Lawn bowls is a sport with elegant simplicity at its core: roll your bowls closer to the jack than your opponent. Here is everything you need to know to play.
The objective of lawn bowls is simple: roll your bowls so they come to rest as close as possible to a small target ball called the jack (also called the “kitty” or “mark”). The team or player with one or more bowls closer to the jack than any of their opponent’s bowls scores points (“shots”) for that end. A game consists of multiple ends.
A bowling green is a flat, manicured grass (or synthetic) surface. The green is divided into parallel lanes called rinks.
Green Dimensions
31 to 40 metres long, up to 60 metres wide
Rink Width
4.3 to 5.8 metres each
Typical Layout
6 rinks per green, allowing 6 games to play simultaneously
Boundaries
Surrounded by a ditch (200-380mm wide) and a raised bank beyond
The jack is a small, solid, spherical ball -- the target. At the start of each end, the lead rolls it down the green to set the target distance.
Diameter
63 to 67mm
Colour
White or yellow
Minimum Distance
Must travel at least 23 metres from the mat
The jack is unbiased (rolls in a straight line, unlike the bowls). Once at rest, the jack is centred on the rink -- moved laterally to the centre line.
Bowls are larger balls made of composite resin (historically lignum vitae wood -- hence the term “woods”). Each player uses a matched set of bowls with identical markings.
Diameter
112mm to 134mm
Weight
Up to 1.59 kg
Sizes
9 standard sizes (0000 through 5) -- choose the size that fits your hand
Identification
Circular rings (discs) on each side. The smaller ring indicates the bias side.
Bias is what makes lawn bowls unique. Every bowl is asymmetrical -- one side is slightly flatter/heavier than the other. This causes the bowl to travel in a curved arc rather than a straight line.
A rectangular mat (360mm x 600mm minimum for outdoor play) is placed on the rink to mark the delivery point.
The player delivering must have at least one foot on or over the mat at the moment of release. Failing to do so is a foot fault.
The lead places the mat at the start of each end. Its position can be varied tactically -- placing it further up the green shortens the playing distance.
Stand on the mat, feet together or staggered.
Hold the bowl with the bias oriented correctly (small ring toward the direction you want it to curve).
Step forward, swing the arm smoothly, and release the bowl at ground level.
The bowl should land smoothly on the green without bouncing ("dumping" is poor technique).
Follow through with the arm pointing in the direction of the aiming line.
The team that won the previous end (or won the coin toss for the first end) places the mat.
The lead from the mat-placing team rolls the jack down the green. It must travel at least 23m. If it goes in the ditch or off the rink, the opposing lead delivers it.
Once the jack stops, it is moved laterally to the centre line of the rink.
Players from each team alternate delivering their bowls. In Fours: Lead A, Lead B (each delivers both), then Seconds, then Thirds, then Skips.
When all bowls have been delivered, the team with the bowl closest to the jack scores. They score one shot for each of their bowls closer to the jack than the opponent's nearest bowl.
Play reverses direction. The team that scored places the mat and delivers the jack from the opposite end.
Team A has bowls at 30cm, 45cm, and 90cm from the jack. Team B’s nearest bowl is at 60cm. Team A scores 2 shots (the 30cm and 45cm bowls are both closer than Team B’s 60cm bowl). The 90cm bowl does not count.
The head is the cluster of bowls and the jack at the far end of the rink. Reading the head -- understanding which bowls are closest, what gaps exist, where to place your next bowl -- is the core tactical skill of the game.
| Format | How Winner Is Determined |
|---|---|
| Singles | First player to 21 shots (or sets play: best of 2 sets of 9 ends) |
| Pairs | Most total shots after 21 ends |
| Triples | Most total shots after 18 ends |
| Fours | Most total shots after 21 ends |
| Social Games | Most total shots after agreed number of ends (often 10-15) |