Let's face it, most of the time when we're talking about sports, we're talking about speed -- whether it's with a motorized conveyance or an athletic event where rippling muscles and tendons come together for brief bursts of acceleration. 

If you'd like to try something that requires decorum and slow-speed skills, it's lawn bowling!

While you don't have to be a spring chicken to play bowls, you do need to be spry!

Wearing formal whites is part of the game, but the bonus is good sportsmanship.

The name of the sport is variously known as bowls, bowling on the green or lawn bowling. And what it lacks in speed, it more than makes up with in history. Like bocce, the Italian sport of rolling a ball along a grass surface, this sport moved across Europe with Julius Caesar's Roman Legions. Consider that the Romans defeated the peoples of England, and that the Southampton Old Bowling Club was established in 1299 A.D. -- and is still playing the sport! 

Lake Merritt (beyond the trees) separates off the city and provides a quiet patch for lawn bowling.

Then, there's the famous story of Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh. Apparently, they were in the middle of a game when word reached them of the impending assault of the Spanish Armada. Sir Francis insisted on finishing the game before setting sail to engage the Spanish. While that may sound like noble dedication to the game, in all likelihood it had more to do with practicality: Drake was actually waiting for the incoming tide to peak so he could get his ships out of the harbor! 

Here, a lady keeps score during a game.

How The Game Is Played 

The sport is known around the world as Bowls, Lawn Bowls, or Bowling on the Green, and it is played on a bowling surface which is approximately 120 feet square.  The green is marked off into "rinks" (lanes) so that up to eight games can be played simultaneously on one green.   

Competition is in sides made up of one, two, three, or four players:

-- Singles - One against one.

-- Doubles - Two against two.

-- Triples - Three against three.

-- Rinks (fours) - Four against four. 

For mamy, lawn bowling gets them outside.

The object of the game is to roll the bowls so that they will come to rest as close as possible to the jack.   

-- The side that has the bowl nearest to the jack scores one point for that bowl and additional points for each bowl closer to the jack than the nearest bowl of the other side. 

Size is not a requirement, having touch is!

The Oakland Club was established in 1903!

How does the game proceed?  For an example, let's describe how a game of triples is played.  Each player delivers three bowls.  With three players on each team:

No. 1 - Lead player known as "Lead."

No. 2 - Second player known as "Second" or "Vice Skip."

No. 3 - Third player is the team Captain or "Skip." 

Here's a guy, having fun at lawn bowling.

Bowls circle a jack: No two games are alike.

How are the bowls identified? Each set of bowls has a diffrent designed emblem engraved on their   sides for easy identification. 

A sense of friendship is part of every game.

Here's a guy who obviously has strength, but delicate placement is important, too!

For more information, contact Paul Schmidt at (510) 654-5712 or e-mail the club at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .