Aero GrooVe Lawn Bowls Review

4 reasons to buy/NOT buy Aero Groove lawn bowls.

Bottom line

My Verdict

Aero are relatively new to the UK market, but have been a big player in Australia for a number of years. The Groove is the most popular model in the range, and there is good reason for this.

It’s line profile makes it a fantastic all round bowl, ideal for playing indoor and outdoor without sacrificing performance to favour either.

Line outdoors offers enough bias to play most positions without it becoming unmanageable to control indoors. Aero also offers great colour and grip choices which are unique to them.

Line analysis

For comparison for those in the UK, the Groove has a line profile similar to the Taylor Ace.

It’s suitable for middle and back end playing positions on average indoor surfaces, and can easily be played from most outdoor positions – however it may be a tad narrow for skips who like to draw around short bowls, so would lean towards lead/front-end roles.

Aero has designed their models to follow a unique arc trajectory. This “mid point” trajectory bends at the centre point between the mat and jack and is designed to give the most consistent draw arc possible.

The Groove also holds it’s line with minimum weight, which is ideal for yard-on weighted shots as little line compensation should be required to hit the target bowl.

Sizes and Weights

Aero Grooves are available in sizes 00 through 5, including half sizes – which is very rare and is something we’ve only seen done “as standard” by Aero.

Only available in heavyweight.

Grips and colours

Aero offers the widest range of colour options. We are big fans of the gradient and stripped effects. They also offer unique emblem options, with the choice of a standard sized emblem, or in “large”. This large option makes the emblem take up the entirety of the area within the gripped shoulder – and is a very unique look. It’s a bit of a grower and one we have grown fond of!

Three unique grips only available with Aero:

• The Z Scoop (as standard)
• Zig Zag
• Dentations

Z Scoop Grip

The Z Scoop grip is Aero’s unique grip offering. This is a grip embedded within the shoulder of the bowl. A small channel is carved out for the grip pattern to sit in. This means that your fingers will sit slightly within the bowl making it feel smaller. This feeling, paired with Aero’s unique half sizes, means that many bowlers can play with a larger bowl.

The pattern itself isn’t just a generic dimple grip, but a zig zag design. If you are used to the classic grip patterns this may take some getting used to, but we think it’s well worth the effort in adapting.

Zig-Zag Grip

The Zig Zap grip option is the same design for the Z Scoop, but without the shoulder adjustment. This is a great choice for many bowlers, as the embedded shoulders don’t work for everyone.

Dentations Grip

The Dentations Grip is a relatively new design from Aero, and we haven’t seen anything like this from any other manufacturer!

The Dentations Grip consists of three rings of dimple-like grips on each shoulder. We haven;t tried these yet, so we can’t vouch for how they feel in the hand, however Aero say this grip offers great protection from the affects of wind. Again, as we haven’t tried this out we can’t say how much of an impact this might have on your game.

So, in conclusion the Aero Groove is a fantastic model, and one I believe will/should be seen far more often on British greens. We love it’s even draw, as well as the boundry pushing colours and grips. We highly recommend you try these out in person, as they may not be to everyone’s taste, but do give them a good go!