Getting Started in Lawn Bowls at Palm Creek Lawn Bowling Club
1. Welcome to the trickiest game ever invented; thus a lesson is a prerequisite.
2. Flat soled shoes are a must. Many running and tennis shoes are suitable.
3. The center of attraction is a little white ball called a “jack.” Two teams compete with each other to see which team can place their bowls closer to the jack than the other team.
4. Each team has two members; a skip and a lead. New comers and less experienced players are leads. More experienced players on a team are called skips. When two players are playing two other players, the game is called “pairs.”
5. The large playing surface is the “green.” The green is made up of eight rinks. Each rink is 14 ft wide and 120 ft long. On each side of the rink on the side board, you will see a yellow and black marker, called “boundary marker.” In the center of the rink, on the side board is the rink number.
6. Surrounding the green is the “ditch.” Bowls entering the ditch are immediately removed, with one exception explained later. When delivering a bowl, you must have at least one foot on the mat. The front edge of the mat is the mat line. On the sideboard of the green, you will see a pink pig. This is the hog line. A rolled jack must always go beyond the hog line. A delivered bowl does not.
7. The Game. At the start of a game, all participants shakes hands and says, “good bowling.” The skips determine which lead goes first, often by a coin flip or other agreed upon method. If your team goes first, and you are the lead, take the mat in your hand and step out three large steps towards the far end (front) ditch. Then, turn around and face the rear rink marker. Place the mat so that it is in the center of the rink. Stand on the mat with the jack in your hand. Now, roll the jack down the center of the rink so that it passes the hog line. Remain on the mat! Using hand signals, assist your skip to place the jack in the center of the rink. Pick up one of your bowls in preparation to deliver your first bowl. All bowls to be played should be stored behind the mat and on your right side as you face your skip. Your skip will now indicate where the first bowl should stop. Bowls rolled behind the jack are ideal. Bowls in front of the jack are disliked by most skips. Leads alternatively roll their four bowls.
8. Exiting the mat. You should exit the mat through the front or either side; never by the rear. This prevents you from backing over the opposing lead or turning your ankle stepping on the bowls. After each lead alternatively delivers their four bowls, leads and skips exchange positions in the rink. After the exchange, the skip of the team that bowled first takes the mat to deliver his or her first bowl. As lead to your skip, you should stand about five feet behind the jack. Your opposing lead should be three or four feet behind you. When the jack is 6 feet or less from the ditch, you should stand up on the sidewalk, behind the ditch. Why? If you get hit by a flying jack, the opposing skip can declare the end dead.
9. An end has been played when all 16 bowls around the jack have been rolled. It is now time for the leads to determine the score. The collection of bowls around the jack is the head. At this time no skips should be in the head. The lead of the team giving away points should be the one removing bowls. Measuring should be done by the lead giving away the points. The jack should never be moved until both leads agree on points. Once agreement has occurred, there can be no more measuring. The lead who gets the point(s) puts up the score, increases the number of the end, and places the mat for the beginning of the next end. The lead who gives up points rakes the bowls and places them behind and to the right of the mat. At Palm Creek, in our friendly games called “jitnies,” 8 ends make up a game. In tournaments, there are usually 12 ends.
10. The Bowl; big circle, little circle. A bowl rolled in motion turns toward the little circle on one side of the bowl. This is very important to remember before each roll. It turns away from the larger circle on the other side of the bowl. Remember to keep the small circle of the bowl on the side of the jack you are aiming at. If you don’t your bowl will likely end up in the rink next to yours, and be removed from play. Sooner or later, most bowlers make this mistake. Be ready for friendly cat calls, etc.
11. Skips suggest aiming point. An experienced skip will often suggest an aiming point to a new bowler. This is called “giving grass.” Your skip will stand to one side and offer a leg for you to aim your bowl. Ideally, with correct weight of your roll, your bowl will end up near of a little behind the jack.
12. Toucher. If a delivered bowl while in motion strikes the jack, the bowl is marked with a piece of chalk and called a toucher. Unlike other bowls (non-touchers), if it should find its way in to the ditch, it remains in the ditch and is in play. Other bowls that go in the ditch and which are not touchers are removed from the ditch and are placed on the upper sidewalk out of play.
13. Hand Signals. If your skip points two fingers in the sky, it means that at present you are counting two points. If he or she points three fingers downward, the opposition is counting three points.
