Table of Contents
Beyond Rolling and Hoping
Every new lawn bowler reaches a point where raw enthusiasm is no longer enough. You can deliver the bowl smoothly, you understand bias, and you know the rules. But you are still losing to club veterans who seem to place their bowls exactly where they want them, every time.
The difference is strategy. Lawn bowling is as much a thinking game as it is a physical one. Here are ten tips that will help you bridge the gap between casual bowler and competitive player.
1. Master Your Weight Before Worrying About Line
The most common mistake intermediate bowlers make is obsessing over their line (the curve of the bowl) while neglecting weight (the speed). A bowl on the wrong line but correct weight is recoverable. A bowl with correct line but too much weight sails past the head and is useless.
Practice drill: Set a jack at various lengths and try to stop your bowl within one mat-length of the jack, ignoring line entirely. Once you can control weight consistently, adding line becomes much easier.
2. Read the Green Before the First End
Arrive early and walk the green. Look for:
- Slope: Stand at one end and look across the surface. Even slight slopes affect every delivery
- Speed: Is the grass freshly cut (fast) or longer (slow)?
- Dry patches: These will be faster than damp areas
- Shade patterns: Shaded strips stay damp and play slower
3. Play the Percentages
When you have shot (closest to the jack), your job is to consolidate, not attack. Add more bowls close to the jack. Build a fortress. Force your opponent to play risky shots.
When you are down, you need to change the head. Consider:
- Drawing to a different position rather than trying to beat a perfectly placed bowl
- Playing a firm shot to move the jack to your back bowls
- Blocking the draw to deny your opponent their preferred line
4. Use the Full Width of the Rink
Beginners tend to bowl on the same side every time — usually the forehand. Strong players use both hands freely and switch sides based on the situation.
Your forehand and backhand deliveries will curve differently because of how your body aligns. Practice both until you can choose the best approach for each delivery rather than defaulting to comfort.
5. Think Two Bowls Ahead
Before each delivery, ask yourself: "If this bowl lands where I want it, what will my opponent do next? And what will I do after that?"
This chess-like thinking separates good bowlers from great ones. Sometimes the best shot is not the one that scores immediately, but the one that denies your opponent options on their next bowl.
6. Learn to Play the Jack
Many beginners forget that moving the jack is a legal and powerful tactic. If your opponent has built a strong head, a controlled firm shot that shifts the jack to a new position can turn the entire end in your favour.
Practice the "drive" and "firm shot" as specific skills, not just as frustrated last resorts.
7. Watch the Skip, Not the Jack
Your skip sees the head from the other end and has a much better perspective than you do. Trust their signals. If they are calling for a specific weight or line, follow it — even if it looks wrong from your end.
Good skips communicate clearly: hand signals for which side, verbal calls for weight. If your skip is quiet, ask them what they want before you step onto the mat.
8. Manage Your Energy
Lawn bowls matches can last two to three hours. Fatigue causes your delivery to become inconsistent — shorter back-swing, less follow-through, lazier footwork.
Stay hydrated, stretch between ends, and maintain your pre-delivery routine even when tired. The bowler who delivers their last bowl as smoothly as their first has a huge advantage.
9. Develop a Pre-Delivery Routine
Every consistent bowler has a routine: step onto the mat, align feet, sight the target, take a breath, deliver. The same sequence every time.
This routine does two things: it builds muscle memory for consistent delivery, and it calms your nerves during pressure situations. When you are playing the final end of a close match, your routine is your anchor.
10. Review Your Performance After Every Session
Keep a simple log: What worked? What did you struggle with? Were you short or long? Did you adjust to the green speed?
Patterns will emerge. You might discover that you consistently come up short in afternoon sessions (fatigue), or that you struggle on fast greens (need to adjust your grip). Targeted practice based on real data improves performance far faster than random practice.
Putting It All Together
Strategy in lawn bowls is not about memorising a playbook. It is about developing the awareness to read each situation — the head, the green, the match score, your opponent's tendencies — and making intelligent decisions.
Start with one tip per session. Master weight control first, then add green-reading, then positional play. Within a few months, you will find yourself thinking about the game differently and winning more ends as a result.
The beautiful thing about lawn bowls strategy is that there is always more to learn. That is what keeps the sport fascinating for decades.
The LawnBowl Team
We are passionate about making lawn bowling accessible to everyone. Our guides are researched using official World Bowls laws, club resources, and input from experienced players across the USA, Australia, and the UK.