 Comparison of bowl models seen in NZ over recent years, sets finishing further to the right have more bias. |
 Some bowl
models subtract bias as they run down the green. This effect is shown on the
test
table for comparison of bowl sole types..see faq below showing
self-correcting "balanced sole" type
bowl taking same
line both wobbled and normal upright delivery. Ideal for any
NZ
greens. The red line shows the path of a wobbled "un-balanced sole"
type bowl going narrower than normal. It is important to select the
right bowl model/type for your game, see bowlers check list and
explanation in faq below.
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    If you are new to the game of bowls there is a lot of info to catch up on. Bowls are not all the same....black or brown and round and there have been a lot of changes recently. Drakes Pride have recognized a problem that many players in NZ have found when purchasing bowls while travelling in Australia, after playing a few months back home at their club they're having consistency problems. The bowl seems to either turn in too early or hardly at all. What went great in Oz doesn't in NZ. Our greens are different and in some cases not high quality and are probably the fastest in the world. To make matters worse some clubs with normally very good green quality are experiencing problems over past years with noticeable deterioration. Some players who have joined the "go narrow"club have found their bowling is now hot and cold, and some have been told by administrators to purchase "narrow running bowls" to get into rep teams. The technical part: If 2 different models have the same minimum bias on the test table but then 1 has only 50% of that table bias on the green, the narrower bowl has to negate or subtract the other 50% as it goes. Something has to be different in the engineering of the 2 sets. Herin lies the problem. In order to take a consistant 50% bias line and turn-in there has to be consistent bias read from the green onto the bowl to get the same 50% on every delivery. If a bowl changes to taking only 40% of its stated bias then it will take a narrower line and won't arrive at the jack as intended. This usually makes the player adjust the line on the next delivery which switches back to 50% and again has the bowl finishing on the other side of the head in the wrong place. Players are making line changes based on where the last bowl finished and in this example line direction was never the problem, it's green conditions that's giving different bias percentage on different deliveries. Delivery, green quality, grass type and weather conditions have a marked effect on this bias-subtraction bowl type. Some recent models have so much of the bias action negated and go so narrow that there is very little bias left to steer the bowl down the green. All of this is deemed legal under the rules as there is no more testing on the green where the game is actually played that would show many recent models going too narrow and not having the minimum bias of the World Bowls test bowl. But they are legal on the test table where the game isn't played. Lawn bowls has changed dramatically with this fairly recent ruling, however Drakes Pride bowl models cater for all preferences. The 4 Drake models below all have virtually the same test table bias but will all take differing lines down the green to acheive the desired path and amount of bias. The Ultra and Professional are "balanced sole" bowls and will take most of their stated test table bias on the green. The Excel will take a little less than the Professional or Ultra, and is ideal for players who only want to own 1 set of bowls that takes a small percentage of bias off as it goes but still has very good playability in various condition... a sort of "bob each way" model. The Ultimate takes the narrowest line due to technical aspects of the sole shape but has been designed to cope with the inconsistent turn-in problem by having a definitive "turn finish" path instruction set that helps regulate the finish in that all important last few metres. The narrower the model the more relaxed this finish curve is. It is our view that players need an easy-play set to compliment the "go-narrow" variety to cover the differing green types and conditions in NZ. But don't be disappointed that it takes a wider line....it has the advantage of consistency. [see 2009 National Herald article ] |
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Ultra We have redesigned the best selling Special model and made it slimmer to hold, and re-set bias to minimum. Banana type draw and an exceptional wind bowl made specifically for NZ greens and is not sold elsewhere. This model plays great outdoors and has a wider footprint on the green to give great stability. [ see 2006 Nationals report] Also a very forgiving self-correcting bowl for those with slight delivery imperfections or playing in wind or on bumpy surfaces. Because of the "balanced arc" sole shape this model is the excellent for beginners to play and will also fix the constant changing of line down the green. Players moving from older wide draw sets will really appreciate the Ultra model. Xtra denotes extra-heavy version. Price black $550 col $620 Available ex stock black: 0XH 1XH 2XH 3XH 4XH, 5H colours: 1H 2H 3H 4H 5H speckled blue, speckled maroon. All other sizes/colours on specific order only. [Older model Drakes Special still available in size 3xh black $400, ] |
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Professional..NZ version Based on the best selling UK bowl, but specifically made for New Zealand greens and also a minimum draw bowl...our No. 1 selling model. Often described as slight hockey-stick draw, tracks a little narrower down the green than the Ultra and is also a "balanced arc" self-correcting model. Very forgiving and has slim-to-hold profile. Has a great reputation on synthetic greens, and plays the weighted shot with ease. If you find you are continually changing the line to the jack....this model will also fix the problem. available in black: 1XH 2XH 3XH 4XH 5H colour: 1H 2H 3H 4H 5H Price black $550 colour $620 |
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Excel..
