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 competition, our preparation starts several weeks before the actual competition. Normally for local competitions the preparation  is nothing more than an hour before the game is to begin.  The photo below of the West Toronto Lawn Bowling Club in Canada, has been "Photoshopped"; by placing a hand held device viewing the green, and suggesting such  a meter exist to read the green speed. (Of course, which does exist or not yet that I know of it.)

 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 normal  "Point radius" of 10 inches and all of a sudden their bowl is 2 or 3 feet behind;  you should consider that the greens have changed speed. (A "Point Radius" is the size of the bowls surrounding the jack and reflect the tightness of a player's bowls.

 But how can you  know what is the cause of those bowls suddenly being farther from the jack than normal?. The most common mistake is to blame yourself as a faulty delivery but very often what happens in morning games is that the Green's dew seems to slow the bowl. We have one speed as we start to play, and as the morning advances and  the sun burns off  that morning dew we discover that the green's speed has increases. There are may raison why the green speed will change and we should be open to understanding them.

The most common cause of speed change is  temperature change or envirormental changes; and to the serious lawn bowler any green's speed changes should be  a major part of shot preparation before going to the mat for a perfect delivery. 

Here in Canada, at most local competitions, we  very often see a pre-game bowl roll within minutes of the game start time. Participants of the tournment in preparation for their game will be on the green and  rolling their bowls in the opposite direction of expected play. With the intention to learn about this new club's "green speed", these bowl rolls are also a warmup exercise; but  very often the player is usually  comparing this  club's green speed to this club 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 near 18 seconds. To actually measure the Green speed, three or four bowls are bowled up the green to a distance of 27 meters and  "stopwatched timed.  From the start of bowl roll to finish time of the 4 bowls is then averaged for the green's speed. 

At left is Blog Stats of last 7 days at End of August as we are finishing Lawn Bowls in the north (Canada, USA and UK) and yet to started in Australia, S. Africa and New Zealand. Total readers 126,370.

This year I have used this, my "Tina Green's Speed meter several times and not only have I been amazed at what has caused the green speed to change but also I can credit a couple of my game wins to it usage. So what is this meter? And when to use it becomes the question. As experience lawn bowlers, we all have learn quickly that as bowls collect behind the jack it may means a change may have occured in the green's speed. Now, when I see this, I check the greens speed before my next delivery.  How ??

 While I am in my "Pre-mat Routine"  I simply watch another 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);  I then compare this club's green's speed to what I know as my home club's green speed. Because, I practice and my feeling for the jack distance and my "Muscle Memory" performance of my delivery gives me a regular size grouping at different jack distances; I just need a relative difference of  the "Bowl roll speed" to  understand these short or long bowls. (At home, my "Kid's count  is an 18 (fast) counts and I know my distances which are better than other distances and where my delivery weight will be a tight grouping. (So by the relative change in count as to my practice count I become confidence to adjust my "Game Radius" position of my next bowl)

Too often we blame ourself for a bad delivery and began making 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 bowls around the jack. (Game radius are all the bowls of all players, while "Point Radius" is an individual pointing performance at a certain distance.  The "Natural Distance" is a players distance where their "Point Radius" is the tightest. At that distance  the players'Muscle Memory" of delivery are having their bowls  placed tight around the jack. 

 A  "Game Radius" of 12 inches will allow a player to then play closer than that 12 inches, either in front and/or  behind the jack and still get shot.  Of course there is always that occasional tight shot bowl (or toucher) and the occasional longer bowl;  but having a noticablely out of the head bowl delivery may mean we should question a change of the green speeds;  I like to think it is green speed after a few bowls which I know should not occur at that distance. 

By watching a bowl roll on a neighbour green and doing your "Tina Meter" count you might discover that there is  anincrease in the green's speed. (or decrease) It is all relative as you evaluation of the distance can be wrong but if compared to your regular practice there is a difference in you count you can just decide to play a bowl into the frontal or back part of the "Point radius". If there was (is) a green's speed difference your effort will result in you bowl being on the jack.

