My Tina Meter and Changing Green speeds

 THEME - Level 2  Perfection of Delivery (2 - 3 season bowlers)

We all have our Pre-game Preparation and sometimes, with a very important competitionl our preparation starts several weeks before the competition. Normally for local competitions the preparation  is nothing more than an hour before the game is to start. Photo below of West Toronto Lawn Bowling Club in Canada, (To make a point I Photoshop it and placed a hand held device to suggest a meter exist to read the green speed which does not yet.)

 The common method to know about a change in green speeds during a day long competition is the bowl placement by others players and yourself.  If your lead has a "Point radius" of 10 inches and all of a sudden their bowl is 2 or 3 feet behind or in front of the jack; you should consider that the greens have changed speed. This often happen in morning games where Green's dew slows the bowl and as it is burnt off with the morning sun, the green's speed increases.

The most common cause of speed change is  temperature change and envirormental changes; and to the serious lawn bowler any green's speed changes can a major part of shot preparation. 

Here in canada, at most local competitions, we see a pre-game bowl roll within minutes of the game start time as participants preparate for their game. Several of the players are on the green rolling bowls in the opposite direction of expected play to learn about the club's "green speed", These bowl rolls are also a warmup exercise but also the player is usually  comparing this  club's green, which is being visited, to their home green. 

As I am sure, that if a meter existed to know the green speed, you would see players (like in the photo above) out there before the game checking the green speed. Of interest is how green speed is measured as you will hear on Youtube's videos of Australia games that the greens are running 30 seconds. Three or four bowls are bowled up the green to a distance of 27 meters and timed with a stopwatch. From start to finish time of the 4 bowls are then averaged for the green's speed. This year I have used this "Tina Green's Speed meter several times and not only have been amazed at what caused the green speed change but also I can credit a couple of wins to it usage.

When to use it is the question. We all learn quickly that as bowls collect behind the jack it may means a change might have occured in the green's speed. Now with my "Tina Meter"  when I see this, I check the greens speed before my next delivery.  How ?? In my "Pre-mat Routine"  I simply watch a bowler's bowl rolling up a neighbouring green until it stops. By counting a "Kid's Hide and Seek Count" (and not a "One Mississippi" count);  and I compare this club's green's speed to what I know my home club's green speed. ( at home it is an 18 counts and I know my distances delivery weight by that)

Too often we blame ourself for a bad delivery and began doing various changes in our performance or delivery weight when it is not necessary.  First, a good competitive lawn bowler studies the "Game radius" of the House.  The "Game or Point Radius" of the house is that distance most of the players' bowls are being placed around the jack. 

 A "12 inch Radius" allows them to play 12 inches in front and/or 12 inches behind and still get shot. Of course there is the occasional tight shot bowl (or toucher) and the occasional longer bowl;  but having a question of  a green speeds;  I might think of a 12 inch frontal shot bowl if the test show an increase in the green's speed.

  Also, all good players know that as we change directions of  play there is a small change in green speed due to the changing direction of the sun.  As per the photo (right), if bowling into the sun the small blade of grass of a well cut green will bend toward the sun. Bowling on this "laid over" grass or in that direction of play may mean 18 inches faster green's speed on a long jack. Likewise the reverse direction will have an increased ( to standing) friction on the bowl roll; causing an 18 inch frontal bowl. Maybe, this is not much change; but 18 or even 9 inches is still a lot of change in our delivery when playing a very precise opponent.

 Unless a North-South Direction of play is in use and the amount of change will be much less when changing directions of play.  In my Pre-Mat Routine I will check the bowls placements around the jack and if  it is a large "Point radius" of a collection of bowls; I will check for any  green speed change as I know my opponent was bowling tigher earlier in the game. Even with a tight house of bowls, I still do a green's speed check every 3rd or 4th direction of play change.

The "Tina Meter", my latest mental tool to be placed into my Lawn Bowls toolbox, allow me to follow the changing speed of the green and came from a neighbouring club member who is a winter curler.

 A couple of weeks ago I was discourage as I watched a Provincial Qualification Singles Competition at our club with the best of our Montreal lawn Bowlers. After 6 ends of play it was obvious that no-one had yet adapted to the green speed. Why ? Because in that hour the greens had changed speed three different times and all the players were either very heavy or too light in their delivery. My club is under the Airport Flight Path and most heads looked like the bowls had just fallen out of some overhead passing airplane, rather than tight competition being played.

