Park and Picnic Games: A Beginner's Guide to Lawn Bowling

While lawn bowling may seem like a simple sport, it's more than just rolling a ball to the target as accurately as possible to have the closest one. It requires a presence of mind and concentration because the balls in this game are not round and are designed to travel a curved path; what a fun little piece of playground equipment to try out! Lawn bowling has been hailed as a relaxing game for centuries and can be a lot of fun to play outside at the park. So let’s get up from the picnic tables and get active!

While lawn bowling may seem like a simple sport, it's more than just rolling a ball to the target as accurately as possible in order to have the closest one. It actually requires a presence of mind and concentration because the balls in this game are not round and are designed to travel a curved path. Despite this, lawn bowling has

Playground Equipment History: Origins of Lawn Bowling

It's believed that lawn bowling was played as far back as the 12th century, way before modern commercial playground equipment was introduced. It was popular all over Europe throughout, especially in England. This was because it doesn't require a lot of physical stress and during times of war, lawn bowling could be a stress reliever and a great way to get adults and kids alike up and active, enjoying playground equipment that is fairly low-key.

• Lawn bowling was banned by the king and Parliament at one point because they feared that it would jeopardize the practice of war-related sports.
• The first lawn bowling association was established in the late 1800s. It's called the National Bowling Association.
• Today, more than 50 countries participate in international lawn bowling competitions.

Lawn Bowling Equipment: Much Simpler Than Larger Playground Spinners or Seesaws

Lawn bowling doesn't take a lot of equipment to get started; no expensive playground equipment like seesaws and spinning things required, but each piece is necessary to the game.

• The Balls: These balls come in a set of four and are not perfectly round, so they curve when they are rolled.
• The Jack: This small white ball is rolled to the other end of the playing field to become the target.
• Measuring Tape: In some cases, it may be difficult to tell which player's ball is closest to the jack, so a measuring tape can come in handy to show who the winner is.
• Score Cards: Every lawn bowling club has a different layout for their score card, but all of them will show who's playing and a running score for each team.

Play by the Rules

The most important rule in lawn bowling is to get your ball as close to the jack as possible. Since the balls aren't round, they travel in a curved path that isn't always predictable, so it takes a little bit of extra effort to get them where they need to go.

• Before throwing the ball, the player should hold onto it firmly in their hand and position the middle finger against the edge of the ball for the best possible grip.
• The playing area for the game will be marked off as a rectangle called a rink. A rolled ball may curve outside of the rink, but it must stop within the boundary to remain in play.
• A ball that falls into a ditch is treated as a dead ball and is removed unless it touches the jack first.
• Balls that touch the jack are called touchers and are marked with white chalk.
• After all of the balls are rolled, the distances between the jack and the balls are measured and points are added up.

Scoring

There is no one perfect scoring system used for all lawn bowling organizations and tournaments. For the most part, scores are not counted until all of the balls have been played.

• A team typically gets 1 point for every ball that is closer to the jack than the opponent's closest ball.
• Games are usually played to 21 or 25 points depending on the local tournament rules.

Winning

In a singles game of lawn bowling, the first player to score 21 points is considered the winner, but in doubles or triples, a team may be declared the winner if they have the most points after a set number of rounds.

• After all of the balls have been rolled, they are collected and the game is played again in the opposite direction.
• Careful and exact measurements are necessary to get the most accurate scores.

Additional Playground Game Resources – No Swingset or Shade Structure Required

Now that you know a little more about lawn bowling, let’s put that knowledge to good use. Gather your friends who are playing on the playground swingset or lounging under a playground shade structure and start up a game.

• Lawn Bowling Rules
• Rules of Lawn Bowling
• Lawn Bowling Techniques
• Lawn Bowling Tips and Rules
• Lawn Bowling Etiquette
• Rules of Sports: Lawn Bowling
• Lawn Bowls: How to Play, Etiquette, Strategy, and Rules
• Lawn Bowling
• Lawn Bowling Tactics
• The History of Lawn Bowling
• Lawn Bowling Terminology
• Lawn Bowling Instructions
• The Rules of Lawn Bowling

This article was last updated on October 15th, 2024 by author Kim Hart