Lawn Bowling or lawn bowls is a sport that goes back to at least the 13th century. Players roll a “bowl” similar to a ball down a field usually of grass, carpet or synthetic turf called a “bowling green” attempting to have their bowls closer to a small white ball called a “jack” than their opponents Bowls look like wooden balls but they are not completely round. Each bowl has a bias on one side which causes the bowl to curve or curl in the direction of the bias as the bowl decelerates down the green creating a beautiful arcing path across the green. The sport is relaxing, entertaining and endlessly engaging.
Bowls is a variant of the boules games (Italian – bocce). It has been played since anciant times. The Greeks recorded throwing objects such as flat stones, coins and later stone balls as far as possible towards a target. This aspect of throwing round objects or boules at a target was also recorded in ancient Rome. A Roman sepulchre in Florence depicts people playing this game, stooping down to measure the point.
The Southampton Old Bowling Green in England was established in 1299 and is the world’s oldest surviving lawn bowling green. The home of the modern version originated in Scotland where the rules were standardized. The invention of the lawnmower in 1830 allowed for a perfectly flat, closely cropped greens transforming the game from an uneven past time into a precise sport.
Lawn bowling was introduced in the United States in the 1600s. George Washington had a bowling green built at Mount Vernon. It lost popularity during the American Revolution but was revived by Scottish immigrants in the early 19th Century. Lawn bowling first made an appearance in the Commonwealth Games in 1930 and has been played at every one of the Games except 1966. Lawn bowling is now played in over 50 coutries including the United States. Competitive tournaments are held at the Commonwealth Games and World Games. Internationally the sport is governed by World Bowls. It is not yet played at the Olympic Games. There is an active campaign to bring the sport to the 2032 Brisbane Games.
