The game of lawn bowls is simple to learn but takes years to master (if it's mastered at all). Games are played in a genteel fashion, with positive support and comments for all players.

The goal of the game is to get more of your team's bowls closer to the jack (the small white ball) than your opponents on each "end" played.

Lawn bowls come in sets of four - the maximum number of bowls you will roll in one end of a game. (Only three bowls are used in triples and just two are used in games with 4 bowlers per team, known as "rinks.")

Your first surprise will probably be when you roll your first bowl and realize that it doesn't go straight! Lawn bowls are, by design, not perfectly round. They are weighted to one side and have a built-in natural bias.

Like any game, the more involved you get, the more you need to understand the subtleties of the game and the full gamut of rules; the information above is more than enough to get you started! For a more detailed explanation of the rules, you can read a thorough explanation here.