When you see or hear the word “bowls”, soup, salad or cereal may come to mind (especially if you happen to be hungry). But in the sports world, “bowls” (a.k.a. “lawn bowls”) is a strategic game where you roll balls called “bowls” down a natural or artificial grass surface (the “green”), with the goal of getting them as close as possible to a smaller target ball called the “jack”. Bowls might sound straightforward, but this accessible sport requires accuracy, focus and tactical thinking, much like boccia, pétanque and bocce. Read on to discover the benefits of bowls, how to play and tips for getting started.
6 key benefits of bowls
1. Easy on your body: Bowls is a low-impact sport, meaning it’s suitable for people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels.
2. No special gear needed: Bowls clubs usually provide all the required equipment: the bowls, the jack, foot mats and score cards.
3. You can play all year long: There are outdoor and indoor bowls clubs across the country, meaning you can play the sport any season.
4. Budget-friendly: You don’t need to buy pricey equipment or memberships, and you can pay as you play.
5. Highly social: Bowls clubs typically have friendly atmospheres that welcome people of all ages and encourage you to chat with other players between games. These social interactions could turn into meaningful friendships, helping you fall in with an active crowd.
6. Will help you “roll with the punches”: Because bowls teaches you how to deal with challenges, setbacks, losses and high-pressure situations, playing bowls can help you become more resilient when faced with stressful life situations.
How to play bowls
1. Flip a coin: One player tosses a coin to determine the player who gets to roll first (the “lead”) and which end of the green they start from.
2. Roll the jack: After laying down a foot mat on the green, the lead rolls the jack down the playing area called the “rink”. Once the jack stops rolling, it’s moved to the middle of the rink.
3. Take turns rolling bowls: Individual bowlers or teams take turns rolling their bowls down the rink to get them as close as possible to the jack. But there are a couple of twists! For one, all the bowls are “biased” (weighted on one side), making them roll in a curved path instead of a straight one. Plus, you can use your bowls to displace the jack and the other bowls on the rink. This means playing the sport requires using both offensive and defensive strategies.
4. Tally the score: A round (called an “end”) finishes after the individual players or teams have played all their bowls. Then, individual bowlers or teams tally up their scores based on how many bowls are closer to the jack than their opponents’. The player or team that has the most bowls closest to the jack wins the end.
Pro tip: If you want to play more casually, you can simplify the scoring by giving the win to the bowler or team that has the closest bowl to the jack at the end of the round. On the other hand, you can play more competitively and use 4-3-2-1 scoring, where the closest bowl to the jack gets four points, the second closest gets three points and so forth.
How to get rolling with bowls
Now that you know all about bowls, here are some tips to get started:
1. Find a local bowls club: There are over 200 bowls clubs across the country, and all of them have the equipment you need to play. Use Bowls Canada’s club locator to discover one near you.
2. Learn the fundamentals: Visit Bowls Canada’s website to learn more about the sport and its rules. Bowls club coaches and members can also teach you how to play.
3. Begin with casual games: Before playing competitively, hone your skills by playing recreationally and not necessarily keeping score to boost your confidence.
Let’s test your knowledge of bowls!
Bowls is the perfect blend of strategy, socializing and friendly competition. It’s easy to learn but challenging to master, making it the type of sport you’ll want to continue returning to. So, find a bowls club near you, head to the green and make room to move today!