Narrow banana draw, replaces the International with significant
improvements
on New Zealand greens. Available in black 1XH 2XH 3XH 4XH 5H colour 1H 2H 3H 4H 5H Price
Black $550 col $620 Utimate. Available in colours speckled blue, speckled red and speckled black/red 3H 4H 5H only. Price colour $640 Both the Ultimate and Excel will take a narrower than stated bias path down the green due to sole shape, see faq below.When played on the green the footprint imparted onto the bowl is wider than the test table footprint and automatically produces a narrower path like the wobbled delivery see pic above. A bowl only needs to pass the "upright delivery" test run down the table to be considered legal by World Bowls. I call these types of models Jekyll & Hyde bowls..they do one thing on the test table and something different on the green. |
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We
have trial bowls sets to help in your decission of model etc. Black -0XH 1XH -2XH - 3XH - 4XH - 5H * Coloured bowls: not all colours available ex stock and available in heavyweight only. Sizes 1-5. All prices include NZ GST. For Drakes info :www.drakespride.co.uk COACHING BOWLS These are available in black, brown and colours, with WB stamp. Professional size 3XH black in stock. Please email us for special prices. Bowl models sold in NZ over past 15-20 years roughly fall into 3 groups of identifiable track up the green: "Banana" draw: Drake Ultra, Special, Taylor
Ace, David Bryant, Chieftain [Taylor] Henselite ABT2000, [later model]
Maestro [Older and wider drawing models: Drake Int'l, Taylor Int'l, Lignoid, Henselite Supergrip, Championship, Masters, Greenmaster Kiwi Classic ] CONTACT US: Bowls Direct
Ltd A. This is the most asked question/s and can be a bit confusing. All bowls are currently considered legal as defined by the Rules if they have at least minimum legal bias as set down by World Bowls and group within 100mm on a test table. But due to the sole shape engineering many recent models take much less bias on the green than is present during table testing. These models subtract or negate bias as they run down the green, the Test Bowl does not. This is a fairly recent development that has come into the game since greens comparison with the Test Bowl was dropped in favour of only table testing and with no wobble test done either. This would have shown the amount of bias subtraction that happens on the green..see pic above showing wobbled bowl not having even min bias and finishing well short of the white pass line. Older model bowls pass the min bias line when delivered normally and when wobbled. The current narrow-running sets only pass the un-wobbled test. We get many comments about bowls now being just skittles and is the subject of much concern. So how does it all work? Basically there are 2 types of bowls, non sole-shape sensitive and sole-shape sensitive based on the shape of the crown which could be descibed as self-correcting or "balanced arc sole shape"' and non self-correcting "un-balanced arc sole shape" In the pic above there are the blue lines showing the track down the test table of Drakes Professional and Ultra, both "balanced arc" type models. Both normal and wobbled delivery have taken almost the same line since the bowl recieves the same intructions to take it's normal bias regardless of which part of the bowl's sole is touching the table or green. Clearly, when wobbled, a greater amount of the bowl's running surface touches the ground as it oscillates through an arc of say 12-14 degrees. The arc shape across the centre of the bowl is like a piece of a circle, it is a constant uniform arc. It doesn't matter which part of that bowl arc is touching the green, it will take it's normal stated bias the makers have set into it, the same bias as seen on the test table. If the bowl wobbles at delivery, it doesn't change it's line. [The white line is the WB min bias pass line. Bowls delivered without any wobble must be at this mark or cross it to the right and group in a circle of 100mm to be be legal; clockwise test] The Ulimate and