How to Read a Lawn Bowls Head: Make Better Decisions Every End

A good lawn bowls delivery is important, but it is only one part of becoming a better player.

Once you can deliver the bowl with reasonable consistency, your next major improvement often comes from making better decisions. That means recognising what is happening around the jack, understanding the risks and choosing the shot that gives

your team the best chance of success.

Learning how to read a lawn bowls head helps you avoid low-percentage shots, protect good positions and recognise opportunities that less experienced players may overlook.

It is not just a skill for skips. Leads, seconds and thirds can all benefit from understanding the head because it improves your awareness, communication and overall lawn bowls strategy.

What Does “Reading the Head” Mean?

The head is the arrangement of bowls around the jack during an end.

Reading the head means looking beyond which bowl is currently holding shot. You are assessing the complete situation, including:

• Which team is holding shot.

• How many shots may be counting.

• Where the danger bowls are positioned.

• Which bowls could become useful later.

• What shot your opponent is likely to play next.

• What could happen if the jack or another bowl moves.

• How many bowls each team still has to play.

A player who only looks at the closest bowl may miss everything else happening in the head.

For example, you may be holding one shot, but your opponent might have three bowls positioned just behind the jack. If the jack is moved backwards, the end could change immediately.

Good shot selection begins with understanding not only what is happening now, but also what could happen next.

Start With the Score and Match Situation

Before deciding what shot to play, consider the broader match situation.

Ask yourself:

• What is the current score?

• How many ends remain?

• Are we ahead or behind?

• Do we need to attack?

• Is keeping the score small more important than trying to win the end?

• Would one safe bowl be enough?

The best shot when you are leading by eight with two ends remaining may be very different from the best shot when you need three shots on the final end.

There are times when protecting a one-shot advantage is the sensible option. At other times, your team may need to take a calculated risk.

That is why lawn bowls strategy cannot be separated from the scoreboard. The head tells you what shots are available, while the match situation helps determine which option is best.

Establish Who Is Holding Shot

The first task is to identify which team currently has the closest bowl.

Do not assume the result based only on how the head looks from the mat. Distances can be deceptive, particularly when bowls are positioned on different angles around the jack.

Once you have established who is holding shot, consider the likely count.

If your team is holding:

• How secure is that bowl?

• Could it easily be removed?

• Is there room to add another?

• Should you protect it?

• Is your opponent likely to attack it?

If your opponent is holding:

• Can you draw inside it?

• Is there a receiving bowl nearby?

• Can the jack be moved towards your bowls?

• Would reducing the count be a good result?

• Is an attacking shot justified?

You do not always need to win the end with your next bowl. Sometimes turning a potential loss of four into a loss of one is an excellent result.

Identify the Danger

The closest opposition bowl is not always the biggest danger.

A bowl behind the jack may become extremely valuable if the jack is trailed or moved. A short bowl may block the ideal drawing line. A wide bowl may provide an excellent target for a controlled weighted shot.

When reading the head, look for:

• Opposition bowls immediately behind the jack.

• Bowls that could receive the jack.

• Bowls that block your preferred hand.

• Bowls that could be promoted into the count.

• Gaps that allow access to the jack.

• Clusters that could produce an unpredictable result.

This is where many players make mistakes. They focus entirely on removing the current shot bowl without considering what might happen after contact.

Before playing any weighted shot, ask:

If I make contact, where are the bowl and jack most likely to finish?

The aim is not merely to hit something. The aim is to improve the situation for your team.

Look for Opportunity, Not Just Danger

Reading the head also means recognising opportunities.

You may already have bowls in useful positions that are not currently counting. These could become valuable if you move the jack, rest an opposition bowl or create a small disturbance in the head.

Look for:

• Your own bowls behind the jack.

• A bowl that could be promoted.

• A gap that allows a controlled draw.

• A resting bowl that creates a larger target.

• A chance to move the jack towards your team’s bowls.

• An opportunity to block your opponent’s preferred route.

Not every useful bowl needs to finish beside the jack. A bowl can contribute to the end by becoming a blocker, covering a dangerous position or creating a target for a later shot.

This is why thinking one or two bowls ahead is so important.

Choose the Percentage Shot

The percentage shot is usually the option that offers the best combination of reward and reasonable execution.

It is not necessarily the most spectacular shot available.

Suppose your opponent is holding two shots. You may have three possible choices:

1. Draw perfectly to win the end.

2. Draw close enough to reduce the count to one.

3. Play a difficult drive that could remove both opposition bowls but might also disturb your own position.

The first option may provide the greatest reward, but its difficulty depends on the available line and your confidence on that hand.

The second option may be easier and could prevent significant scoreboard damage.

The third option may be appropriate if the match situation demands an aggressive result, but it may be unnecessary early in the game.

Choosing the percentage shot requires honesty about your own ability. A shot is only a strong tactical choice if you have a realistic chance of executing it.

Reliable technique gives you more options, which is why developing a consistent lawn bowls delivery remains so important. Better execution allows you to turn good tactical decisions into successful outcomes.

Think About the Next Bowl

Strong players do not only ask:

What happens if I play this shot well?

They also ask:

What will my opponent be able to do afterwards?

A bowl that finishes close to the jack may still leave your opponent an easy target.

