Puff Puff and Laugh

New Brunswick flags (Acadian, 
Canadian and provincial

Somethings what is written in a blog, seem to be so foolish it appears that it is best to pass the writing aside, and laugh.  So here is a blog which  is probably one of those.."Skip it " or "Like it. 

The Question is " Can a mild wind move a bowl ?" and  " What is the best way to  play a Backhand or a Forehand wind ?"  Or even better how to use wisely a Back/Frontal Wind or a Cross Wind and how it effects your bias. 

   

    The game of Bowls is build on constants which we know, and we are always adding or substracting from that constant to achieve our goal. Constants like Weight, Line, Green defects and ofcourse Weather. Coaches teach new bowlers, to know their "Natural weight" and then add or take away from  that delivery, to achieve that draw distance of the jack. If all things are constant we bowl perfect, but  Wind is not  constant, and even will changes from minute to minute.. So how do you adjust for it?.
    First, With Wind, you must be able to measure it's effect. Either on your bowls or your opponents bowls.  We can all go out and practice and go visit that club that is on the seaside or who has an open field. This way we will know the effects of wind on our bowls.
        You will find that it will effect the lighter bowls more, so do you have a choice of bowls,  how does it effect them differently.  Also it is important to know what it does to all bowls in play. YOUR bowls and your teammate or opponent's bowls.  You will know and adjust your play for the effects you believe you see, but also,  is important to know how the opponents light bowls are effected.. And if the wind is at that angle which is the same as the Bias line of your bowls, will the wind pushes that draw weight through the head or even get around a good frontal bowls.
           To measure wind, beside feeling it in the face or on the back of your neck;  I use my wipe towel. (kitchen towel about 6" by 12 or 14") I take it off my belt and hold it at arm's length.  As it drops to the green,  it will be blown by the wind to a position that is not directly under your holding position.  You have seen a golfer throw small pieces of grass into the air.. This is the same.  From this action, I get a distance which the towel has fallen and with experience I have learned to  add a factor to  my weight or remove an amount of weight.
          First, do not do this for every bowl, ( you will remove the advantage that you have  by informing the opponents that wind is important in this game today).  Yes we all learn to apply changes to our bowls, and also remember as we go up and down the green , that a  back or front wind.changes with our new direction of play.
   . Also, cross winds and Bias winds.  A Bias wind is such an angle of wind which falls the same as our approach bias into the head.  Such a wind will change your line of delivery as your bowl rolls up the green;  but also being against or pushing  will affect the slowing bias roll of your bowls.
    Usiung a Bowls towel may be considered a heavy material, but I believe that if the wind blows that towel  it will also blows your bowsl.   For example.  If, the displacement distance isabout 6 inches, I feel it is not important.. Wheather it drops toward my feet or away, I play the jack. the same as adjustring for the morning dew lifting off the greens..  I know to add about 4 or 5 feet to the draw weight for that hour of greens warming up in the mornings.  Here, in Canada, or Inteerclubs (visitn clubs to play together), start at 9am or 9:30 and the greens will pickup as much as 6 feets on a natural delivery as the day warms up.  Then again, crosswinds or Bias Wind are completely different thing to adjust and learn.

   However,  here are some ithoughts which I feel are important to consider.
      -  Bowl into a cross wind and allow a line of the few centimeters (foot in canada) or so to let the wind bring back your bowl with a normal bias point.
      - Bowls bias are easier affected by the wind so try adding line on  to them , rather than  taking away  from the bowls delivery lines ..
      - Start with the added-on weight, as you start with your  first bowl rather than add-on as you approach  the third or forth bowls, .  Game Rule of "If your down in points be up in the head" applies here too. Why ??   It is better to roll that first bowl through the head, than rolling each bowl  with continually improved weight  until  only your last bowl is good. And back bowls are usually better than frontal bowls.
       - If the wind is in the direction of the finish bias. (forehand or backhand)  what I call a Bias wind,  the bowl seems to run endless on a normal to fast green always bowls into the bias wind.. (A quick stop bowl is better than a running through the head bowl (back bias wind)  These Back bias- winds are almost like if the green has a small hill or  the greens are very fast like on late summer sun-burnt greens
       -  Don t play with trying to feel the wind and rolling bowls depending upon how much you feel it . You may feel nothing and the wind be there after your release.  Always  play consistently  the same  add-on or take-off factor even if the wind dies or has little effect.   (Again better roll through then die in front).
     -  Laugh as others say, "the wind does not effect my bowls" as it is better to know how to adjust and how to read your over weight and/or short bowls, than try to explain to someone who believes they know it.  Remember knowing something is not always about proving it.  You are better than that, Bowl and enjoy the challenage of weather conditions on the game of Bowls.
     -  What ever you method of checking play for the wind... do not leave anything on the green afterward.    I once saw someone using grass they picked from the lawn on the side of the green. and walk to the mat and toss it into the air.  Their comment was ,,, "well golfers use grass." .  I use my bowls wipe towel because as the wind stops it hangs straight. and often I don 't even need to drop it as I have learned to read it  just by looking at the movement, and angle  creaded as the wind  has blown it.

HOGWASH..  ok.. I accept your point of view   plse accept mine as a different point of view which might have something of value.

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