The New Westminster Lawn Bowling Club is a busy little place – but just wait till next year.
From the time the club opens its clubhouse doors in May and shutters them in the fall, it’s a hub of activity with all sorts of tournaments and drop-in action on the greens in Moody Park.
“This year is our 99th year. We are working very hard to try do a big splash for next year. That’s my goal,” said Darren Hutchinson, president of the New Westminster Lawn Bowling Club. “We want this year to run as smoothly as possible, but we want to get it out there that next year is our 100th year.”
Located next to Century House in Moody Park, the club has just over 100 members. Some have belonged to the club for years, while others, like Hutchinson and his wife, are newbies.
“It can be as much fun as you want it to be, it can be as serious as you want it to be,” Hutchinson said. “There’s a lot of high-end bowlers that do quite well and bowl out of New West.”
The New Westminster Lawn Bowling Club is home to some successful competitive lawn bowlers, but it’s also a place where anyone can enjoy a game of lawn bowling.
“It’s relaxing. It’s enjoyable. No one is trying to one-up anybody,” Hutchinson said. “When you are there you are there because you want to be there because you want to have some fun, be around people and be relaxed. That’s what I really enjoy about it.”
Newcomers attend introductory lessons, where they learn basic etiquette and proper techniques so they don’t hurt themselves when they start chucking balls.
While the name lawn bowling suggests the sport is akin to bowling on grass, Hutchinson said it’s more like a cross between bocce and curling. The aim of the game is to roll balls and get them to stop as close as possible to a smaller white ball that’s known as the jack.
“It’s very, very simple. It’s a lot of fun. It’s an easy game to play. It’s like anything, a tougher game to master if you want to be really competitive,” Hutchinson said. “What I really enjoyed and still enjoy, and probably the reason I spend so much time at it now, is that it is so much fun. The people are phenomenal. I have never found a group of people that are as genuine and fun as the group here.”
The New Westminster Lawn Bowling Club rents the building and property from the City of New Westminster, but maintains the space that’s home to numerous tournaments and drop-ins.
“You draw for partners or teams every time,” Hutchinson said. “If you are there and you really want to bowl with your husband, your wife or you girlfriend, then you can go on the other side by yourself. You don’t have to take part. We have an upper and a lower green so there is lots of space to throw bowls.”
The New Westminster Lawn Bowling Club is one of the clubs that still has two sets of greens, which is beneficial as it means the club can accommodate 32 teams at its tournaments. In addition to “visitations” from other clubs, the local facility hosts about eight tournaments a year – including the popular Hyack Tournament in May.
“We officially open for entries at midnight on the first Monday of May. The tournament is filled by Tuesday morning,” Hutchinson said. “There are literally people that will stop in at midnight to drop it through the slot.”
Lawn bowling tends to attract an older crowd in New West, but the sport is catching on with a younger clientele in some communities.
“We are seeing, across the Lower Mainland, younger people coming out in their 30s, late 20s,” Hutchinson said. “A lot of companies are trying lawn bowling as an event, where they come out and we will tell them about the game, teach them how to throw a ball and then they’ll do a two-hour bowling event.”
And as the saying goes, membership has its privileges.
“You can come in and throw bowls to your heart’s content,” Hutchinson said.
