Rules of Lawn Bowls

Lawn bowls is a recreational game that can be played by nearly anyone. The ease of learning this sport has led to the popularity of lawn bowls leagues across the world. According to the Victorian Bowls league website, lawn bowls was invented by the Egyptians and spread during the Roman Empire. The Italians call the game bocce, a term that is still popular today. Yet most of the rules for lawn bowls are thought to have originated in Scotland.

  1. Basics

    • One player will throw a small, white ball called "the jack." The initial jack is decided by coin toss, then by whoever is in the lead concluding each round. Players then take turns throwing their bowls, which are weighted (and slightly lopsided), up the green. The goal is to score points by getting your bowls closest to the jack. The bowls can be tossed with a forehand or backhand motion, and the odd weighting of the bowls will cause them to roll in a curved path.
      The Vale of Leven Bowling Club describes types of match configurations. For instance, two individuals can play each other or teams of three or four can square off. Some big leagues have teams with up to six sets of four players each, which are known as rinks matches.

    Equipment

    • The rules of lawn bowls require precise dimensions. A men's bowl must be between 116mm and 131mm in diameter and weigh 1.59 kg or less. Scottish rules also dictate that the bowling green, or playing field, be between 34 and 40 meters, and that players must stand on a rubber mat placed between 2 and 25 meters from the ditch that surrounds the green. The player throwing the jack can decide the exact mat placement.

    Regulations

    • The flow of play in lawn bowls is determined by regulations. The jack must land between 23 and 36 meters away, then in a typical singles match the players will take turns until each player has delivered four bowls. "The shot" refers to the bowl that is closest to the jack. The round is scored by counting the number of bowls that are closest to the jack, meaning that if you have the two closest bowls, you would score two shots. Games are played to 18 points for multiple teams or 21 points for singles.