A Leads as Greens Steward

Greens stewardship is taking a responsibility for the greens condition and maintenance as a club member or lawn bowls player. It does not mean becoming a Greens keeper but being aware of the damage and protection you as lead can do.

 In these blogs I was attempt to be short and tackle only one suggestion of stewardship..  Each club member or game position has certain responsibilities, whether delegated by rule, by the skip or by individual efforts to improve and do what is right.

 



Greens protection with good delivery and bowling step (photo
 http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/lawn-bowling.html )

When the lead places the mat does each mat placement give  a good receiving area for the Bowls? Receiving area ?.  Each bowler has a different style of delivery and where his bowl is layed down onto the green is his "Receiving area". Never place a mat where the debits of previous end are the same area where new debits, if created by error, will be created  



Does a Drive or long Step require a bouncing Bowl ?

 Coaching will teach a new bowler to step into his line of delivery and delivery across the center line.   Usually suggesting the bowl should come to the green at the center line. Over time as new bowlers become long time members their style of delivery changes and the receiving area become further from the mat or from the center line.  A team of three players may have three different receiving area. 

 

If the mat always placed at the same place, on the mat line and center line, certainly after a 12 end game there may be debits or damage to the greens. Even the best bowlers will make debits. Taught to lay the bowl down lightly onto the green, many coaches forget that the front foot while doing the step arrives on the green and digs in to stop the body's forward movement.

 

Although the forward movement of the mat is considered a decision of the skip, most skips will place very little importance on a small forward movement of the mat if it results in  good receiving area for the team members.

 

Several years past, I was playing pairs with Scott as skip and Richard, as the opponent team skip.  Both skips are club green keepers at their club.   I left the debits of the previous ends directly in the receiving area, and to my surprise, Richard's delivery did not  faultier while Scott, my skip, just freaked. His bowls were every where on that end.
 

 

Why ??  I was just beginning to understand the duties of the lead and  I learned that by studing the deliveryreceiving area, we also identify if the bowler is left or right handed.  Here, the debits were made the opponent lead who was right handed as was my skip, Scott. On the other hand, (punt) I am lefthanded as was Richard the opponent skip, having no worry about those debits.

Are you a Alley bowler during the off-season of lawn bowls? Why ?  Because there is a different style of bowling  for alley bowling and often new lawn bowlers may find that they have that "swing around your body" bowling alley style delivery. 

If this is the case, there is always a pivot on the mat which will cause damage under the mat. Another raison to change the mats position a few feet.

 

Even without any errors in delivery, the damage from all 6 bowlers on the same mat every end can be seen when the game is finished..  Also remember, when the Greens Keeper makes a shorter cut for a faster green, these conservation action of the lead and others is more important as we will see faster, the damages to the green under the mat.