Indoor carpet bowling was very popular in Scotland, particularly in the south-west. Langholm tournaments were played in hotel halls and the Buccleuch Hall and could sometimes last for over 12 hours.

The equipment consisted of eight pairs of bowls (four spotted, four plain), an over carpet and under carpet made of felt (24 x 3 feet), iron end guards, and wooden side guides. The bowls were made of lignum vitae, a type of wood from the Caribbean and northern Latin America. In earlier times they were ceramic. They had no bias, i.e. did not curl in their trajectory.

Langholm hosted an annual New Year competition for the district, with the 1915 event including 45 teams from Lanarkshire, Dumfries, Annan, Carlisle and local areas. It was won by a Langholm team, consisting of William Ewart, tweed designer (skipper); Andrew Davidson, printer; James Tudhope, millworker; and William Scott, retired fruiterer.

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