How to Choose the Right Bias for Your Lawn Bowls

Every lawn bowl curves as it slows down. That curve is the bias, and after size it’s the biggest decision you make when buying a set. Each maker builds its models to take a narrower or a wider line, so the real question is which line suits you. Here’s how we talk customers through it in the shop.

Narrow, mid or wide: what the words mean

A narrow-bias bowl takes a straighter line to the jack. A wide-bias bowl swings out further and comes back in a bigger arc. A mid-bias bowl sits between the two. If you’d like to know why bowls curve at all, read our beginner’s guide, Why do lawn bowls curve?

Three questions that decide it

1. Where do you play?

The same bowl curves more on an indoor carpet or an all-weather green than it does on grass. The surface is faster, so the bowl travels for longer and its bias has more time to work. That’s why many bowlers choose a narrower bowl for indoors and keep a wider one for slower outdoor greens. On a rink with a ditch alongside, the very widest models can drop into the ditch before the bias brings them back. Our posts on indoor bowls and green speed explain more.

2. Where do you play in the team?

Leads usually bowl to an open jack with nothing in the way, and tend to prefer a narrower bowl they can aim almost straight. Skips often have a crowded head to get round, and tend to prefer a wider bowl that curves in behind the others. If you play in the middle, or enjoy every position, something in between suits best. We call these three types Fittipaldi, Michelangelo and Goldilocks.

3. How long have you been bowling?

In your first season or two you probably won’t have a favourite position yet so you probably won’t have decided on your favourite lawn bowls bias. A mid-bias bowl is the sensible choice: it works indoors and out, in any position, and most club bowlers manage happily with one set of this kind. Whichever you choose, stick with it. Switching between biases between sessions makes it harder to learn your line.

Which bowls are which?

• Narrow: Henselite Tiger TX, Taylor Vector VS, Henselite Tiger II
• Mid: Taylor Blaze, Drakes Pride Pro50, Drakes Pride Professional
• Mid to wide: Taylor Ace, Henselite Tiger EVO
• Wide: Drakes Pride XP, Henselite Classic TRL, Taylor International
• Very wide: Taylor Lignoid, Taylor Legacy

These are how each model plays indoors. Outdoors on grass, each plays a little narrower. See the full comparison table on our new lawn bowls page.

One set or two?

Plenty of bowlers use one set all year. But if your bowls swing too wide indoors, or you struggle to get close on a fast carpet, a second set with a narrower line can make a real difference. A good second-hand set is a lower-cost way to try a different bias.

Talk it through with a coach

The right bias depends on your greens, your position and the bowls you use now, so it’s worth a conversation. Call 020 8362 1780 (weekdays 9am–4pm) or come and see us at 250 Bury Street West, Enfield N9 9LB.

Over to you: are you a narrow, mid or wide bowler, and has that changed since you started? Tell us in the comments below.