  Also, all good players know that as we change directions of  play. up the green and back; 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.Yes, even on a fast green. Likewise the reverse direction of play will have an increased friction on the bowl roll as the bent grass must be pushed back to a standing position. My self with my 6 Henslite bowls this  is an 18 inch different in my count. 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 we are playing  a North-South Direction of play, and then we will find less amount of change; there will still be some change in speed as we are changing our directions of play.  In my Pre-Mat Routine I will often check the bowls placements around the jack and if  it is a large "Point radius" of the total collection of bowls; I will consider to check for any  green speed changes. As I know my opponents were bowling tigher earlier in the game it might just be a mental lost of "Distance evaluation". However, even with a tight collection of bowls, I still do a green's speed check every 3rd or 4th direction of play change, in preparation for that surprise.

The "Tina Meter" is my latest mental tool to be placed into my Lawn Bowls toolbox and it allows me to follow the changing speed of the green and this gift came from a neighbouring club member who is a winter curler. I was told some Curling Coaches teach their students to count during delivery to know the "Ice Speed".

 A couple of weeks ago I was discourage as I watched a Provincial Qualification Pairs Competition at our club which involved 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 in those 6 ends of play; and all the players were either very heavy or too light in their delivery.  Because my club is under the Airport Flight Path of the major runway, I often joking say that the Bowls and their collection  looked like the bowls had just fallen out of some overhead passing airplane. Last year, I had to work all year on my focus as everytime a large passenger play passed over my looking up at that play had cause me to lose "Focus" (concentration) as I played.

Here's what I think had happen on that day of the competition. All afternoon it 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 had began rolling bowls north-south to learn the green speed as the rinks for the competition which were setup, was  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 a dying heat bent 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. Even well cut greens have this change in play direction but most players don't often blow their "Natural Distance",

This environmental effect on the green speed and for the different direction of play; which occurs every day and  even 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 of their Pre-Mat preparation decision.

 Another unique situation occurred last weekend as the Provincial Pairs were being played during a heavy downpour. During the 2nd game of three games, the rain came down like a bathroom shower, but had stop as quickly as it had started and the sun came out as bright as earlierwhen it had been a normal hot summer day.  After a 30  minutes break between games, the greens had quickly absorbed the rain and the 3rd game was started. Naturally, the  bowls of all bowler were well pass the jack. This "Heavy delivery" of most bowls played was 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 the players returned for their third game and had previously bowled in the rain; they arrived on the green with the same speed they had used earlier when rolling their bowls 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 ( yes a competition with 7 games of pairs) 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  now  explaining this unique change is green's speed, it is hoped that it will help the reader to understand how each club and their unique environmental conditions actually affect the conditions of play. And, unless you watch for these changes, they will effect our game.  Winning or losing is not wasting a bowl each end of play to learn about these change; (12 ends of play games means 12 wasted bowls per player as a bowl becomes a teaching of a change). Of course with a Pre-Mat Routine to remain us of  these changes; and where otherwise this information is collected only from those wasted first bowls; we can apply wise thinking in the Pre-Mat thinking and use the decisions 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, they found a bit faster green's speed. They, all  had several inches or more delivery weight needed to be added to 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 planeing until the water droplets are broken and falls into the green.

 Some players had adjusted but most players didn't adjust quickly and their bowls passed the jack by feet.  Now, as bowls rolled up 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   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 reader"s comment saying to me. "so little a thing". But watch the "Bowls Radius" or "Head size" and answer the question "Does it matter that much?" When near the end of a competition all the bowls seem to be on "Center Line" but from 3 meters in front to 3 meter behind; it shows how a little thing can be a bit more than we think.

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 teaching for the first bowls to deliver as a lead would be (east +18, west - 18) as most coaches tell their lead that that first bowl should be heavy. If you touch the jack it is now off center and if not a good back bowl has been played. I always think of how the green speed effect of my delivery weight. 

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 from that rolling bowl that the greens were 2 second (count) faster so put on  18 inches as I plan to draw behind the "Bowls Radius" and drew to within inches of the jack. 

Yes it is a relative reference to my home green, 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  the bow"sl  is about the same count.. 

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. I thought that they would eventually arrive at a consistancy of weight lost due to the fertilizer.  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. But only needed one bowl to discover this.

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.