Social Bowling

Social bowling offers a relaxed and friendly way to enjoy the game, meet fellow members, and have fun on the green.

The friendly way to play

Social bowling is at the heart of club life, offering a relaxed and enjoyable way to take part in the game without the pressures of competition. Members can join informal roll-ups, meet new people, and enjoy friendly games in a welcoming atmosphere. Whether you are a complete beginner or an experienced bowler, social bowling provides the perfect opportunity to develop skills, gain confidence, and enjoy time on the green. It is a great way to stay active, make friends, and become part of the club community. Simply turn up, join in, and enjoy the company as much as the bowls.

  • This is a turn up and play session. You will be allocated a rink and team using ‘pen knives’ (see below). Positions are then agreed with team members. Usually we play either doubles or trips, with a winning score of first team to 9 points.

  • Members can simply turn up at the advertised times for Roll Ups or Tuesday Bowls Drives and add their name to the list at the clubhouse. Penknives are submitted and used to determine rink number and teams.

  • Mansfield Bowling Club

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    Bowls Drives - Tuesdays only

    Full Roll Ups - Mondays, Wednesdays (non club competition days), Fridays

    Early Roll Ups - Thursdays and Saturdays

  • Casual

    - Smart, on-the-knee, tailored shorts are permitted

    - Vest tops are not permitted

  • Roll Ups: Free to bowling members

    Bowls Drives: £2 per entry

Roll Ups

For Roll Ups players use pen knives to register their participation. Members attach their name to a pen knife and place it in the collection point when entering the clubhouse.

Before play begins, the pen knives are scattered around a jack. The position of each knife in relation to the jack determines the rink on which that player will play. The process is then repeated to allocate players to teams on each rink.

The winners of a game will be the first to 9 points. Traditionally, the losers pay a forfeit of 5 pence to the corresponding team member on the winning side.

Bowls Drives

A Bowls Drive is a fun and social competition in which players are divided equally into two colours, Red and White.

Before the first game, each player draws a block from a bag. The colour of the block determines which team they will represent throughout the event. The block will also indicate the rink and position they will play in for that game.

Players record their own score after each game, keeping a running total which will determine their final score at the end of the event. A typical Bowls Drive consists of four games of four ends, giving each player a total of 16 ends.

At the end of each game, players draw another block from their team's bag to determine their rink and position for the next game, while remaining with the same colour throughout the event.

At the end of the Drive, the player with the highest total score in each colour is declared the winner.

Key Points

  • Players remain in the same colour throughout the event.

  • Rinks and playing positions change between games.

  • Although players are divided into colours, this is an individual competition. The highest-scoring player in each colour will be the winners.

  • A typical Bowls Drive consists of four games of four ends.

  • Remember to write your name and team colour on your scorecard.