7 Lawn Bowls Myths Every New Bowler Should Ignore

Matt Clark
1 day ago
5 min read

If there's one thing I've learnt over the years, it's that lawn bowlers love giving advice.

The funny thing is, most of it comes from a good place. Club members genuinely want to help new players improve and enjoy the game. The problem is that some of those old sayings have been repeated for so many years that they're accepted as fact when they simply aren't.

Every week I speak to bowlers who are frustrated because they're trying their hardest but not seeing results. More often than not, they're not lacking effort – they're following advice that isn't helping them.

Here are seven of the biggest myths I see time and time again.

Myth 1: "Just Roll It Straight Out Of The Hand"

This is probably the one I hear most often.

The problem is that a lawn bowl doesn't travel in a straight line. It's designed not to.

When beginners hear "roll it straight", they often become obsessed with aiming directly at

lawn bowlers discussing technique and strategy during a social game — Lawn Bowlers Discussing Tactics During Training

a point somewhere instead of understanding line, weight and the natural bias of the bowl.

Even worse, they start steering the bowl with their hand or wrist instead of producing a relaxed, repeatable lawn bowls delivery.

Rather than trying to bowl "straight", I'd encourage every new player to focus on producing the same delivery every single time. Consistency is far more important than trying to force the bowl somewhere it doesn't naturally want to go.

Myth 2: "You Need to Copy the Best Player at Your Club"

I've seen this countless times.

A new bowler watches the best player at the club and immediately tries to copy everything they do.

Their stance.

Their grip.

Their routine.

Their delivery.

The reality is that we're all built differently. Different height, different flexibility, different injuries, different balance and different mobility.

There isn't one perfect lawn bowls delivery.

There is only a delivery that is repeatable and works for you.

Some of the best bowlers in the world have completely different actions, yet they all achieve the same thing – consistency.

Myth 3: "More Practice Automatically Makes You Better"

Practice is important.

Good practice is even more important.

Rolling 100 bowls without any purpose isn't necessarily helping your game.

In fact, you might simply be reinforcing bad habits.

I'd rather see someone spend 30 focused minutes working on one specific area than spend three hours simply rolling bowls without a plan.

Every practice session should have a purpose.

Purposeful lawn bowls practice drills will almost always deliver better results than simply rolling bowls for an hour without a plan.

Ask yourself:

What am I trying to improve today?
How will I know if I'm improving?
What does success actually look like?

Small improvements repeated consistently will always beat random practice.

Myth 4: "If You're Missing, Just Change Your Line"

Sometimes that's true.

Sometimes it isn't.

One of the biggest mistakes I see is bowlers changing their aiming point after every bowl without understanding why they missed in the first place.

Was it actually your line?

Or was it:

inconsistent weight?
poor balance?
rushing the delivery?
changing your grip?
lifting your head?

The symptom isn't always the cause.

For example, sometimes the issue isn't your aiming point at all – it's your lawn bowls grip technique and how consistently you're releasing the bowl.

One of the biggest benefits of having another experienced set of eyes watching your delivery is identifying what's really happening rather than simply guessing.

Myth 5: "The Bigger the Bowl, the Better the Player"

I've never believed this.

Some people assume that stronger players automatically use bigger bowls or more aggressive, tighter bowls.

The reality is much simpler.

Your bowls should feel comfortable in your hand.

You should be able to hold them naturally without unnecessary tension.

You should be able to produce the same relaxed release over and over again.

Comfort and repeatability will always beat trying to look like somebody else.

Myth 6: "Good Bowlers Never Change Anything"

The best bowlers I know are constantly learning.

They review their games.

They ask questions.

They try new ideas.

They adapt to different greens and conditions.

What they don't do is make wholesale changes every weekend because one bowl missed the jack.

Improvement isn't about constantly reinventing yourself.

It's about making small adjustments when they're genuinely needed and giving yourself enough time to let those improvements become natural.

Myth 7: "If you've been playing for years, you don't need to change."

This one has always fascinated me.

Professional golfers have coaches.

Elite tennis players have coaches.

Olympic athletes have coaches.

Yet somehow there's still a belief that asking for help in lawn bowls is a sign of weakness.

I couldn't disagree more.

In my experience, the biggest value of coaching isn't somebody telling you what to do.

It's having somebody identify the one thing that's actually holding you back.

I've worked with players who thought their line was the problem when a small change to their lawn bowls stance made all the difference.

Others thought they needed new bowls when all they needed was a small adjustment to their setup.

Sometimes the biggest breakthrough comes from someone seeing what you simply can't see yourself.

Final Thoughts

If there's one message I'd like every new bowler to take away, it's this:

Don't believe everything you hear.

Question it.

Test it.

Find what works for your body, your game and your goals.

There are plenty of ways to play good bowls, and there are plenty of opinions around every club in Australia.

The trick is not collecting as many opinions as possible.

The trick is building a simple, repeatable game that gives you confidence every time you step onto the mat.

Matt's Coaching Tip

One of the biggest mistakes I see isn't poor technique.

It's trying to fix five different things at once.

Choose one area of your game, work on it consistently, and give yourself time to improve before moving on to the next challenge.

There is no use in nailing a bowl every so often and being "content" with it. Look at what you want to achieve next.

Small, deliberate improvements add up surprisingly quickly.

Want Someone to Look at Your Game?

If you're serious about improving, personalised online lawn bowls coaching can often identify issues that are very difficult to spot yourself.

One thing I've learnt over the years is that the problem you think you have often isn't the problem at all.

I've seen bowlers spend months trying to fix their line when the real issue was their stance. Others have blamed their bowls when a small adjustment to their grip or delivery made all the difference.

If you're feeling stuck or simply want another set of experienced eyes on your game, have a look at my coaching options. Sometimes one small change can completely transform your confidence on the green.

Ready to take the guesswork out of your game?

If you'd like personalised feedback on your own delivery, stance or consistency, have a look at my online coaching options and see if they're right for you.

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