Of all the skills in lawn bowls, weight control — the ability to deliver the bowl with precisely the right amount of force — is the one that separates good players from great ones. Line can be practised mechanically through repetition. Weight requires feel, judgement and a deep understanding of how the green is playing. This guide explains exactly how to develop it.
Weight refers to the force applied to the bowl during delivery. The weight you use determines how far the bowl travels and how much the bias effect influences its path. Too much weight and the bowl runs through the head; too little and it dies short. The right weight leaves the bowl exactly where you intended.
Unlike line — which can be corrected by adjusting your aiming point — incorrect weight is much harder to compensate for. A bowl with good line but wrong weight is almost never in the right position. This is why experienced players consistently say weight control is the most important skill in bowls.
Weight and line are inseparable. As weight increases, the bias effect diminishes — the bowl travels faster and curves less. As weight decreases, the bowl travels more slowly and the bias effect increases, producing a wider arc.
This means that if you increase your weight to reach a longer jack, you must also adjust your aiming line — because your bowl will curve less on its way down. Similarly, reducing weight for a short jack means aiming wider to account for the increased bias effect. Players who understand this relationship make their weight and line adjustments simultaneously.
The most reliable weight control method is regulating your backswing height. Higher backswing = more weight. Lower backswing = less weight. This method is preferred over grip-adjustment or wrist-speed adjustment because the backswing is a large, visible movement that you can consciously control and consistently replicate.
To use this method effectively, you need to know your "base" backswing height — the swing that produces your standard draw weight on a medium-paced green. From this base, you raise or lower your backswing to adjust weight for different jack lengths and green speeds.
Some players regulate weight by adjusting the length of their forward step rather than (or in addition to) their backswing. A longer step generates more momentum; a shorter step reduces it. This is a secondary method that many players use in combination with backswing adjustment.
Tightening or loosening your grip to change weight is the least reliable method of weight control. Grip changes affect not just weight but the smoothness of release, the rotation of the bowl and ultimately your line. Avoid grip adjustment as a weight control mechanism — stick to backswing height.
Place three jacks at short (roughly 20m), medium (28m) and long (35m) distances on the same rink. Bowl to each jack in sequence without changing your aiming line — only adjust your backswing height. The objective is to leave a bowl within half a metre of each jack consistently. This drill directly trains your backswing calibration and develops feel for three distinct weight zones.
Bowl six consecutive deliveries to the same jack with the explicit goal of matching weight exactly on every delivery. Do not worry about line — focus only on matching the weight of your first bowl. After the sixth delivery, measure how much variation there is in distance. A tight group indicates good weight consistency; a spread group shows inconsistent backswing control.
Before your first delivery on a new green, watch how other bowls are behaving. Specifically:
Experienced players use the trial end systematically — bowling to two different lengths on both forehand and backhand specifically to calibrate their weight control before the match begins. Treat the trial end as data collection, not a warm-up.
Weight is not just about drawing — it is a tactical weapon. The ability to consistently control weight at multiple levels gives you access to the full range of shots:
Players with poor weight control can really only draw. Players with excellent weight control have four or five shots available on every delivery, giving them a significant tactical advantage throughout every match.