How big is a lawn bowls green?
Officials' detail · The green, the equipment and sets play · 1 of 2A green is a square or rectangle, 31 to 40 metres long in the direction of play, of grass or approved synthetic turf. A ditch runs round it, with a bank behind. The green is split into numbered rinks, 4.3 to 5.8 metres wide outdoors, with pegs on the bank marking the corners and the side boundaries between them.
How it works
- Size: 31 to 40 m in the direction of play; level; rectangular or square.
- Surface: grass or a synthetic surface approved by the national body.
- Ditch: 200 to 380 mm wide and 50 to 200 mm deep, with a holding surface that will not damage bowls.
- Bank: at least 230 mm above the green, vertical or sloped no more than 35 degrees.
- Rinks: 4.3 to 5.8 m wide outdoors, 4.6 to 5.8 m indoors, the same width where possible.
- Pegs: numbered centre markers and white or bright corner pegs on the banks.
- Side boundaries: imaginary lines between the corner pegs; often marked outdoors by a green thread.
- Distance marks: on the side banks at 2 m and 25 m from each end ditch.
- Pace of the green: the seconds a bowl takes to stop about 27 m from the mat; more seconds means a faster green.
The glossary has the green, the rink, the ditch, the bank, the boundary peg and the pace of the green.
Tricky cases
Why does a slow-rolling green count as "fast"?
Pace is measured in seconds: a bowl that takes longer to stop has rolled more freely, so the green is called faster.
A boundary peg is found in the wrong place mid-end. Can it be moved?
Not until the end is completed on the rinks affected.
Can a player lift the boundary thread to let a bowl through?
No. It must not be lifted or held down while a bowl or the jack is running.
Is a green with a ditch on only two sides allowed?
The green must have a ditch all round, but indoors only the end ditches in the direction of play must meet the size rules.
Why the rule exists
Fixed sizes for greens and rinks make games comparable from club to club. The ditch and bank catch bowls and the jack and give touchers somewhere to rest.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor rinks | 4.3 to 5.8 m | WB Law 49.1.1 |
| Indoor rinks | 4.6 to 5.8 m | WB Law 49.1.2 |
| Domestic play | Older greens and pegs allowed | WB Laws 46.5, 49.5 |
From the rule book
World Bowls, Laws of the Sport of Bowls, Crystal Mark Fourth Edition (August 2022), Definitions C.26 and C.28 and Laws 46 to 49. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the World Bowls Laws of the Sport of Bowls.