Lawn Bowling
Lawn bowling is a sport that you can participate in from age 10 to 90 or more, if you live that long. It requires a good deal of skill to do it well. Most world champions are in their 20's and 30's, but retired seniors can give them a good game too.
But the nice thing about lawn bowling is that fact that you can participate at any skill level, from casual social games to high profile tournament competitions. Local casual games are played by drawing names to fill the teams, while competitive tournaments are generally made up of named team members.
You can even go to your local green and just practice for an hour or so, by yourself, or with friends, with no additional costs. Lawn Bowling is very inexpensive, far cheaper than golf. Most other sports are more expensive.
Another good point about the sport is that it is not overly physical. People with joint and other physical problems can still lawn bowl at some level. There are bowling aids to help too, such as bowling arms, bowls lifters, etc. Even vision impaired and wheelchair bowling is available in many communities. It is not a cardiac sport, but it does give good exercise, through stretching, bending, and walking. Competitive tournament play is quite demanding, and stamina is required for those types of games.
It is also a social sport. You play on teams of one to four against other similar teams, and several of these games will be going on at the same time. After the games, many players from all the teams, gather for a social hour at the clubhouse. Other, purely social activities, are also held. In winter months where it gets cold, many clubs have some type of carpet bowling in the clubhouses. In the South, lawn bowling is a year-round activity.
Check out the links to the right to find a lawn bowling green close to your home. They all welcome visitors, and will let you try to bowl using club bowls to see if it is something you like. Once you try, you will probably be hooked!
Here is a description of the game and history.
Lawn Bowls Sports Science, Coaching
