If you live in the north of England and someone asks if you play "bowls," they probably mean crown green. If you live almost anywhere else in the UK or internationally, they almost certainly mean flat green lawn bowls. The two games look similar from a distance — players roll balls toward a target — but they are fundamentally different sports with different equipment, different rules and very different playing experiences. This guide explains everything.
This is where the two games diverge completely. Flat green lawn bowls is played on a perfectly level rectangular surface divided into lanes called rinks. The green is meticulously maintained to be as even and true as possible. Everything about flat green play is designed around consistency and precision on an even surface.
Crown green bowls is played on a green that has a raised centre — the "crown" — which can be up to 30cm higher than the edges. The green slopes in all directions away from the crown, and crucially, different greens have different crowns, different ridges, different hollows and different slopes. Every crown green is unique. Mastering a crown green requires understanding that specific green, not just general technique.
Flat green bowls are larger, heavier and have a predictable tested bias. They range from size 00 to size 5 and come in medium or heavy weight. The bias is precisely engineered and stamped by World Bowls — every bowl of the same model will behave identically.
Crown green bowls are smaller and lighter, typically between 2lb 4oz and 2lb 14oz, sold by weight rather than size. Their bias is much stronger because the bowl needs enough curve to navigate the crown and slopes of the green. You cannot use a crown green bowl for flat green play and vice versa.
In flat green bowls the jack is a small white (or yellow) ball, perfectly round, with no bias. It is the same for all players and stays where it lands on the rink.
In crown green bowls the jack is larger, heavier and has its own bias — just like the bowls themselves. The jack curves as it travels. Before delivering the jack a player must show its bias to their opponent, because the jack's natural curve significantly affects the land it takes.
In flat green bowls players use 2 or 4 bowls depending on the format (singles = 4, pairs = 4, triples = 3, fours = 2). In crown green bowls every player uses exactly 2 bowls regardless of format.
In flat green bowls you play up and down a fixed rink — the same strip of green for the entire game. At the end of each "end" you simply turn around and play back in the opposite direction.
In crown green bowls the player who delivers the jack can send it in any direction across the green. This means every end can be played on a completely different part of the green at a different angle. Reading the terrain for that specific angle is a core skill unique to crown green.
In flat green bowls the mat is placed at a fixed position on the centre line of the rink. In crown green bowls the player setting the jack can also place the small mat (called the "footer") anywhere they choose on the green — another tactical element that does not exist in flat green.
Both games score one point for each bowl closer to the jack than the opponent's nearest bowl. In flat green competitive singles, first to 21 shots wins. In crown green competitive singles, first to 21 shots also wins. The scoring structure is similar even if everything else differs.
Crown green bowls is primarily a northern English game. It dominates in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, the Midlands and North Wales. If you walk into a bowls club in Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham, there is a strong chance it is a crown green club.
Flat green lawn bowls is the international standard and is played everywhere else — the south of England, Scotland, Wales (outside the north), all Commonwealth nations including Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and at the Commonwealth Games and World Bowls Championships.
Neither game is harder to learn than the other at a basic level. Both have welcoming clubs that loan equipment to beginners. The choice really comes down to geography — join the game that is played at your nearest club. If you have equal access to both, flat green gives you access to international competition, indoor winter play, and a wider range of formats.
Yes, and many players in the Midlands and northern England do. However you will need two separate sets of bowls — there is no hybrid bowl that works effectively for both games. Many players who play both choose their crown green bowls first and add a flat green set when they want to play indoor bowls over winter.