Another bowl positioned slightly further away may protect the head and make the next shot much more difficult.

Consider whether your bowl could:

• Block the easiest drawing line.

• Cover the jack against a trail.

• Prevent an opposition bowl from being promoted.

• Force your opponent onto their less-preferred hand.

• Create a useful position for your team’s next bowl.

• Reduce the opponent’s attacking options.

Thinking ahead does not mean trying to predict every possible outcome. It means considering the most likely response and avoiding shots that make life unnecessarily easy for the opposition.

Understand the Main Shot Options

When reading the head, you will usually be choosing between several broad shot types.

The draw

The draw is often the highest-percentage option when there is a clear path to the jack or the shot bowl.

It may be used to:

• Win the end.

• Reduce the opposition’s count.

• Add another shot.

• Place a bowl in a useful tactical position.

• Create a blocker.

Good drawing depends heavily on line, weight and confidence. Players can develop these areas through purposeful lawn bowls practice drills rather than simply rolling bowls without a clear objective.

The resting shot

A resting shot aims to finish against another bowl, using it as a target or support.

The target bowl can make the shot slightly more forgiving because your bowl does not always need to stop in open space beside the jack.

However, you should still consider what happens if you make contact with too much weight.

The trail

A trail attempts to move the jack a controlled distance with the bowl continuing close to it.

This can be a very effective option when your team has bowls positioned behind the jack.

Before attempting the shot, assess what lies beyond the target. Moving the jack without considering the receiving position can turn a good head into a bad one.

The controlled weighted shot

A controlled weighted bowl may be used to remove, move or disturb a target without the speed of a full drive.

It often provides a larger margin for error than an all-out attacking shot and may allow your bowl to remain in play.

The drive

A drive can dramatically change an end, but it also carries greater risk.

It is usually most appropriate when:

• The head is heavily against you.

• Drawing options are blocked.

• The match situation requires an aggressive result.

• The target is clearly visible.

• The potential reward justifies the risk.

The drive should not be treated as an automatic response whenever the opposition is holding several shots. Always consider whether a draw, trail or controlled weighted shot offers a safer solution.

Read the Head According to Your Position

Although the skip usually directs the team, every player benefits from understanding the purpose of each bowl.

Leads

A lead should recognise the importance of building the head rather than simply trying to touch the jack with every bowl.

A useful lead bowl may finish slightly behind the jack, providing support if the jack moves later in the end.

Seconds

A second often needs to respond to the early shape of the head. This may involve drawing another shot, covering the back or correcting an unfavourable position.

Understanding why a particular shot has been requested helps the second deliver it with greater confidence.

Thirds

Thirds frequently play important conversion shots and need to communicate clearly with the skip.

They should be able to assess distances, identify shot bowls and explain what is available without overcomplicating the message.

Skips

The skip must consider both the immediate shot and the likely direction of the entire end.

A good skip balances attack and defence, understands the strengths of each player and avoids asking for low-percentage shots simply because they look impressive.

Common Mistakes When Reading the Head

Looking only at the jack

The bowls behind, beside and in front of the jack may be just as important as the current shot bowl.

Ignoring bowls at the back

Back bowls frequently decide the result when the jack is moved.

Attacking too early

A difficult weighted shot may not be necessary when plenty of bowls remain.

Playing for perfection

Sometimes reducing the opposition’s count is a better result than attempting an extremely difficult shot to win the end.

Forgetting the scoreboard

The right shot depends on the stage of the match and what your team needs.

Choosing a shot you cannot execute consistently

Sound strategy still requires realistic self-assessment. If your delivery is unreliable, start by correcting the causes of an inconsistent lawn bowls delivery and build your shot range gradually.

How to Practise Reading the Head

Reading the head improves through deliberate practice.

One useful method is to pause during practice matches and ask:

• Who is holding shot?

• What is the likely count?

• Where is the main danger?

• What are the three realistic shot options?

• Which option offers the highest percentage?

• What would the opponent probably play next?

You can also create practice heads and photograph them from the mat. Review each image afterwards and consider different possibilities.

Try changing the match situation as part of the exercise:

• Your team is five shots ahead.

• Your team needs three on the final end.

• Your opponent is holding four.

• You have only one bowl remaining.

• Both teams still have several bowls to play.

The same head can require a completely different decision depending on the scoreboard and number of bowls remaining.

Newer players should first become comfortable with the basic rules, delivery and structure of the game through a reliable lawn bowls for beginners guide. Once those foundations are in place, tactical decisions become much easier to understand.

Better Decisions Create Better Results

Learning how to read a lawn bowls head does not mean you will always choose the perfect shot.

Every bowl changes the situation, and even the best tactical decision can be affected by execution, green conditions or an unexpected result.

The goal is to make decisions with a clear purpose.

Before stepping onto the mat, know:

• What you are trying to achieve.

• What the main danger is.

• Where the best result will leave your bowl.

• What the opponent may do next.

• Whether the risk suits the match situation.

That is the difference between simply delivering a bowl and playing the game with genuine tactical awareness.

As your technique improves, continue developing your ability to assess the head and choose the percentage shot. When good delivery and smart decision-making come together, you give yourself and your team a much better chance of succeeding.

For personalised help with your technique, shot selection and game development, explore my online lawn bowls coaching plans.