vari-Target design, offering a similar skill-based scoring element in which precise control of shot force could yield substantially higher rewards than a soft hit.