Lawn Bowling – Variants

In this chapter, we will discuss the various types of Lawn Bowling played across the world and their format.

Short Mat Bowling

Short mat bowling is a part of lawn bowling, which is played all the time during a year. This game is not affected by any weather conditions and short mat bowls also do not require permanent location because the mats can be rolled up and can be transferred to any other venue. So small communities show interest in this type of a format.

These short mat bowls because of its versatility can be played in hotels, schools, colleges, social clubs, and even in village hills. Short mat bowls is famous in such areas because there is space restriction and this sport is perfect for such locations.

Tra Bowls

Tra means ‘hollow road’. Tra bowling is a game where the rolling path is curved. This game is very famous in Belgium and Netherlands and is also one of the most popular lawn bowling games in all the Scandinavian countries. Other lawn bowling normally has flat or smooth terrain but Tra bowl’s track is completely different which allows the ball to curve in its path greatly. The bowls used in Tra bowling are bigger than the normal bowls. The length, thickness, and the weight of the ball is different from the normal bowling ball as well.

The scoring of Tra Bowling is slightly different from the normal lawn bowling. Here, the points are awarded for every shot which brings the ball closer to the target than any other player’s ball, so pure blocking strategies are less effective.