HOW TO PACE A RINK
Recently I attended a seminar provided by Dennis and SISIS and was a guest speaker, explaining what a top bowler would hope and expect from an outdoor bowling green.
Although we are well into the indoor season, I thought that this question was timeless and the editor, who was also in attendance, thought it would be good for me to write about it.
Furthermore, I explained in my talk that many clubs do not know the rule has changed regarding the legal width of an outdoor rink. I think clubs are potentially failing to maximize the use of their green because they are not aware of the change in the rule.
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GREEN
What sort of surface do most bowlers look for on an outdoor bowling green in the UK?
It is a bit of a hypothetical question and different people will have particular preferences, and you must remember that you will NEVER please every bowler! That said, I believe that the majority of bowlers would look for a good, even paced green, running at around 12 seconds outdoors.
If the greenkeeper can get it faster then that is good greenkeeping on his part.
TESTING THE SPEED
A lot of clubs donโt bother to test the speed of a game before a big game because they donโt believe it to be of any importance, but to the good bowlers, it is a very important factor to their play! The proper procedure to find the pace of the green is to place the mat and put the jack 27 yards from the front of the mat. Using a stopwatch, the moment the bowl has left the playerโs hand and touches the green, you should start the timer and stop the stopwatch when the bowls stops rolling when it is a few inches from the jack. Your stopwatch will then indicate how long it took that bowl to travel 27 yards and that is your green speed.
SLOW GREENS
If a green is running at less than 10 seconds then that means that you really are having to push the bowls very hard to reach, especially on long jacks. If the green is heavy then it can make your delivery inconsistent. For example, it can result in a jerky delivery, not grounding the bowl properly, snatching, hooking, and slipping on the mat on the point of delivery if your shoes are worn on the soles and have no grip left of them.
And not a lot of people know thatโฆ
In the last couple of years or so, rink sizes have now changed. Rinks outdoors do not need to be set at 18 feet anymore. Rinks can now be set at 4.8 metres, which equated to six inches under 16 feet. It is probably easier to set the rinks at 16 feet and that makes sure you are definitely legal. Setting the rinks at 16 feet gives you more leeway for adjustment on your green to set up an extra rink if you have a busy club. The game has changed: Modern bowls donโt draw as much nowadays, so why do we have to have such wide rinks for play? I think it has been a good change but a lot of clubs I visit to play in competitions still donโt know that there has been a change in rink sizes when you mention it to them. As an aside, bowlers never forget a bad rink. By changing the width of the rink regularly, this could help change the lines favourably.
Ironically, indoors, they use different width measurements, and the minimum width is 15 feet, which is narrower than outdoor. Youโre going to and outside of the strings all the time indoor whereas you wonโt even go near the strings outdoor on a centred jack.