The day of the competition had been a hot day of about 30 degrees and there was no activity on the club greens until 6 o'clock when green's committee members began preparing for the 7 p.m. competition. About 10 minutes before game time a few players began rolling bowls north-south to learn the green speed as the rinks for the competition which were setup to be played east-west direction..

The previous week, while coaching a regular competition club player; I had given  my "Single 201" hour long course. The short course covered several things needed to  learn about your opponent before the start of your "Single" competition. (This course is some times given to 3rd or 4th year bowlers who are preparing for a  mayor "Single" Competition).

 In explaining how green's speed changes and as I was giving my course in mid-afternoon; I had  the student roll her four natural distance bowls toward "east" and then rolled another four  natural distance toward "west". It was now near noon and she discovered her natural distance, at this time, was at 26 meters (EAST) and 25 meter (WEST) although her  "Natural distance" on the club greens was usually 25.5 meters.  And she was a good enough bowler that such "Natural Distance Rolls"  often resulted with the bowls touching or within inches.

 Explaining,  with a bend finger hand how the green's grass bents toward the sun in the east during most of the morning,and now mid afternoon we could expect to find the grass to be bend eastward as our bowls rolled over it.  Even though the sun was now overhead and the grass was rather short I explained that  her 25.5 meter natural distance was now 18 inches (1/2 meter) more because of  the less resistance on the bent-over eastward (or even in dying heat) grass. Likewise, going "WEST", her bowl had to rolled against bend-over grass which had to be stood up straight and was offering more resistance thus losing  18 inches.

This environment effect on the green speed and for the different direction; which occurs every day and differently for different weather conditions; are as important an aspect of "Delivery Weight" as your body movement. Every game you play has a different  environmental conditions, whether it is the sun, mild or heavy rain, or just a temperature changes during the game. And all serious lawn bowler know this as part of their game and include it as part Pre-Mat preparation decision.

 A unique situation occurred last weekend as the Provincial Pairs were being played during a heavy downpour. During the 2nd game of three the rain came like a bathroom shower, but had stop and the sun came out as bright as earlier; a normal hot summer day.  After a 30  minutes break between games, the greens had absorbed the rain and the 3rd game was started. Naturally, the  bowls of all bowler were well pass the jack forcing players to think that the green's speed had increased  because of the absence of rain. Yes drainage was fast and it seemed as if the grass had taken a good drink and recovered from the earlier hot sun. But the problem was not "Green's Speed" but "Mental Laziness" as players returned with the same speed they had used earlier in the rain for their distances of play. Yes "Mental Laziness"

  In the previous game, as I watched in a fairly heavy downpour, I saw that when the players changed direction of play and the rain might have stopped during the two or three minutes it took to prepare the mat and center the jack; few players had a Pre-mat routine which expected them to analysis the new conditions of play. Most players  who came to play their first bowl were all two and three meters behind the jack. The leads were all still rolling their bowls for the weight they had needed in the previous end of play and of 14 lead bowlers ( 7 games of pair competition) only 2 leads had a near jack bowl. 

 The pre-mat routine, if it existed for the leads,  would have asked "Has anything changed since last bowling this direction?" and  the answer would be "No more rain" and expect the player to adjust delivery weight in accordance for the new condition. 

As mention earlier in another blog, I watched the week earlier another competition where the Greens had change speed three times in the first  hour of play; and how none of our top notch players adjusted quickly. One might ask "How can that be ?" Certainly, this seem  a bit too much to believe; however in knowing and now  explaining this unique change is green's speed; it will help the reader to understand how each club and the environment affect their conditions of play. And these changes will effect our game and require us to change our thinking and performance. Winning or losing is not wasting a bowl each end of play to learn about a change; (12 ends of play game means 12 wasted bowls per player); and without a Pre-Mat Routine to decide on these changes it is only information collected from that wasted bowl we can apply and use to improve our delivery.

So how did the greens change speed 3 times?  First, the day of the competition the greens were fast because of the heat of the day. As players went to start their competition on an eastly direction of play, A bit faster green's speed. They had several inches or more needed to be added to their "delivery weight" for their early bowl rolls.  Because the game had started at 7 pm and the sun was now near setting the temperature was quickly decreasing because of the water surrounding Montreal. Being early summer (end of June) and the large St-Laurnace River, which is within only a half a kilometer south of the clubhouse; the greens were receiving a cool breeze to a now day long hot green.

