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How to Play

🌿 Welcome to Lawn Bowls – A Gentle Sport with a Big Heart

If you’ve ever wandered past a bowling green and wondered what on earth those bowls are doing curving across the grass… you’re in the right place! Lawn bowls is a wonderfully social, surprisingly tactical sport that people of all ages and abilities can enjoy. Whether you fancy playing competitively or simply want a relaxing hobby with good company, this guide will give you a warm introduction to what bowls is all about.

1. A Brief History
  • Lawn bowls is one of the oldest continually played sports in the world. Versions of the game date back to ancient Egypt, but the modern form we recognise today began taking shape in 14th‑century Britain. It became so popular that King Henry VIII supposedly owned a private green (though he actually banned the common folk from playing unless they were wealthy!).The world’s oldest surviving bowling green — the Southampton Old Bowling Green — has been in use since 1299, which gives you an idea of just how deep the roots of this sport go.Today, lawn bowls is played in over 50 countries, and features in events like the Commonwealth Games, showcasing the sport’s global reach.
  • At its heart, bowls is simple:
    Roll your bowl as close as you can to the small white ball called the jack. That’s it!Of course, there’s a little more finesse involved. Here’s the basic flow:The jack is rolled to the other end of the green to set the target.Players take turns delivering bowls from a mat.Because bowls are biased (weighted), they travel in a curved path.When all bowls have been played, the team or player with bowls closest to the jack scores points.Play continues over a series of “ends” until a set score or number of ends is reached.It’s easy to learn but endlessly challenging — like snooker on grass!
  • Here’s a handy glossary to help you talk like a seasoned bowler:Jack – The small white target ball.End – A single round of play from one side of the green to the other.Rink – A lane on the green where your game takes place.Bias – The built‑in weight that makes the bowl follow a curved line.Hand – The side you choose to deliver your bowl: forehand or backhand, depending on the direction of the curve.Mat – Where each player must stand when delivering a bowl.Shot Bowl – The bowl currently closest to the jack.Measure – A device used to see which bowls are closest when it’s too tight to tell by eye.Toucher – A bowl that touches the jack; it’s given special status and stays in play even if it ends up in the ditch.Ditch – The shallow trench surrounding the green. Your bowl may end up there… hopefully on purpose!Drive – A fast, forceful shot used to break up the head (the cluster of bowls around the jack).Head – The group of bowls that have come to rest around the jack.
  • Bowls are not perfectly round! Their uneven weight is what makes them curve.
  • The oldest bowling club in the world is over 700 years old.
  • Lawn bowls is one of the few sports where teens and 90‑year‑olds can (and do!) compete on equal footing.
  • In Australia, bowls clubs are so popular that “bowlo culture” has become part of the national identity.
  • The sport features in every Commonwealth Games since 1930 (with one exception in 1966 due to lack of greens!).
  • The world record for the longest bowl is over 120 metres down a sloping road in New Zealand — not an official green, but very impressive.
  • A set of bowls is like a fingerprint — each brand/model has its own unique curve. Try one and you’ll instantly feel the difference.

Lawn bowls is welcoming, social, and surprisingly addictive. If you’re curious, drop by the club for a roll-up — we love introducing new people to the game, and we’ll happily show you the ropes.