Bowling Surfaces

There are a wide range of different aspects in relation to playing conditions which lawn bowlers will have to adapt to. In general terms you have the outdoor game which is played during the summer on a maintained bowling green of grass. The indoor game is played during the winter on an artificial surface where the bowling green consists of underlay flooring and a carpet. However, each surface varies in the way it plays as their will be individual traits dependent on a variety of factors.

There will be different runs on greens which cannot be explained on an outdoor surface, this is just due to the way the grass grows. However, runs on outdoor bowling greens will tend to stay the same on each individual bowling green which means players can gain a competitive advantage on their home or well known playing surfaces.

Outdoor greens in the United Kingdom although maintained to a high standard, are known as heavy playing surfaces which in technical terms to a bowler is a slow playing surface. This means players will have to deliver their bowls more powerfully to reach the final destination. This could be due to the adverse weather we have, which means the bowling surfaces cannot be maintained to their maximum level. All greens vary in speed dependent on how well they are kept and sometimes the natural environment plays a role on how the surface will play as the grass could grow differently compared to others, although this will not have a major influence.

Shown below is an example of an outdoor green in the United Kingdom, this particular green is Kelvingrove Bowling Green where the Lawn Bowls was held for the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Outdoor greens in the southern hemisphere however, are able to be maintained to a maximum level due to the kinder weather conditions. The playing surfaces are fast in comparison to that of the United Kingdom, which in technical terms to a bowler means the surface is playing fast. This means players will have to deliver their bowls less powerfully to reach the final destination. A lot of players will look to move to Australia or New Zealand to be exposed to these playing surfaces on a regular basis.

Shown below is an example of an outdoor bowling green from the southern hemisphere, this particular green is Broadbeach Bowls Club bowling green which is home to one of the best teams in Australia the Broadbeach Bulls.

As you may have noticed from the photos, although not entirely apparent, the playing surfaces in the southern hemisphere are maintained to maximum efficiency compared to the surfaces here.

Indoor greens in the United Kingdom do not need maintained like outdoor greens as there is no grass to be cut on a regular basis. The surface consists of underlay and a carpet. The only maintenance which will provided on indoor surfaces are the stretching of carpets to ensure maximum speed is kept. Over time the carpet will wear away through the continual play and stretching to maintain it, which means new carpets may be required every decade or so. Indoor surfaces are fast in comparison to that of the outdoor surfaces here, this is due to the bowls almost sliding along the carpet which means bowls are delivered less powerfully to reach their final destination. Indoor greens will vary in speed dependent on the underlay flooring present, which will also have an influence on the different runs on the green. Heating of the indoor arena has an effect on the playing surface, as this will cause the carpet to almost stretch due to the heat which will result in a quicker playing surface. Similar to that of outdoor greens, each surface has its only personal traits.

Shown below is an example of an indoor playing surface from the United Kingdom, in this particular instance the green shown is from Ayr Indoor Bowling Club where I personally play during the indoor season.

Shown below is an example of an indoor playing surface from the southern hemisphere, this green shown is from Tweeds Head Indoor Bowling Centre in Australia.

In this instance, indoor surfaces in the southern hemisphere are similar to that of indoor surfaces here as the playing conditions are similar as the examples above show.

Where bowlers from the United Kingdom will find the indoor a quicker surface than their outdoor greens, bowlers from the southern hemisphere will find their indoor a slower surface than their outdoor greens due to the maximum level of maintenance on their outdoor surfaces.

With this being said, this will have an influence on delivery technique. Different aspects of this will be discussed in my next blog. So stay tuned for more updates.