Excel model red lines show how a non self-correcting model will take a completely different line when wobbled, much narrower than when delivered normally upright . Generally the greater the wobble or slanted delivery, the straighter the bowl will go. This type of bowl is in effect getting 2 sets of instructions as it goes down the green. The small apex of the bowl tells it to take normal bias and the part along side left and right of the apex tells it to go straighter. Since both parts of the bowl are touching the green at the same time it can't do all of one or the other, so does a percentage of them both, thereby subtracting bias as it goes. But on the test table only the apex is touching the table, the bit that carries the bias instuctions to turn, so it takes normal stated bias and passes min bias rule requirements [ current interpretation ]. This type of bowl has an arc that is not the same unform constant shape, so in effect has 2 different running soles, primary and secondary. Only the primary one shows up on the test table allowing it to pass minimum bias rules but both show on the green making the bowl go much narrower and giving the "go narrow" effect. Due to the wider footprint the bowl has on the green as compared with the test table these bowl models will take this narrower line even without tilting , manipulating or wobbling the bowl at delivery on the green. Wobbling the bowl will make it go even narrower. The Ultimate will go narrower down the green than the Excel due to sole shape sensitivity even though their test table pass is the same. Therefore factors governing choice of models could be green type, quality, wind, and delivery skill. The "balanced arc" type bowl is a "go anywhere" bowl and will track over bumpy greens without much disruption to it's intended path and will play great for all skill levels and on all green types and is simply the best choice for players who only want 1 set of bowls. The "unbalanced arc" type has the advantage of being made to take different tracks down the green and go narrower than stated bias, play the weighted knock-on shot a little better but can suffer in adverse conditions as many bowlers can atest to with models sold here over past few years that simply don't play well outdoors. You either play the odd brilliant game or just plain terrible, consistency is hard to come by. The biggest problem is the greens we have in many parts of New Zealand and sand filled synthetics that won't allow a bowl to take consistent lines down the green and have consistent turn-in at the finish. The balanced sole bowl overcomes these problems but can't be made to take the very narrow line down the green that some players want or have been told to buy to get selected in top teams or rep play. The Drakes Pride versions of these narrow bias bowls have been designed specifically to overcome these tendencies by having "finish" instructions the bowl takes that help over-ride wind and bumpy greens. Bowlers check list: What style of game do you play? What surfaces do you play on? Some bowl models will not track well on some starweed or synthetic with sand fill. Are you a beginner? Do you ocassionally wobble a bowl unintentionally at delivery? Having trouble with varying path and turn-in with your go-narrow type bowl? Are you playing worse with your current set than the old your ones?
Q. Which model/track should I use? The Professional takes a narrower
hockey-stick line but comes into
the head at a similar arc/angle
to the Ultra and is slightly more weight sensitive.
Q. Which
model goes best in wind? Q. Should
I buy heavy or xtra-heavy weight? Q. Is the weight of an Xtra-heavy
size 3 the
same as a heavy size 4? Q.Why do my bowls track wider than my friends set? A. While 2 identical sets will take the same bias on a test table, the player's delivery has a great effect on the actual path up the green. Q. Why do my bowls pull up short as compared with another player's? A. It is surprising how
often we get this comment from bowlers, especially those who have down
sized. |
New law yellow jacks
65.8mm 410 gm $55