A bowling ball launcher has a frame and a rail oriented from a front of the frame to a back of the frame. A push pad is configured to slide along the rail. An elastic mechanism is coupled to the push pad and extends toward the front of the frame. A winch is coupled to the push pad toward the back of the frame. The winch includes a motor, a winch wheel, and a cable extending from the winch wheel to the push pad. The winch also includes a clutch between the motor and winch wheel. A shock absorber is disposed near the front of the frame. A plurality of position sensors is attached to the frame along the rail. A power meter is configured to move the push pad to one of the position sensors by operation of the winch.