While it may seem obvious that indoor and outdoor bowls are different. There is a vast selection of things that are both the same and different between the two. Remember to like and subscribe!
Thanks for the vid - I find indoor if you're on an end rink, you have to be careful of side-ditchers. Certainly something you don't have go worry about outdoors. Also playing with weight seems to be a lot more nuanced indoors.
I play both indoors and outdoors. Because I like to bowl the same bias in both games, I use a narrowish bias bowl for fast indoor greens (Taylor Vector Vs) and a large bias for a slower outdoor surface (Taylor International) This means that the curve of my bowls is pretty much the same whether I bowl indoors or outdoors.
Let's not forget about how wind makes a HUGE difference with outdoor bowls. A strong crosswind, where you can pretty much aim straight at the jack with the crosswind keeping it straight. And also alternating headwind, tailwind with each end and how the much a player has to change the weight.
I play in Australia, lots of outdoor artificial greens, they’re faster in the shade than in full sun. If a building is shading some of the green you can see the effect on your bowl.
Hiya Dan.....I play outdoors in Spain on I believe carpet overlayed on concrete.....the carpet is around 10 years old and plays more like a golf green with it's own idiosyncrasies....very challenging indeed......the carpet is being renewed in March which will hopefully give us a much more consistent surface.....I have only been bowling around 3 months so I am looking forward to testing myself on a more reliable rink!!.....thanks for the information 😊
Another good vid. Is it correct that indoor and outdoor are almost different sports with different seasons? Not the case in Australia but of course speed wise there's much less difference between the two here. Also in Australia there are outdoor synthetics that are a bit like astroturf and they actually run faster when wet or cold. Always been staggered that they haven't caught on in the UK.
Glad you liked the video Cameron. While the concept is naturally the same it can be a very different sport to play 100% The variation in the line tends to means that bowls with more swing are preferred. especially for skips although you can play with something like a Vector VS both indoor and outdoor. The astro turf is something I'm sure will be more prominent in years to come when times come to replace greens. The investment is difficult to justify while the numbers are declining though
Just out of curiosity.. when I google the length of the field the answer comes up as 31m-40m. What is meant by that. Is the field 40m but the playable field 31m. Or are there different field sizes depending on competition types? Or which other variables are there?
No greens are the exact same size if said so. There can be a square inch less or more. Alot of greens in Britain are 30metres and there are alot of greens around 40 too. It's the exact same game but on a different size of green👍🏽
Maybe it’s a difference between uk and nz/aus but our carpets and indoors tend to play quicker when it’s cold, and slower when hotter (humidity =more moisture) Also applies to natural surfaces, greens do become quicker with warmer weather but it isn’t a straight line as you suggest, greens in nz/Aus become too hot and either “sweat” or in extreme cases burn When a green sweats it plays much slower and narrower as the moisture rises from the soil to the surface and increases friction, when all the moisture is gone that is when greens burn which causes cracking and significant damage to the life of the green
I've heard this a few times but the different climate can certainly make a difference and it would be great to dive into a video in itself as to why this is different especially the moisture etc and how that can play a part.
Great video. Also highlighting the differences at a ‘technical’ level I appreciated. I’m just entering the sport so would appreciate a few viewpoints on a newbie’s perspective. I.e. is it preferable to find a club that has both a natural plus artificial green to get exposure to both playing surfaces.
