From Carpet to Grass

If you started to play bowls indoors, then you are probably looking forwards to playing outdoors. You will be pleased to know that the rules outdoors are much the same! The object of the game is still to get your bowls as close as possible to the jack! Dress is similar to indoors, but do be prepared for a cold or wet game. The sun doesn’t always shine!

There is, however, one very big difference. Indoors, you are bowling on a carpet, while outdoors you are likely to be bowling on grass. Outdoor grass greens are affected by the weather and by green-keepers! At the start of the season, the outdoor greens are VERY slow compared with indoor greens. You may have tried firing (officially called driving) indoors - that is throwing the bowl with a lot of force almost straight down the middle of the green. Outdoors, early in the season, you will need a bowl with the same sort of force (or even more) just to reach the jack!

Don’t worry; by the time you get to the middle of summer, the green will be a lot faster - possibly as fast as indoors. Then everyone finds it more enjoyable! At the start of the season, the bowls take practically no draw and go almost straight. Later in the summer, you will have to take as much green as indoors.

If you are either young or elderly, then it may be better to wait a few weeks before you bowl outdoors. If you do try early in the season and find it to too difficult, then DON'T give up bowls, but wait a few weeks and try again. DO keep trying!

Most bowlers prefer bowling outdoors. There is nothing better, (well not a lot, well OK quite a lot!) than playing bowls on a warm sunny afternoon or evening. Of course, it's not quite so much fun in the pouring rain! Outdoor clubs usually have fewer members than the indoor clubs and they are a lot friendlier. You will probably enjoy your outdoor games a lot more than indoor.

Membership outdoors is paid for in one of two ways. With some clubs, you pay a small annual fee and then pay every time you play. With other clubs, you pay a larger annual fee, but then pay no more to play.

In Suffolk, it is possible to play outdoors on an artificial surface (similar to the indoor carpet) during the summer. There is one green in Debenham and another in Felixstowe. The main problem with this option is that it makes it much harder to play at other clubs with grass greens. If you only want to play a friendly game of bowls then that may be the option for you. If you want to make progress in bowls and play in county or national competitions, then the artificial surface is probably not the right option for you! Even league games become harder. That is because most of your competitive games would be played on grass.

I would suggest you do the following:

• Do try early in the season, but if find it too difficult, then wait a few weeks. DON’T give up playing bowls!
  
  
• Early in the season, just try and reach the jack and don’t worry too much about “feeling” the weight.