 Of course the early June  cold air from the water put a light condensation on the bowls as they rolled in the 3rd end of play  for the competition and some players finding condensation on their bowls should have adjusted. This increased the speed of the green even more as dew or a minor wetness will increases green speed by a type of micro planing until it is broken and falls into the green. Some adjusted but most players didn't and bowls passed the jack by feet.

 But as bowls rolled the green on their line to the jack and players walked up  the green these water droplets became broken and settled into the green creating a return to normal after two or three ends of  "Dew speed".  So now halfway through the game the greens had returned to their speed of  when the players had had started their competition.  Even the club members playing in the competition did not adjust to these changes in Green speed.  Oh yes, I hear the voices of comment saying. "so little a thing". But watch the "Bowls Radius" or "Head size" and answer the question "Does it matter that much?"

You may say, "A lot to think about" but a serious bowler know this and expects these speed difference due to the environment. Hot days or Rain or Morning Dew are all apart of the game and we know to expect it. My pre-mat thinking for the first bowls to deliver as a lead would be (east +18, west - 18) as I think how the green speed effect of my delivery weight. Ofcourse, I would not be  considering the month as June until I saw my bowls wet with concentration. But with a Pre-Mat question of changes, it becomes a part of the delivery adjustment. 

All players should practice at different times of the day because competitions can be morning, afternoon or evening games. Especially in early morning games where in Canada, the cold night leave a dew on the green and we learn that the green slowly gains speed as the day advances. So now I have my "Tina Meter" and I can watch any opponent bowls, or my team mates and make adjustment for the changes in green speed. 

Two weeks ago, doing a interclub Singles game, I was standing beside the mat watching a bowl roll up the green two rinks over and my opponent said " What is the problem". Of course, I would not tell him I was checking my Green's meter. But saw it was 2 second (count) faster so put on  18 inches and drew to within inches of the jack. 

Yes it is a reference, but it suggest to me the needed corrections to my weight. Of course, in watching the bowl of another player; each bowl rolls a different distance but the speed of a short bowl or a long bowl I discovered that until the bowl stops is about the same count.. 

So as they are rolling their bowl, I begin counting   (1,2,3,4,...18,19,20) as their bowl leave their hand and  touchs the green. My count is my fast school kid count and it only matters because I know my delivery weight, or my count, for my club green. At 18 I have my club green speed and a "Natural Distance" delivery needs nothing added. But a 2 count more means to add a foot or more.

Went out to  a competition at Westmount this week and the greens had several two wheel cart marks up and down the green. We immediately discovered that they had recently fertilized the green as our bowl now slowed down as they became covered with fertilizer.  With the "Tina Meter" I was able to evaluate how much to adjust my delivery weight. Where previously I might have wasted a bowl or two to discover the needed change in weight. After Pre-mat, I stepped to the mat and started heavy by two meters. 

How did I apply it when the fertilizer had been placed on the green ? Well, I discovered that my count was 15 (not 18) so I figured that the fertilizer slowed my bowl 3 "Kiddy counts" or 4 to 5 feet ( 1.5 metersl and I now know that  a "kiddy count" difference in speed of the green is about 18 inches or 1/2 meter. So I just add or remove that much weight as if I was to play for a distance 18 inches behind the jack or 18 inches in front.

 I also question what would happen if I did not clean my bowls; and if they would eventually arrive at a consistancy of weight lost if I did  not clean my bowls after each end of play. My thought was that the bowl can only pick up so much fertilizer and then their roll would be always the same. No, this was not true as more and more fertilizer was possible to be added to the bowls. 

Likewise, I questioned if a wet cleaning of the bowl was better than a dry cloth cleaning. (dry is better by 2 feet). Actually in this game, we will seldom be given the fertilizer problem; but it shows how to apply your new information. Also of interest was that the opponent skip had assigned to his lead, the job to wipe and wash his bowls while she waited for the 2nd player to bowl. Guess he figured his bowls were quite  a bit important and the rules say that a skip can allocate any task.

Enjoy.  Remember, if it works and seems stupid; don't tell the world just be smart and use it wisely.