How to play lawn bowls

The game of lawn bowls is played on a square grass area known as the green, which is divided into lanes called rinks.

Players take turns to deliver their bowls from a mat. The object of the game is to get your team's bowls as close to the white target 'jack' ball as possible.

The bowls have a different profile on one side which will will curve towards the jack due to this bias.

​

To score, count up the team's bowls nearest to the jack, before the opponent's nearest bowl. In the picture, the brown balls score two points and the black balls score zero.

Games are divided into 'ends'. After playing all the bowls to one end of the green, the next end is played coming back in the opposite direction. The winner of the previous end will cast the jack for the next one.

There are various formats of the game available at the club, at PHBC we usually play eighteen ends.

​

Whether you're a new player or if you already play, you can find lots more terminology on the glossary page, and rules and information on the Bowls England website.