Basic Lawn Bowling Etiquette

Consideration of other players, the equipment, and the facilities is the basis for the practices which form the accepted behaviours of lawn bowling. Attitudes and actions that are a benefit to the "Flow of the Game" are considered here. While direction given below is definitely not part of the official rules of lawn bowling they are the accepted customs, courtesies, and conventions of play at our club. The following list is phrased in a positive manner with the hope that players will choose to value the interests of others while partaking in lawn bowling.

Lawn Bowling – Customs, Courtesies, & Conventions:

  1. Be sure to place your name tags in the “draw room” at least fifteen minutes prior to the posted start of the game.  This will help to ensure that games will commence on time. 
  2. Smoke in designated smoking areas only.
  3. When in the area of the bowling green, place storage bags and other belongings against the fence out of the path that other players use when moving to and from their rinks.
  4. Start and finish every game with a friendly handshake (or elbow rub, or fist punch, especially in flu season).
  5. Commend all good shots of teammates and opponents alike.
  6. Admit a fluke when you get one (and you will get many).
  7. Be a gracious winner as well as a gracious loser.
  8. When you are the next to bowl keep behind and to right of the person on the mat, remaining quiet and still so that the person will not be distracted. 
  9. On sunny days, especially later in the afternoon, be aware of your shadow, ensuring that it does not fall where it may obstruct the vision of others.
  10. After delivering your bowl and it has come to rest, step forward and to the left of the mat so that you don’t step into the bowls or the path of the next player.  When you rake, leave the bowls two to six feet behind the right corner of the mat – out of view of the person on the mat but still on your rink.
  11. After delivering your bowl, stay on your own rink’s mat area rather than wandering onto an adjacent rink or wandering part way up the rink to observe the bowl’s progress.  You may remain on the mat until your bowl comes to a rest.
  12. Please walk only on the natural grass perimeter when moving to starting positions or returning to the clubhouse.  Walking unnecessarily on the artificial green will cause uneven wear patterns and will ultimately affect the path of the bowls.
  13. Place your bowls gently onto the bowling surface. Dropping bowls will compact the areas around the edge of the green, eventually causing the bowls in that area to keep on running.  
  14. Speak quietly while bowling.  Unnecessary loud talking is distracting to bowlers who are attempting to line up their next shots.  
  15. Please be alert to recognize when it is your turn to bowl.  Be ready bowl in hand, standing behind and to the right of the person bowling ahead of you.  Then step onto the mat as soon as the previous bowl has come to rest.
  16. When you are on the surface of the green whether you are participating as a bowler, skip, or vice skip, try not to inadvertently dislocate bowls or block another bowler’s view of markers used for the purpose of aiming a bowl.
  17. If as a new bowler, you wish to better understand what is happening in the head, you should quietly ask questions of your skip or vice-skip when play for the end is completed rather than during play.

Players wishing to stand behind the head, should stand still quietly observing at least one metre behind their skip or vice-skip.

  1. Skips ensure that there is a common understanding among team members of signs and signals, which will be used during play.
  2. Use hand, arm, or foot signals to communicate with team members at the opposite end of the green.
  3. If you are unfamiliar with the signs or signals used by members of the opposition ask your counterparts to explain what is their understanding.
  4. When on the surface of the green watch for bowls from other rinks, which may pass over your rink as they curve towards their own jack or are deflected following a drive shot.
  5. If your bowl is going to enter an adjacent rink, you should warn the players to avoid any damage to their head. If they stop a bowl before it strikes any of their bowls, the bowl should be returned to you so that you can retake the delivery.
  6. When moving from one end of the rink to the other, walk down the centre of the rink without stopping so as not to interfere with the aiming line of other bowlers.
  7. The people managing the head (skips or vice skips) should only leave their own rink to prevent colliding bowls or the potential disruption of bowls on an adjacent rink by an errant bowl delivered by a member of their own team. They should never stand as an aiming line target on the surface of adjacent rinks.
  8. Be a gracious winner and a respectful loser.
  9. If you have a complaint, communicate it to your skip who will then decide if it needs to be brought to the attention of the other skip or to the umpire.
  10. Only remove rink numbers and boundary markers when all bowlers have completed their games as remaining players may wish to use these markers as guides to aim their bowls.