How to Play

Never played before? Read on to learn how!

Bowls Explained

Lawn bowling, or “Bowls”, is played on a flat grass surface, called a green. The object of the game is to get your balls, called “bowls”, closer to a little white ball, called the “jack”, than your opponent.

3 red bowls around a jack
Bowls around the jack

What makes the game challenging is that your bowls have a bias in them, which causes them to bend. Therefore, you cannot aim directly at the jack, and herein lies the challenge. Similar to curling, you need to master your aim as well as how hard you roll the bowl. Here is an excellent video from Bowls Canada to give you an example of how to deliver a bowl properly.

During a typical game, players take turns delivering their bowls until all bowls have been delivered. Once all the bowls have been delivered (called an “end”), the score is determined for that end. The more bowls you have closer to the jack than your opponent, the more points you score. Games are typically played to a predetermined score, or for a predetermined number of ends.

Types of Games

Bowls can be played 1-vs-1 (singles), 2-vs-2 (pairs), 3-vs-3 (triples), or 4-vs-4 (fours). The number of players typically dictates how many bowls you use: the more people there are, the fewer bowls each player is allowed to roll.

FormatNumber of bowls per player
Singles4
Pairs3 or 4
Triples2 or 3
Fours2

Most competitions have rules that specify how many bowls you can use.

Colourful bowls on a green
Colourful bowls on a green

Numerous competitions are available, from fun club events, to local tournaments, provincial tournaments, national competitions and beyond. Bowls is one of the few sports that has been included in the Commonwealth Games schedule since the beginning of the Games in 1930.

Val McWiliams holding the 2019 Senior Triples trophy with her teammates
Local legend Val McWilliams holding the Canadian Senior Triples trophy with her teammates.

What are you waiting for? Come give it a try!

Lessons

Private lessons for up to 4 participants is available upon request. Each private lesson includes:

Equipment rental

One hour of instruction from an NCCP trained Bowls Coach

30 minutes of free play after the lesson

Pricing

  • $40 for one person
  • $60 for two people
  • $75 for three people
  • $85 for four people
Contact us for availability
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