Lawn Bowls for Fun 2 - Which Bowls to use? 

Thanks very much for the kind words. I really appreciate it.

Thanks Mark. Yes, it is a great game and can be enjoyed at all levels. Let's hope we get back to normal for next season.

Great to hear! Thanks for the feedback.

Thankls.

Have fun! Hope you enjoy the experience.

You are so welcome! Thanks for the kind comments.

Great to hear, thanks. SAnd enjoy your bowls.

That is great. Get advice on what to look for. Size is very important and a set of bowls that is not too wide a bias, or too narrow. Drakes Pride Professional or Taylor Ace are good all round bowls.

Thanks. Appreciate the feedback. Yes, we all get bias wrong sometimes, but not too often hopefully. :)

How can you tell what bias you got thanks

Awesome, thank you! Great to hear from Canada.

Yes, the smaller bowls are becoming more common now, long overdue in my opinion. Glad you enjoy the vids, thanks.

Hi Geoff, Yes, Lignoids are great outdoors but a bit of a challenge indoors, although I do know someone who does use them for both. Professionals are perfect for both in my opinion.

You should, it is a great sport, whether it be for the social side or the bowls, or both!

Good news Stewart, I hope you enjoy the session, let me know how you get on. 👍

My first season has went well now a club champion winning the mens pairs now embracing the indoor game thank you for all your videos really helped me understand the game the rules and etiquette everything from grip, finding the line to knowing my role on a rinks team has helped me massively

Thanks Jules, I am glad you found them helpful. Thanks very much for the comments. 👍

Thanks for the feedback.

Wonderful! Let me know what you buy. And good ;luck with your bowls.

Thanks, glad you enjoy it!

Thanks. Yes, going down a size is better than bowling with something you may struggle to hold onto. I often see players using bowls that are far too big for them, they really struggle, but dropping a size helps a lot.

Thanks Bernard, I am glad you found it useful.

Awesome! Thank you! Let me know how you get on. :)

Thanks Carianoff, that is great. I appreciate the feedback.

Great suggestion! I will do one sometime. Not sure when, but I will do one. Thanks for the idea.

So nice of you, thanks.

Wow, that is a good idea, let me know how you get on.

Hi David, I also have had to pull back on bowls this year due to my elderly father who needed my help. Yes, Stirlings are nice bowls, I know people who use them very effectively. It will be interesting to see how you get on with your bargain set of bowls. If they feel right, you should bowl well with them. Let me know how you get on.

@@LawnBowlsforFun....follow up...The Willie Wood Bowls are really nice but have too wide a bias for indoors..but I wont be getting rid of them...they really are lovely, maybe they will come in handy for outdoors one day?? Looking at the ads/notices down at the local indoor arena, someone was selling a set of 4 sterling slimlines size 3 £25 complete with rolling carry case, Bargain!!...Perfect for me!! I spent a few hours cleaning and polishing them..they came up really nice, so I have been practicing with those, using two jacks and bowling at different lengths..I am really enjoying it...2 hours passes by in no time at all and I am making good progess, Ive really had to work at my grip though, I was hooking the bowl all the time, finally worked out what works best for me..line and weight improves all the time with practice practice practice..I am so sorry to see that you have lost your indoor venue..that is so sad during the winter months..the auzzies appear to have outdoor all weather surfaces..maybe something that we need in this country?? I really like your choice of music for your videos btw...really distrinctive and appropriate for your presentations. Thankyou again for all the effort you have put into your videos..they are really good. 👍👍

Thanks Alan, glad it helped. 👍

Thanks John, glad you found them helpful. Appreciate the feedback.

You're welcome!

Thanks Colin, I appreciate the comment.

Thanks, glad to have helped you. Good luck with your bowls.

Thanks! Glad to help.

I agree, too many players use bowls too big for their hands and struggle. Often when they go down a size it improved their game. I also use size 1 and although I can manage size 2, I find the smaller bowl easier to hold in wet or cold conditions.

Hi Stanly, Bowls are stamped for 10 years, so it was made in 2005. Unless of it was stamped for a second time, but if that was the case you would have two stamps on the bowl, so that is not the case. You can have it re-stamped yourself, but unless you reach the later stages of a National competition you don't need to. Thanks for the comment.

@@LawnBowlsforFun Thank you for your quick response,in my ignorance I thought it was 2015. Thank you for your enlightening videos, they are excellent. I am spreading the word at my club especially the few new members.

Hi Roy. Yes, the bowls you have, although quite old, are fine for all domestic club play and for any district or county competitions. Even in National comps they would be fine in early rounds but if you get to the later stages in Nationals you may have to have them restamped, which is always an option. Enjoy your bowling when you start again. 👍

Hi John, sets of two bowls are for Crown Green bowls which is played mainly in the North of England. For Lawn Bowls you need four bowls, although you won’t always use all four. But for singles and pairs games you will need 4, 3 for triples and 2 for rinks games. 😁

Will do. I have been distracted recently by other things outside bowls, but will do some new vids soon. Thanks.

