Lawn Bowls - could it be for you?

[Rubydobydo]

What’s your impression of Lawn Bowls as a sport?
My DH is Club Captain at a competitive club in central south, but they’re having increasing problems recruiting new players to the game.
We understand the social changes affecting this - younger people working further away, grandparents caught up with looking after children and so on.
It is a highly skilled game, far removed from the idea of pensioners clinking bowls together. You would need circa £500 for bowls and club uniform to start, but it’s cheap thereafter.
But would you consider playing?

I’ve lived in Australia where lawn bowls is popular with all ages. Loads of people do it.

We have a bowling green within sight of our house and it has never crossed my mind to think about using it. Thinking about why, I think it’s because it’s behind a big hedge, like they do not want people to see it never mind get involved. It gives a ‘this is not for you’ vibe. Your eyes are not even allowed to see it so playing is out of the question.

£500 is one hell of a commitment. My mother plays competitive croquet which I would say is along the same lines. The people there are dripping with money but nobody is spending £500 on mallets and white clothes.

Yes, but clubs need to make it easier to contact them - quite often emails/messages/telephone calls go unanswered (this may be a local issue!) Also ideally taster sessions not just on a Saturday afternoon, but also maybe one of vending per week.

My mum (a totally non-sporty type) took it up in her 70s with a couple of friends and enjoyed it. A retired ex-colleague has also taken it up, but she has plenty of free time to do it.

The competitiveness puts me off - who has the time commitment for that, apart from retired people? They play matches during the day on weekdays. I wouldn't mind having a go for fun occasionally but can't/wouldn't want to commit to playing competitively.

Our local club is sponsored by a funeral director!

The hedges that often but not always surround a bowling green are there to cut down cross winds, which would effect the run of the bowl. We have just the one, sheltering against the prevailing wind direction.
I’m sure they'd welcome all.

I would but I’m shit at it 😆

I agree that some clubs, probably with older types on the managing committee, are still working in the old way. Their ladies probably only play in the afternoons so they have time to cook his tea…
More progressive clubs have a website with contact details, and welcome anyone pitching up anytime someone else is playing, even if all they could do immediately is watch.

Most clubs play on both the social and the competitive level. About a third of our members don’t play in completions. A few play nearly every day. My DH plays four evenings a week, plus other national games, up to seven days a week during mid season (the season is April to October) as well as works full time but he’s a nutcase.
It is very social, and people find themselves drawn in.

Possibly, but the club should have equipment available to borrow and make uniform optional until someone is sure that they are ready to commit. £500 is a significant initial outlay

So am I, really bad. But there’s always the opportunity to get better. And people do, often much to their surprise.

So be it, you’ll find that’s the type of place many will advertise. We’ve financial management, estate agents and a plumber.

Ok but that’s my answer to why I wouldn’t think about joining. Other ball sports don’t have big hedges.

I’m tempted to try our new local taster sessions for women that have started. I reckon I’ll be brilliant at it 😆

I’m interested in the uniform thing. My ILs play up north. Lots of their teams don’t have a uniform at all, especially the mixed ones and the men’s. The women seem to be keener but even then it tends to be a very cheap fleece with a basic logo.

agree that the matches seem to be played in the afternoons as well as evenings which bars a lot of working people from joining.

They do have bowls for new players to borrow - and to find the weight of the bowl best suited to them. Social players don’t need a uniform, but competitive players do.

Strictly speaking it’s not a ball sport. A bowl - a wood, albeit now make from resin material - comes in various weights, and each has a bias, so thrown in a curved line towards the jack. That said, virtually straight woods have become more popular in recent years, although a bit cheeky, they’re not against the rules. There are various types, some with finger grips, some coloured, some glittery (yuk) and some with swirly pattern that make the eyes boggle.
Played at a higher level, bowls is an immensely tactical game. Imagine rolling a not quite round object over a natural surface, often with a changing humidity, that will, despite a greenkeeper’s efforts, not be entirely flat, containing ‘lines’ towards the jack, which can be placed short or long depending on the strengthens of your opponent. A bowl must never leave the ground.
You can play as singles, pairs, triples or in a four, with two, three or four bowls each. The green is surrounded by a gutter which, if entered by a bowl, mostly goes out of play (that ruling is complex). There are minimum/maximum lengths for the jack applied. The number of bowls one the one side ending nearest the jack denotes the winner.
I know people with very limited eyesight, that are disabled, need ball lifters or rollers to deliver the bowl, in wheelchairs, all sorts. We have a lady bent double with Parkinson’s that still plays and only today was runner up in a final.

Have a go. Some clubs have indoor facilities for winter, or play short mat, which is more compact. There are also indoor clubs.
The outdoor season is almost over, and will start again next April. The break is to protect the green.

I can only speak for Wiltshire clubs. As said in another reply, if you only play socially, wearing something akin to club colours is usually fine.
Club shirts, printed with club logo etc, cost around £35. Shorts or trousers, if a serious player, come from Bowls England, costing circa £30-40. A set of bowls, £350 upwards. You’d need shoes, another £30-75. All is available second hand, often in the clubhouse itself.

I started playing a few years ago when I retired. My introduction was 'the big bowls weekend'. I have made lots of new friends and run social events for the club. It is the first time I have been able to commit to a sport.

Love it! I don’t play but I do a lot on the social side, running a weekly Friday supper and bar, and social events through the winter. Good times, good friends.

My ILs also love it but their version is crown green which I think adds another dimension again? For them it’s both competitive and social. They’ve made brilliant friends, huge range of people and ages/interests. Also won amazing solid silver trophies plus decent cash!!

I’ve never seen crown green live. It’s more of a northern thing, but yes, I can see it adds another dimension.
Your post, and the one before, underline that it’s a much enjoyed sport and social scene. I wish people were less judgemental and face it a go. And you most definitely don’t need to be retired!

I'm retiring soon and have been thinking of trying..but it sounds quite expensive and honestly a bit stuffy so I don't really know if I would bother.

Me and DH have just taken up Bowls this year and we absolutely love it! Our club has a decent clubhouse with a bar, members range in age from mid 50s to 90+! We have mixed sex and single sex teams during the day and in the evening. Many of the players WFT so only do evenings.
We initially got our bowls off eBay for a few £s. No uniform needed to play on a team.