A crucial three-day block will go a long way to determining whether the Australians can avoid their lawn bowls blessing becoming a curse at the Commonwealth Games.
The bowls program will be run indoors at Glasgow for the first time in Games history.
Instead of the outdoor greens where the Australians won a record three gold and three silver medals four years ago, this time they will play on artificial turf.
Competitors will only have three days to prepare ahead of competition starting on Friday at Glasgow's SEC Centre.
"Look, believe it or not, we don't have a lot of indoor surfaces in Australia," doubles competitor Kelsey Cottrell told AAP.
"Our weather's too good, so we have beautiful outdoor greens, so we probably are really up against it."
It's understood rivals such as England and Scotland have had their teams preparing exclusively indoors ahead of the Games.
That's not a luxury readily available to the Australians. Cottrell went for a walk around Glasgow on Saturday and visited the bowls venue, but was not allowed inside.
On Sunday, Cottrell and her lawn bowls teammates were the first Australian competitors to be inducted at the headquarters in the heart of Glasgow.
"At the moment it's all hearsay, rumours going around about what the surface is going to be like," she said.
"We're only going to have three days to get out there and practice, so just making the most of those opportunities.
"You can go away to other events and you can ease into the practice. You won't be able to do that here."
Cottrell is back at the Games after not being part of the 2022 Birmingham team. The four-time world champion won bronze in 2010, silver at Glasgow in 2014 and then gold on the Gold Coast in 2018.
The 36-year-old will partner Games debutant Dawn Hayman in the women's pairs.
"I know what it's like to just miss out, to come to a Games and lose one game and walk away with a bronze medal," Cottrell said.
"I know what the feeling is like to win gold and I know which one I prefer."
As Cottrell and her teammates were kitted out at the Glasgow Argyle Hotel, the Australian team base, she said it was hitting home that she is back at the Games.
Unlike a world championships, which would feature five men and five women in the open events, for the Games it is only three apiece.
"It's been a long wait to get back here ... it's very special," Cottrell said.
"It's definitely hit. It's starting to feel a little bit different to a normal Australian event for us - it's a lot more special and exciting."
Australia's 12-person bowls team will also feature six para competitors.
