Barefoot Bowls

Have you ever played barefoot bowls?

Lawn bowls is a modern game with a long and rich history. It has evolved over hundreds of years and is now played recreationally in many countries.

Bowls is a game said to be as old as time. Lawn bowls dates back to the 13th century where it originated from England. The oldest bowling venue is the Southampton Bowling Green which was established in 1299.

Tweed Heads Bowls Club was founded on 13th May 1921. The first bowl was bowled on the new green on the 15th February 1922. A century later, Tweed Heads Bowls Club features a world-renowned international indoor bowling facility and four world-class outdoor greens and one of the most reputed competitions, The Golden Nugget which is played in August.

However, to change the perception of the sport and attract younger players, the Club introduced Barefoot Bowls in 2014, as the game is usually stereotyped as one for older people. So, you can leave your white trousers and shoes at home.

Barefoot bowls is an Australian spin on the traditional game, with music, drinking, chatting and as the name implies, no shoes. Barefoot Bowls is the perfect game to play between friends and family under lights or on a Sunday afternoon.

People have embraced barefoot bowls and it has taken off over the last decade; even Meghan Markle took a keen interest in lawn bowls while visiting Australia last year.

Barefoot Bowls is easy to learn, and you will get the hang of it very quickly after our volunteers show you the ropes. Our volunteers take immense pride in helping newcomers understand the rules and play the game in a fun environment. The game is ideal for team building, get-togethers, corporate social events and parties.

Nonetheless, Lawn bowling rules are not very well known to non-bowlers. Here are some of the rules to help you out next time you want to play with your friends and family at Tweed Heads Bowls Club. We asked our Bowls Manager, Wayne Turley OAM, Commonwealth Games Gold and Silver Medallist and Bowls Australia Hall of Famer, to give you a few tips for barefoot bowls.

Hopefully, you will be able to kick off your shoes and enjoy a game of barefoot bowls with us soon, once the current restrictions are lifted. You can plan on joining us for a Free Barefoot Bowls Sunday Session, every Sunday from 3pm to 6pm. Whether you are celebrating a birthday, engagement, corporate party or Christmas Staff party, we have the facility to cater for your next barefoot bowls party.

Lawn bowls for beginners 
Hi everyone, hope you are keeping safe and well and we look forward to welcoming you all along to try barefoot bowls once we are up and going again.
Barefoot bowls is a great way to try lawn bowls and have fun in a group environment. It could be for a work get together, birthday party, bucks or hens party or just a group of friends that want to catch up and try something new. You can have a group of two people to over 100 people. Below are a few tips to help you get started.

Hi everyone, hope you are keeping safe and well and we look forward to welcoming you all along to try barefoot bowls once we are up and going again.
Barefoot bowls is a great way to try lawn bowls and have fun in a group environment. It could be for a work get together, birthday party, bucks or hens party or just a group of friends that want to catch up and try something new. You can have a group of two people to over 100 people. Below are a few tips to help you get started.

  1. Make sure you have a hat and sunscreen (if outside)
  2. We have water fountains available or the bar is nice and close for a cold beverage
  3. Listen to the volunteers who will guide you through the safety aspect before you get started.
  4. You play lawn bowls on a green. Each green is numbered
  5. On each green there are what we call “rinks”, similar to an alley in ten pin bowling. These rinks are separated by a boundary peg.
  6. The aim of the game is to get your bowls closer than your opponent to what we call the “Jack” (small white ball).
  7. Each player can play up to four bowls each depending on how many players for each team.
  8. The bowls are made in different sizes which allows people with small hands to large hands to play. Each bowl has what we call a bias (weighted to one side) This allows the bowl to curve in on an angle. So, the idea is to step out off a bowls mat on your rink and roll the bowl out on an angle and allow the bowl to head in the direction of the jack. The person who is closest to the jack scores a shot for that end.
  9. A game can go for up to 21 ends, but we recommend a barefoot bowls party to last for 2 hours. This gives you time to mingle, have a drink, enjoy the club’s fabulous food and try and beat your mates in a game of bowls.
  10. Barefoot bowls can be played by everyone no matter what age or disability. We have small rubber bowls for children to have a go as well.

Don’t forget we do free barefoot bowls every Sunday 3pm to 6pm or you can make a booking for anytime you like. We have lights on our greens and also have a world class indoor facility, so it does not matter what the weather is like.

We look forward to welcoming you all to Tweed Heads Bowls Club to give barefoot bowls a try.

Keep safe and see you all soon.