Neither the bowl or the game should be confused with indoor lane bowling. The game is played on a "rink" that is about 14 feet wide and 120 feet long. The rink is made of the finest "close-cut" grass that is as level as a table.
The Lawn Bowl, known as bowl for short, is only 5 inches in diameter and weigns only three (3) pounds. No pins are used. The target is a small white ball that looks like a billiard ball and is called the "Jack".
The object of the game is to roll the bowl smoothly on the grass from one end of the rink so that it will stop as close as possible to the Jack which has been centered at the far end of the rink.
The bowl is made of plastic and is formed so that it will not roll in a straight line. It has a natural curve that is from three to ten feet. This curve is referred to at the "draw".
It is not necessary to hit the jack - just come close. As many of your bowls or your team's bowls that ar closer to the Jack than your opponent's closest bowl are the ones that count; each scoring a point.
The game may be played as singles (one against one), pairs (two against two), or triples (three against three). Teams can be comprised of women, men, or mixed. In singles and pairs each player rolls four bowls in turn. In triples, each player rolls three bowls in turn.
The game lasts about two hours and requires a mile of walking. A game consists of a predetermined number of "Ends" = delivery of all bowls from one end of the rink to the other by all players. After the score is taken and recorded, the bowls are gathered and a new end starts.