Learning about Lawn Bowling (or...how I was "bowl"ed over in Hermosa Beach)

Autumn is a season of change for the weather outside and for our family inside.  I find myself getting excited for cooler weather, the upcoming holiday season and football...lots and lots of football.  However, fall also means changes to Nick's schedule, which means I don't see him quite as much as I do in the summertime.

Last year, to make up for the added hours I had to myself, I occupied my time with a lot of food based activities - most of them centered around National Day Holidays  (Candy Corn Day,  Cake Decorating Day, Apple Betty Day, and Spicy Hermit Cookie Day - just to name a few...) .
Mmmm...autumn 2015 was such a tasty season!!

However, as the effects of this particular experiment led me to join a new gym (more on that later...), I realize this year I need to work my way out of the kitchen before find myself working my way into larger sized clothing.  I also want to make sure I make the most of the time that Nick and I do have to spend together.  It's time to get out and explore.

So out into the wide open world we go, looking for new non-food adventures...starting at the Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club.

Lawn bowling???.....you say.  What in the heck is Lawn Bowling??

Well....let me tell you a little bit about it!

Lawn bowling is similar to bocce, shuffleboard, or curling (without the ice and brooms). You roll balls towards a target in the hopes of getting closest to the mark in order to score points. Most points wins. The main difference between bocce and lawn bowling is that in bocce the balls roll straight, whereas lawn bowling balls (called Woods) are biased (meaning they have a heavier, wider side and a leaner side), so they curve as they roll along.

The Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club has been rolling along since 1935, when then-Mayor John Clark had a green installed (on his own dime), and started the club.

The club boasts quite a few awards and trophies from years past and present.  Club members compete in tournaments with other lawn bowling clubs in the area (Long Beach, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Laguna Niguel to name a few).  They've even sent members to represent the US in the World Championships of Lawn Bowling!

Now, forget what impressions you may have about Lawn Bowling being an exclusive, upper crust type of game.  Clubs are open to anyone who wants to learn, and the game itself is quite down to earth, with minimal costs and equipment needed.  Fees at the HB Lawn Bowling Club cost less than a latte a week!  Our initial visit cost nothing and the lesson was free (I just dropped a note to the club ahead of time to make sure we were OK to pop in).

Everyone at the HB club was very warm and welcoming - especially our instructor, Mo, who was more than happy to show us the ropes of the game.

Awesome instructor Mo

Lawn bowling is played on the bowling green (grass, or a grass-like surface) and is divided up into rectangular areas called Rinks.  As I mentioned earlier, the lawn bowling balls are called woods (or bowls) - which is what you roll towards the opposite end of the rink in order to score points.  Woods are sized to fit your hands and come in different weights - so you have options when it comes to selecting which ones to use.  The other equipment used is the Mat and the Jack.

Now, I'll be honest with you...I don't have a whole lot of luck playing games that involve balls rolling around on grass.  The last time I was out on any type of green was the first (and very last) time I attempted to play golf.  And let's just summarize that event by saying the day ended badly for the golf clubs (which are probably still rusting away at the bottom of the water hazard at the El Dorado Country Club). But as I watched people laughing and talking as they bowled, and saw how relaxed and mellow the play of game was, I figured I could handle this with minimal risk of losing my composure.

Plus, no water hazards on the rink.  The game is already safer for all people (and equipment) involved.

Begin by placing the mat on the rink - centered at one end - and  rolling out the Jack (which looks just like a cue ball in billiards) to the other end.  The jack serves as the target that you then roll your wood towards.  And just like horseshoes, closest to the jack gets the point.

Lawn bowling is relatively easy to learn - but it does require a bit of skill. First, keeping in mind that the wood rolls on a bias and not straight, you have to mentally plan the path you want the wood to take.  The direction in which the bowl veers depends on how you hold it in your hand.  Imagine a huge banana-shaped arc on the ground, and that's about how the wood rolls.  "Little to the middle" (meaning you hold the smaller side of the wood closest to you in your palm) will roll the wood inwards right to left; while holding the wider side in veers the arc left to right.  Then, with the wood in your hand and a path in mind, you have to consider how far you want to swing your arm back before going forward and releasing the wood to gently roll down the green towards the jack.  Too much "torque" in your swing and the wood can roll past the jack and out of bounds; not enough torque may not get you close enough to the jack at all.

There are a lot of variables when it comes to releasing the wood onto the green.  Like golf, small imperfections in the grass will affect where the wood rolls.  As with regular bowling, twist your hand a slight centimeter upon release and the wood will travel completely off the path you intended.  Be mindful of your stance and body position.  Make sure you follow through.  Each of these components adds up to total where the wood comes to rest on the green.

Now, did I also mention you also have to have a little strategy in order to win?  Similar to curling, you can bump your opponent's woods out of the way with yours in your effort to reach the jack - but be careful, bumping a wood in the wrong direction may send it into the jack, sending it rolling away from all your previously hard work!

Once everyone has rolled all of their woods towards the jack, the points are tallied.  This completes an "end".  The next end then starts the same way - roll the jack, roll your woods, tally points, start again rolling towards the other side again.

This is me, closest to the jack on this end

Typically, you go through about 14 ends in a game - which takes close to 2 hours to complete (which may seem like a long time, but it really did go by quite quickly).  I think we managed to make our way through 10 ends with a final score of 3-Gina, 3-Mo and 4-Nick.

(I think Mo took it easy on us newbies)

But can I tell you just how much fun we had???

There was something very relaxing about being outside, soaking up some lovely morning sun, gently rolling woods along the green.  Unlike golf, since your target is closer than a mile's walk away, you have a bit more control over where your bowl winds up and less chance of screaming and cursing the day the game was invented.  The pace of the game is brisk, but unhurried.  and although it's not an intense workout, I still felt a little fatigued (and starving!) by the end of the game.  And as I mentioned before, everyone was so very friendly - making sure to tell us that they're always looking to add more members to their team.

So if you're looking for a fun, easy way to spend a beautiful morning outside, check out Lawn Bowling in your area.  All you need are flat bottom shoes, a bottle of water, some sunscreen, and an awesome instructor named Mo.

OK...I can't guarantee that you'll end up with Mo, but you'll still have a good time and you'll get to spend quality time with someone you like.

And in the end, isn't that what really matters anyway?



**The Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club meets Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.  To find more about them, visit their website HERE