They share biased bowls and a target jack, but flat green, crown green and short mat bowls create very different challenges. If you are choosing a club or trying a winter format, here is the quickest way to tell them apart.
Flat green bowls
Flat green is the version governed internationally by World Bowls. It is played outdoors or indoors on a level rectangular surface divided into parallel rinks. Players deliver from a mat toward a small jack, and every bowl closer than the opponent's nearest scores one shot.
The game can be singles, pairs, triples or fours. Tactics develop around jack length, the two hands, rink boundaries, bowls positioned around the head and controlled changes of weight.
Crown green bowls
A crown green rises toward the centre, creating slopes in several directions. Games are not confined to fixed parallel rinks in the same way; players can send the jack across different areas of the green. The jack itself is biased, adding another layer to line selection.
The changing contours make local knowledge valuable. A line that looks direct may climb, fall and turn differently depending on the corner and direction selected.
Short mat bowls
Short mat bowls is an indoor game played on a long, narrow roll-out mat. A block in the centre prevents a straight drive at the jack, so players must use the bias to travel around it. The compact surface makes line, controlled weight and tactical blocking immediately visible.
It is popular where clubs need a weather-proof format or a game that fits in a community hall. Specific mat lengths, jack placement and competition rules are set by the relevant short mat association.
What changes when you switch?
Surface: level green, crowned outdoor green, or portable indoor mat.
Playing direction: fixed rinks in flat green, more open directions in crown green, one narrow lane in short mat.
Target: an unbiased jack in flat green and short mat; a biased jack in crown green.
Obstacles: open routes on the greens; a central block in short mat.
Reading the line: green pace and bias in flat green, changing slopes in crown green, and a precise arc around the block in short mat.
Which one should a beginner try?
Whichever is offered nearby. The shared skills—balance, line, weight and reading the head—transfer, while each code teaches a different kind of touch. Ask the club which rules it follows before applying advice from one version to another.
WGTS is built around the close-head decisions of lawn and indoor bowls. For a camera-assisted view during everyday play, download it from the App Store or Google Play, subject to your code and competition rules.