1. Welcome to the trickiest game ever invented; thus a lesson is a prerequisite.
2. Flat soled shoes are a must. Many running and tennis shoes are suitable.
3. The center of attraction is a little white ball called a “jack.” Two teams compete with each other to see which team can place their bowls closer to the jack than the other team.
4. Each team has two members; a skip and a lead. New comers and less experienced players are leads. More experienced players on a team are called skips. When two players are playing two other players, the game is called “pairs.”
5. The large playing surface is the “green.” The green is made up of eight rinks. Each rink is 14 ft wide and 120 ft long. On each side of the rink on the side board, you will see a yellow and black marker, called “boundary marker.” In the center of the rink, on the side board is the rink number.
6. Surrounding the green is the “ditch.” Bowls entering the ditch are immediately removed, with one exception explained later. When delivering a bowl, you must have at least one foot on the mat. The front edge of the mat is the mat line. On the sideboard of the green, you will see a pink pig. This is the hog line. A rolled jack must always go beyond the hog line. A delivered bowl does not.
7. The Game. At the start of a game, all participants shakes hands and says, “good bowling.” The skips determine which lead goes first, often by a coin flip or other agreed upon method. If your team goes first, and you are the lead, take the mat in your hand and step out three large steps towards the far end (front) ditch. Then, turn around and face the rear rink marker. Place the mat so that it is in the center of the rink. Stand on the mat with the jack in your hand. Now, roll the jack down the center of the rink so that it passes the hog line. Remain on the mat! Using hand signals, assist your skip to place the jack in the center of the rink. Pick up one of your bowls in preparation to deliver your first bowl. All bowls to be played should be stored behind the mat and on your right side as you face your skip. Your skip will now indicate where the first bowl should stop. Bowls rolled behind the jack are ideal. Bowls in front of the jack are disliked by most skips. Leads alternatively roll their four bowls.
8. Exiting the mat. You should exit the mat through the front or either side; never by the rear. This prevents you from backing over the opposing lead or turning your ankle stepping on the bowls. After each lead alternatively delivers their four bowls, leads and skips exchange positions in the rink. After the exchange, the skip of the team that bowled first takes the mat to deliver his or her first bowl. As lead to your skip, you should stand about five feet behind the jack. Your opposing lead should be three or four feet behind you. When the jack is 6 feet or less from the ditch, you should stand up on the sidewalk, behind the ditch. Why? If you get hit by a flying jack, the opposing skip can declare the end dead.
9. An end has been played when all 16 bowls around the jack have been rolled. It is now time for the leads to determine the score. The collection of bowls around the jack is the head. At this time no skips should be in the head. The lead of the team giving away points should be the one removing bowls. Measuring should be done by the lead giving away the points. The jack should never be moved until both leads agree on points. Once agreement has occurred, there can be no more measuring. The lead who gets the point(s) puts up the score, increases the number of the end, and places the mat for the beginning of the next end. The lead who gives up points rakes the bowls and places them behind and to the right of the mat. At Palm Creek, in our friendly games called “jitnies,” 8 ends make up a game. In tournaments, there are usually 12 ends.
10. The Bowl; big circle, little circle. A bowl rolled in motion turns toward the little circle on one side of the bowl. This is very important to remember before each roll. It turns away from the larger circle on the other side of the bowl. Remember to keep the small circle of the bowl on the side of the jack you are aiming at. If you don’t your bowl will likely end up in the rink next to yours, and be removed from play. Sooner or later, most bowlers make this mistake. Be ready for friendly cat calls, etc.
11. Skips suggest aiming point. An experienced skip will often suggest an aiming point to a new bowler. This is called “giving grass.” Your skip will stand to one side and offer a leg for you to aim your bowl. Ideally, with correct weight of your roll, your bowl will end up near of a little behind the jack.
12. Toucher. If a delivered bowl while in motion strikes the jack, the bowl is marked with a piece of chalk and called a toucher. Unlike other bowls (non-touchers), if it should find its way in to the ditch, it remains in the ditch and is in play. Other bowls that go in the ditch and which are not touchers are removed from the ditch and are placed on the upper sidewalk out of play.
13. Hand Signals. If your skip points two fingers in the sky, it means that at present you are counting two points. If he or she points three fingers downward, the opposition is counting three points.