Hi Gilead, Fineline are a good bowl, narrower line to my own Professionals, but only slightly, not as narrow as Advantage, so a good all round bowl probably suited better to faster greens. I use size 1's now, but did use 4's for many years but found in wet conditions they slipped out my hands to much, so dropped to 2's first then to 1's. I would always advise go a size lower than higher, as you can live with bowls too small, but not with bowls to big for the hand. Have you tried ebay?

Thanks for the tips! I won’t shy away from the smaller sizes then. I’ve been looking on eBay as well. Shipping is always the tricky part, but I’ll see what I can find. Thanks again!

Hi Daniel, DP Professional are good all round bowls for both indoor and outdoors. Aero Groove are very similar, but are more like Thomas Taylor Ace bowls which tend to have less hook at the end, although they are hard to see mush difference. I like the grips on Aero bowls, but that is a very personal thing. To be honest there is not much between them, so it would be good to try all three and just pick the ones that feel right. I use DPP outdoors mainly, but sometimes indoors, I mainly use Aero Defiance indoors which still have enough swing, but less than Grooves. I never use Defiance outdoors, they are too narrow for slow surfaces. I hope this helps.

Hi Parimal, I just checked and found that they both use Taylor bowls, Ian uses Ace's size 5 and Ryan uses Redline SR's size 4. I have owned Ace's and like them, they are a good medium bias bowl for all types of surfaces. Redlines are not sold in the UK so I have never used them. Both are very good players of course.

@@LawnBowlsforFun Thank you kindly for the very prompt reply. So many quality game took place. My favourite matches were single game between Mridul (India) vs Ian McLean, England winning men triple final by one point and Indian ladies winning gold medal very first time. It looks Aero Grooves (Which is very similar to Optima in Australia) too popular bowls among quality players. I use Aero Evolve and so effective playing on shots. I simply love lawn bowling and watching good informative videos like yours. Thank you.

@@parimal3506 yes, some great bowls played. I went last Tuesday and watched 3 games, including the ladies rinks final which India won. Great stuff! 👍

Hi Michael, Wherever you go, they will have sets of bowls for you to try. So don't buy any yet, as you can try several before you decide exactly what size and bias you want. I use bowlswear direct, but bowls world are also good. Where is your nearest indoor bowls centre?

@@LawnBowlsforFun Hi Alex thank you for your quick reply. I will check out those that you recommend. My nearest bowls centre is Eastbourne & District Indoor Bowls Club. Will have to visit the in the near future.

A good question. I used to own Taylor Aces and have tried Blazes as well. They are very similar, the Blaze bowls have a very slightly tighter line, but do hook a bit more at the end, while Aces tend to stay constant. Both can be used indoors and out. I would favour Blazes on a fast or indoor surface myself, but on a slower green would go with Aces. There is very little in it, so do try holding both and see if you prefer one to the other as their grips are slightly different and you may one is more comfortable. Both are very good bowls, so whichever you chose they will serve you well. 😀

Thanks Alec, will take your advice, sounds like Ace would be most suitable. We have really enjoyed and learned a lot from your videos

Both are ideal. Nothing between them to be honest. I use DP Professional, but T2's are very similar and I know plenty of bowlers who use them very affectively. Try both and see what suits you, as I say, both are ideal for leading or playing two, in fact they are good for any position on most greens. On very fast greens they do need a wider line, but not too wide. Both are a good buy.

Hi Steve, See how they go, you may be fine with them. A wide bias just means you need to ensure you take a lot of green, but some prefer to do that anyway. If you struggle then try some that have a narrower line. I used my wider outdoor bowls for a few games last week and did okay with them, but I do better with my narrower line bowls. I still need to take a fair bit of green with them, but not as much as my other bowls, which means they are more forgiving. I have a friend who just does not get on with my narrower bowls, and plays very well with wider ones, so nothing is set in stone, just find what suits you best.

@@LawnBowlsforFun I bought some size 3 classic II. Still quite wide but less of a hook. I have had a few weeks to get my head around them and am bowling much much better with these. I may yet go narrower in time but for now, I’m bowling better and better. Very happy for now😊 Best wishes for Christmas and next year.

Hi, although I have not used crown green bowls and have never been on a crown green, I understand they are slightly different. Firstly, they are slightly heavier, but the main difference is they are in sets of two only, not four. So you cannot use for Lawn Bowls, and visa. Hope this helps.

@@LawnBowlsforFun thank you yes it definitely helps

Hi Geoff, my video at: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ESSmeWckIKE.html will answer that for you. Simply, it's the side of the bowl with the smallest ring/circle, also the side where there is a lot more information like size, model, serial number, date stamp etc. Hope that helps. 👍

Yes, I have seen some of the 000 and 0000s in action now. I did not know Drakes still do 6 and 7's to order, that's good to know, thanks.

Hi Scott, no, there isn’t an indication of bias on bowls but it would be a good idea wouldn't it? It would certainly make things a lot easier. A 'M' used on a bowl is often an indication it is medium weight, although it is mostly located next to the size, so a 2m is size 2 in medium weight. That looks like a serial number to me, although I cannot be sure. Hope this helps.

