What Weight Lawn Bowls Do I Need? | A Complete Guide

Getting a set of bowls is the most expensive task you will have to undertake as a lawn bowler. So it’s important you get the right set.

Many bowlers spend most of their time focusing on the make and model to make sure the bias is right for them, but things get a little bit more complicated when you aren’t sure what size and weight you need.

In this guide I will be focusing on selecting the right weight of lawn bowl.

Size and weight. Are they the same thing?

Whilst lawn bowls do get heavier as the sizes increase, you can also get different weight options within the same size.

I like to consider this to be 2 separate decisions. First, you select the size of lawn bowl – you can see my guide on how to select the right size for you – and then secondly you select the weight of the bowl.

Size should always be your first choice, as nothing should prevent you from holding and delivering the bowl.

What are the different weights?

There are 2 different weights, medium and heavy.

Whilst its assumed that medium is the “normal” size, with heavy being the additional option – its actually the other way around.

As standard lawn bowls are sold in a heavy weight, with medium being the lighter choice.

Which weight is best for you

As a rule of thumb, heavy is always the way to go. It is rare that you would want to go for a lighter bowl, as it is an advantage to have the heaviest bowl possible.

I would only recommend a medium if you can comfortably hold a bowl, but struggle with holding your wrist in a comfortable position.

Pretty much all brands have dropped the medium option from new sets of bowls due to the lack of demand, however, you can get great quality medium bowls on second hand marketplaces such as eBay.

You can read my full guide on “medium vs heavy” to find out more.

How to tell the weight of a bowl

So, you already have a set of bowls, or maybe you are looking at buying a second hand set – how do you know what weight that lawn bowl is?

The initial of the weight of a lawn bowl is stamped onto it alongside the size. In the example below you can see “3H”. This shows this bowl is a size 3 heavy bowl.

This stamp is located on the same size as the “World Bowls” stamp. You can find out more about what the stamp on a lawn bowl means in my guide.

Conclusion

As a rule, you should always get a heavy weight bowl. So long as the bowl is the correct size, you shouldn’t think any further than that.

If you are unsure of the weight of a bowl, check the size stamp on the bowl.