Things People Do : Lawn Bowling: Laid-Back Competition for Young, Old Alike

Rancho Bernardo’s Jack Williams calls lawn bowling his “competitive outlet.”

When Williams, a Naval Academy graduate, retired as a Marine general 19 years ago, he looked to sports to occupy his extra time. But when back problems forced him to give up tennis and golf 10 years ago, he found lawn bowling could satisfy his competitive nature but wasn’t as strenuous.

“You get used to competing,” Williams said. “Tennis was my game, but I can’t compete at the national level.”

He has done so in lawn bowling, though. Williams is vice president of the American Lawn Bowlers Assn., which has about 5,000 members. There is also the American Women Lawn Bowlers Assn. with about 2,000 members.

In 1988, Williams traveled to Australia for the Bicentennial Invitational as manager (who serves as an alternate) for the U.S. team. He is now a member of the committee that selects teams for international competition.

Lawn bowling is an English sport and popular in British Commonwealth countries. In Australia, Williams experienced a sport that is different, played on a much larger scale, than it is here. In the Commonwealth countries, lawn bowling is dominated by young players, usually in their 20s and 30s. Williams said that through corporate sponsors, television endorsements and tournament winnings, a lawn bowler there can earn about the same as an average American minor league baseball player.

But in the United States, the older crowd keeps lawn bowling alive. One attraction is that anyone can play it.

“It’s the only competitive sport I know that you can play from 8 years old to death,” said Robert Marsh, president of the San Diego Lawn Bowling Club. “We have men in their late 90s and some that didn’t start playing until they were 70. There’s even some who have had a stroke and still play.”

Many lawn bowlers are people who have given up other sports for various reasons. Marsh said his club has two members who switched from pin bowling. Others were not sports participants until they discovered lawn bowling.

The San Diego club has 125 active members ranging in age from 28 to 90. Marsh said most who practice regularly (three or four times a week) are retired. The club has practice games every afternoon except Monday. Bowlers draw names for partners, and Marsh said this is helpful to novices who improve by playing with more experienced players.

The sport seems relatively easy. There are two sides, made up of one to four players. The object is to get as many bowls closer to the white jack than your opponent. But there’s a catch. The bowl isn’t round. It is heavier on one end so instead of rolling in a straight line it curves either inward or outward depending on how it is rolled.

After each person on each side has bowled, the “end” is completed. After scoring, the teams move to the opposite sides of the green and bowl in the opposite direction. Usually, 12 to 14 ends are bowled in a game lasting about two hours.

One point is given to the side that has a bowl closest to the jack and an additional point for each bowl that’s closer than the opponent’s closest bowl. After all the ends have been played, the points are totaled and the team with the most wins.

In tournaments, umpires are sometimes called upon to decide measurement disagreements. Williams, a national umpire, has sometimes been called out of his own game for a measurement, then returned to where he left off.

More experienced players add strategy, directing the bowl around their opponent’s to get closer to the jack. It’s OK to hit the jack but may not be to a team’s advantage.

“The game is very laid back, but it can be so exasperating,” Marsh said. “There can be little difference between a good bowl and a bad bowl.”

Marsh began bowling after he moved to San Diego from Colorado 10 years ago. He needed a hobby, and living near Balboa Park gave him the opportunity to see the bowlers in action.

“I didn’t like golf, and the ocean’s too cold,” Marsh said. “I watched these people a couple of days and asked how to get in the club.”

He took the three free lessons new lawn bowlers are entitled to, then paid his yearly dues of $50, rented a locker for $7 (a year) and bought a set of used bowls for $50.

AREA LAWN BOWLING CLUBS San Diego Lawn Bowling Club--Balboa Park near the Laurel Street bridge. Open to the public. Bowl every day except Monday. For information, call 237-9657.

Rancho Bernardo Lawn Bowling Club--16789 Rancho Oaks Drive. Open to the public. Bowl every day except Sunday. For information, call 487-4058.

Oaks North Bowls Club--Located in the Oaks North community of Rancho Bernardo, open to Oaks North residents only. Bowling every day except Monday. For information, call 487-0120.

Escondido Lawn Bowling Club--A private club located on the property of Dr. Edgar Haley. There is a waiting list for membership.

ATTIRE

Except at Oaks North, bowlers can usually wear casual clothes, but all white is required on weekends, Holidays and in tournaments. Oaks North requires white daily. Flat shoes with few or no ridges must be worn at each facility to protect the grass.