You're welcome

I have used Almark Slimline, they are a very similar line to my Drakes Pride Professionals, a medium bias. Just a bit slimmer to hold in the hand. I know people who use them and they prefer the slimmer feel. :)

There should be a circle or circles on the sides of the bowls, the smaller circles indicate the bias side. Although you probably know that. I do not know the Eclipse bowls, but it sounds like they have a wide bias which on older bowls is more often the case. The hook at the end can be useful when drawing round blocking bowls. Just practice with them, you will soon get used to what line to take. 😁

Hi Mick, Although I have not bowled with them myself I know plenty of players who have and they are good bowls for any surface from what I have seen. If they work for you, don't change. In. fact it is just a case of what you get used to. I know a guy who uses very wide bowls indoors and out, and bowls very well indeed, so why would he ever change? Enjoy your bowls.

Hi Mark, they are both very good mid bias bowls. I have owned them both and would recommend either for a new bowler. DP Professional (or Pro-50, which have a deeper grip) have a slight swing at the end of their delivery, Taylor Ace (or Ace Xtreme , also with deeper grips) have a more gradual line, but both are fine sets of bowls. Try both if you can, to see if you prefer one over the other.

I have very poor balance myself, so I have problems if I take a step as I lose my balance often. So I use a fixed stance which helps a lot, but ebven then I can lose my balance. Good question though, so I may do a video on the subject. Thanks.

The Profile will be good for indoor or fast greens. On a slow outdoor green you may find them a bit narrow, especially early on in the outdoor season when the greens are slow. By summer things will speed up. Quote from their website "GrooVe, Quantum & Profile can be used for both indoor and Outside bowls".

Hi Samantha, we have purchased some 000 and 0000 sizes now, so we can cater for most ages. We have yet to have someone of that age, so I am not sure if they would be better than junior aces or not, but would hope either would be good. In the past we have borrowed junior aces, from our indoor club but there have yet to be used.

Hi Rae, it depends if you struggle to keep a hold of them. I use 1's but could bowl with larger bowls indoors on carpet, but outdoors if it rains I struggle to keep a grip of anything larger than 1' We don't have Optima in the UK, but I see they are the narrowest set Aero do. I use defiance indoors, which are the next ones up from Optima. They still take a fair amount of green so if you are on a very fast green then you have the right bowls, unless you skip, in which case a wider line may be useful. It depends on you, and what you get used to.

It all depends on each individual. During coaching we include team play, so they get used to it quickly. We then move on to managed roll-ups, where we ensure they play with experienced players, then we encourage them to play friendlies. All of this depends on how well they are doing, the last thing we want to do is put them under pressure if they are not ready. Generally speaking most players are ready for some sort of team play after their four sessions. Roll-ups first, then friendlies, and then leagues. Hope this helps.

No, there is not, but that would be very useful would't it.

True. I know players that hate narrow line bowls, prefering to use wide bias bowls even on a fast surface. It's all a matter of finding what suits you. I do feel that new bowlers tend to struggle more on wide bias bowls, but that is not always the case.

@@LawnBowlsforFun there's to many bowls to pick from that's the issue

Yes, there is a big choice, maybe too big.

Hi Brian and Olive. Nice to talk on he phone last week. Wet bowls are hard to keep hold of. As I mentioned, I find grippo works well for me, as long as I don't put too much on, then it makes it worse.

Hi Julie, That is the 10 year stamp which means it was made in 2023 and is valid for National competitions until 2033. For all domestic play the date is not really required, but they all get stamped anyway. Nice bowls too. I hope you get many years of pleasure from them. Regards Alec

It means they were made in 2023 and are legal for National play until 2033. so new bowls are stamped for 10 years. For domestic play the dates are not important. For latter stages of National games they need to be stamped and not be out of date. They can be re-stamped for another 10 years if they go out of date. Sorry about delay in replying.

Hi Fred, I have not used them myself, but I am sure they are fine but would stick to a narrow bias rather than a wide one. Although I do know new players who bowl well with wide bias bowls it can be harder to get consistency.

Yes, I must do that soon.

Yes, I do see them being used, although not as much as I used to.

Fir domestic play it does not matter. If you get to the latter stages of a National Competition you will be told if you bowls are out of date you cannot use them, but it is easy to have them re-stamped for another 10 years anyway. So unless you become a top player and get through some rounds of Nationals, don't worry about it. :)

@@LawnBowlsforFun Thank you so much appreciated...

I agree, it must feel comfortable to grip and not slip in wet conditions. So if anything, I wold go down a size rather than up. If in doubt, go down.

I am like you, I do okay, but never quite reached the level of some people I know. I think you can get so far, but to reach the top you simply have to play a lot of bowls, a commitment that I could never make. But I am happy with my game, I can take on top players and give them a scare, that suits me fine. :) Enjoyment is what it is all about.

Hi Clarke, yes it is, but in this video I just wanted to concentrate of the types of bowls available. I do cover the grip and bias in video 5. In fact I only cover the cradle grip as it is the easiest for beginners to use, but I will do another soon, covering the claw grip as well. Thanks for the feedback.

Whoops, replied on my other account, sorry about that. :)

Stick with Imperial weights!