What is lawn bowls?
In lawn bowls, players roll bowls toward a small target ball, the jack, on a flat green of grass or approved synthetic turf. Each bowl that finishes nearer the jack than the opponent’s nearest bowl scores a point, called a shot. The sport’s international body, World Bowls, describes itself as “the recognised International Federation for the Sport of Bowls” and lists 60 member nations. Every rule below comes from its rulebook, the Laws of the Sport of Bowls (Crystal Mark Fourth Edition, in force by April 1, 2023).
Why the bowl curves: bias
A lawn bowl is not a perfect sphere. The Laws define bias as “the curved path along which a bowl travels from delivery until it comes to rest,” and add: “(The shape of the bowl gives it its bias.)” It is the shape, not a weight hidden inside, that makes a bowl swing. The bias side is marked with smaller rings, and every bowl must curve at least as much as World Bowls’ reference bowl. Much of the skill is choosing which side to deliver on so the curve brings the bowl home.
Equipment and the green
| Green | 31 to 40 m long in the direction of play, divided into strips called rinks, 4.3 to 5.8 m wide outdoors |
|---|---|
| Ditch and bank | A ditch 200 to 380 mm wide surrounds the green, with a bank at least 230 mm high behind it |
| Bowls | Four matched bowls to a set; 112 to 131 mm across (resin), up to 1.59 kg |
| Jack | White or yellow; 63 to 64 mm and 225 to 285 g for outdoor grass |
| Mat | 600 × 360 mm; you deliver from it |
| Shoes | Flat-soled (“heel-less”) footwear, to protect the green |
How an end works
- A coin toss decides who places the mat and bowls the jack first. The mat must sit at least 2 m from the rear ditch and 25 m from the front ditch.
- The jack is delivered and must travel at least 23 m from the mat line.
- Players take turns, one bowl at a time. The Laws say players must “play singly and in turn,” no matter who is currently closest.
- Every delivery is underarm, with all or part of one foot on or above the mat.
- When all the bowls are played, the side with the nearest bowl scores one shot for each bowl closer than the opponent’s nearest.
- The next end is played in the opposite direction, with the side that scored laying the mat and jack.
A bowl that touches the jack on its way, a toucher, is marked with chalk and stays in play even if it runs on into the ditch.
Singles, pairs, triples and fours
- Singles: one against one, with 2, 3 or 4 bowls each.
- Pairs: two per side, a lead and a skip.
- Triples: lead, second and skip.
- Fours: lead, second, third and skip, with 2 bowls each.
The skip is “the player who is in charge of the team” and bowls last. Games run to an agreed number of shots or ends: at world championships, singles is first to 21 shots, and pairs and fours are played over 18 ends.
Lawn bowls terminology
| Jack | The small white or yellow target ball. Also called the kitty |
|---|---|
| Bias | The curve a bowl takes, caused by its shape |
| End | The jack and all the bowls delivered in one direction, then scored |
| Head | The jack and the live bowls resting around it |
| Shot | A bowl nearer the jack than the opponent’s nearest; one point |
| Rink | The strip of the green a game is played on |
| Mat line | The front edge of the mat, where measurements start |
| Toucher | A bowl that touched the jack; it stays live even in the ditch |
| Jack high | A bowl level with the jack, measured from the mat line |
| Draw | A bowl rolled to finish at a chosen spot |
| Drive | A fast bowl aimed to knock the jack or a bowl out of play (also “fire”) |
| Wick | A bowl deflected off another |
| Yard on | Delivering with enough weight to finish about a yard past the target |
| Woods | Old name for bowls, from when they were made of lignum vitae wood |
| Lead, second, third, skip | Team positions in order of play; the skip is in charge |
| Dead end | An end that doesn’t count and is replayed |
| Pace of the green | Seconds a bowl takes to stop about 27 m away; the higher the number, the faster the green |
| Shot indicators | Coloured paddles, “lollipops,” the marker holds up to show who is holding shot |
Definitions follow the World Bowls Laws, except kitty, draw, drive, wick, yard on and woods, which come from Wikipedia’s bowls articles.
Lawn bowls vs bocce
Both games aim balls at a small target, and both score one point per ball closer than the opponent’s best. But a lawn bowl is biased and curves while a bocce ball is round and rolls straight, lawn bowls is played on an open green with a ditch while bocce uses a boarded court, and the turn order differs: lawn bowlers alternate one bowl at a time, while in bocce the side that isn’t closest keeps bowling until it takes the point.
History
Bowls is old, but many famous dates are claims. Southampton Old Bowling Green in England “claims to be the world’s oldest surviving bowling green,” with a traditional date of 1299. Wikipedia notes that England’s Unlawful Games Act of 1541 barred working people from playing bowls “at any time except Christmas.” Today bowls is one of the “core sports” that must be included at every Commonwealth Games.
Where it’s played and how to start
Australia is a stronghold: Bowls Australia’s 2019 census counted 693,563 people playing four or more times a year. In England, Bowls England says there are “well over 3500 bowls clubs” and “Most clubs run open days, put on taster sessions and social nights.” In the United States, Bowls USA suggests you “drop by your nearest club or contact them to find out their schedule for ‘open bowling’ or instruction,” adding that “The club has all the equipment needed for the game and it’s free to use it.” Just bring flat-soled shoes.
Gear to play at home
Lawn bowls. Sets of four biased bowls, 112 to 131 mm; for club greens. See our buying guide for the bowling family for what the rules require and which set suits you.
Sources: World Bowls, Laws of the Sport of Bowls (Crystal Mark Fourth Edition) and homepage; Bowls Australia 2019 census; Bowls England; Bowls USA; Wikipedia: Bowls, Glossary of bowls terms, Southampton Old Bowling Green.