The groove pattern affects your grip on the boule, the spin as you throw, and the way it rolls on impact. It also differentiates your boules from other players'. In general, the smoother the surface, the smoother it leaves the hand the more striations, the easier it is to grip and the more it grips the ground. If you roll the boule, you should choose one with more striation if you throw the boule, you should choose a smoother surface and if you are a pointer, you should choose a more striated pattern so it grips the ground. For the casual/leisure player the groove patterns greatest value is in distinguishing which boules belong to which players when it is time to add up the score. For this reason most leisure sets are sold in groups, 3 boules each with 1, 2, 3 or 4 grooves.