The Sniper Arm was created for one simple reason - to help a bowler stay on the green.

Auckland‑based bowler Greg Yelavich MBE, who plays his bowls at Orewa and around the North Harbour centre, faced that challenge after being struck by a car and suffering serious knee injuries. Doctors advised it could be around six months before he would be able to bend well enough to bowl again.

Like many bowlers dealing with injury or mobility challenges, Greg turned to a bowling arm so he could continue playing the sport he loves.

Seeing room for improvement

The bowling arms available at the time allowed Greg to keep bowling, but they weren’t ideal. The grips often felt uncomfortable, the release felt slow, and the fit wasn’t always right.

Greg’s sporting background played an important role here. Before bowls, he spent decades competing at the highest level in pistol shooting including seven Commonwealth Games and two Olympic Games. A sport where clearly, precision is critical. Grip comfort, release timing and consistency all matter - and those instincts quickly transferred to bowls equipment.

Greg began asking a simple question: could a bowling arm be more comfortable, more consistent and easier to use?

From shooting to 3D printing

At the time, Greg and his close shooting friend Pero were already working with 3D printing, designing custom pistol grips tailored to individual shooters.

This experience helped them develop skills in:

• producing complex shapes and curves
• refining designs quickly
• understanding material strength and performance

Greg first tried improving an existing bowling arm by adding a 3D‑printed part. It soon became clear that designing a new arm from the ground up would work better.

Designing a new bowling arm

Starting fresh allowed every element to be designed with purpose. Because of printer size limits, the arm had to be built in parts, with careful attention paid to strength, durability and how the components fitted together.

Time was also spent researching different printing materials to find the right balance of strength, flexibility and heat resistance.

Some things came together quickly. The bowl‑holding design was achieved within two attempts using photos and 3D modelling.

Adjustability mattered too. While height adjustment was simple, Greg also wanted the arm to be easy to dismantle and transport. That led to the cam lever system now used on the Sniper Arm, making it quicker to adjust and easier to carry.

Getting the feel right

Much of the development focused on the handle grip and trigger system.

The handle grip was designed to naturally hold the hand in the same position every time, helping keep the delivery steady and true to line.

The trigger took longer to perfect. Finding the right balance between holding the bowl securely and allowing a smooth release required extensive testing. Feedback from other bowlers was crucial in refining a trigger that works well for a wide range of users.

Strength through smart design

To improve durability, components of the Sniper Arm are printed in different directions, similar to layered plywood. This approach adds strength where it’s needed without extra weight.

A lifetime in sport

Alongside bowls, Greg Yelavich has had a remarkable sporting career, including:

• 12 Commonwealth Games medals - the most by any New Zealander
• Eight Commonwealth Games as an athlete and three as a coach
• More than 80 national pistol titles
• Olympic appearances in 1988 and 1992
• An MBE awarded in 1994 for services to sport

While shooting was his main sporting focus for many years, bowls remained an important part of his life. Since retiring, Greg now spends more time on the green at Orewa and across North Harbour.

The Sniper Arm today

The Sniper Arm as it exists today is the result of lived experience, practical problem‑solving and feedback from bowlers willing to test and improve it.

It wasn’t designed to be complicated. It was designed to work.

For Bowls New Zealand, the Sniper Arm is a strong example of how innovation within the sport can come from the bowling community itself - helping people stay involved, active and connected to the game they love.