The equations of motion of a biased bowl rolling on a plane horizontal grass green are derived by Lagrange's method, using an appropriate representation of the effect of the green. The equations are solved approximately under general initial conditions which include the presence of a perturbing wobble.

An expression is derived for the total angle of precession of the bowl, and the equation of the path is found in parametric form. The theory predicts that (contrary to universal belief) the effect of an initial wobble on the bowl path is negligible under normal playing conditions.

A detailed comparison is made between the predictions of the theory and experimental results obtained on several greens of different speeds.