The 7 Best Bowling Clubs in Sydney
Best bowling clubs in Sydney are those where people enjoy the sport of bowls. Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a “jack” or “kitty”. It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for “flat-green bowls”) or convex or uneven (for “crown green bowls”). It is normally played outdoors (although there are many indoor venues) and the outdoor surface is either natural grass, artificial turf or cotula (in New Zealand). Bowls is generally played in a very good spirit, even at the highest professional level, acknowledgment of opponents’ successes and near misses being quite normal.
What is Lawn Bowls?
Lawn bowling is a popular sport in Australia. Many people become members at one of the many bowling clubs in Sydney to enjoy what this game has to offer. The object of lawn bowling is to get ones balls closest to the small white ball that is located 75 to 108 feet away from where the player stands. The balls or bowls as they are called that are thrown by the players are lopsided which causes them to curve as they are rolled towards the white ball that is called the jack. The bowls come in a variety of weights sizes and bias.
Lawn bowls is usually played on a large, rectangular, precisely levelled and manicured grass or synthetic surface known as a bowling green which is divided into parallel playing strips called rinks. In the simplest competition, singles, one of the two opponents flips a coin to see who wins the “mat” and begins a segment of the competition (in bowling parlance, an “end”), by placing the mat and rolling the jack to the other end of the green to serve as a target. Once it has come to rest, the jack is aligned to the centre of the rink and the players take turns to roll their bowls from the mat towards the jack and thereby build up the “head”.
Why Lawn Bowls are popular?
A bowl may curve outside the rink boundary on its path, but must come to rest within the rink boundary to remain in play. Bowls falling into the ditch are dead and removed from play, except in the event when one has “touched” the jack on its way.
“Touchers” are marked with chalk and remain alive in play even if they get into the ditch. Similarly if the jack is knocked into the ditch it is still alive unless it is out of bounds to the side resulting in a “dead” end which is replayed, though according to international rules the jack is “respotted” to the centre of the rink and the end is continued. After each competitor has delivered all of their bowls (four each in singles and pairs, three each in triples, and two bowls each in fours), the distance of the closest bowls to the jack is determined (the jack may have been displaced) and points, called “shots”, are awarded for each bowl which a competitor has closer than the opponent’s nearest to the jack. For instance, if a competitor has bowled two bowls closer to the jack than their opponent’s nearest, they are awarded two shots. The exercise is then repeated for the next end, a game of bowls typically being of twenty-one ends.
Lawn bowls is played on grass and variations from green to green are common. Greens come in all shapes and sizes: the most common are fast, slow, big crown, small crown.
The great thing about the game is that it can be enjoyed by people of all skill levels. That is what makes the bowling clubs in Sidney so popular. They are perfect for men and women and families. The atmosphere of the club is fun and entertaining and there is always much more going on than just playing the game. They are a social atmosphere where people can gather.
Interesting facts about bowling clubs
- Bowls Australia is the governing body for the sport of bowls in Australia. Bowls Australia is responsible for the leadership, development and management of lawn bowls in Australia. It is a not-for-profit organisation governed by a voluntary board that provides the strategic direction for the sport and the strategies that are implemented by the staff at the national office.
- Bowls Australia’s members are the nine state and territory bowls associations.
- There are over 2,000 clubs and 240,000 registered participants affiliated with member states and territories. In addition there are many social bowlers participating in competitions across Australia.
- Bowls Australia is affiliated with World Bowls and the Australian Commonwealth Games Association where it is a core sport in the Commonwealth Games held every four years.
- In 1949, the first national women’s bowls championship took place in the country. It was held in Sydney and took place two years after the creation of a national women’s bowls association, the Australian Women’s Bowling Council. This first championship was won by Mrs. R. Cranley, who represented the Coorparoo Club in Queensland. At the 1982 Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane, Australia, new women’s sports were included on the programming including archery and lawn bowls.
Best Bowling Clubs in Sydney
The key to really enjoying what bowling clubs can offer is to find the right club. In Sydney there are many clubs to choose from, but people may want to consider the top 7 Bowling Clubs In Sydney when they are looking for a place to go.
- Paddington Bowling Club – One of the first clubs to promote barefoot bowling. They offer a refurbished bar that has plenty of beer and great food to enjoy while playing the games.
- Marrickville Bowling Club – The lawn bowling is only one of the activities that can be enjoyed hear. Mexican food, music and monthly parties bring many people out to this club.
- Batmain Bowling Club – This club has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating club in New South Wales. Despite their long history, they have adopted the idea of barefoot bowling and the fun that comes with it. They also have great food and drink at Finola’s Restaurant.
- Camperdown Bowling & Recreation Club – The students in Sydney love this club and its atmosphere. It is a popular place to spend the day instead of in boring classes.
- Manly Bowling Club – This club is a great spot to have fun. A combination of music, bowling, food and fun are the perfect place to meet others in Sydney.
- Waverly Bowling and Recreation Club – This RSL bowling club is located only a few blocks away from the beach. The no frills atmosphere mixes perfectly with the warm beach air and provides a place for people to have fun and to enjoy what the club has to offer.
- Harbord Diggers – This club is one of the cheapest places to play. They claim that the see breeze will make your bowls curve better although there is no proof. Any way you cut it, this club is sure to help you have a good time.
Find the best bowling clubs in Sydney
Choosing any of these Bowling Clubs In Sydney is a great way to enjoy the sunshine and the fun in Sydney with some drinks and entertainment. Even if you never play a single game, although you should, spending a day at these clubs is sure to put a smile on your face that won’t go away anytime soon.
Other Bowling Clubs in Australia
Besides Bowling Clubs In Sydney you can find other popular bowling clubs in Australia.
1. The Melbourne Bowling Club
The Melbourne Bowling Club, nicknamed the Demons, and affiliated with Bowls Victoria (BV), is the oldest lawn bowling club in Australia. Founded in 1864, the club has been based at Union Street, Windsor, Victoria, Australia on a continuous basis since formation.
Melbourne’s uniform consists of a shirt displaying a Red and white devil, on a blue background, and blue pants/shorts with “Melbourne” prominently displayed along their length.
Historically the club has had many successes going back to 1892, and since the formation of the Premier League in 1997 Melbourne has won eight premierships having played in 17 grand finals in 21 years.
The club also currently fields a team in Divisions 2, 4 and 8 in the Bowls Victoria Saturday Metropolitan Pennant competitions.
2. Adelaide Bowling Club
Adelaide Bowling Club was founded in 1897 and is the oldest bowling club in South Australia. The first green was established on a plot 300 by 95 yards (274 by 87 m) behind Government House, North Terrace. Its location was later an impediment to a plan by the Adelaide City Council to extend Kintore Avenue through to Victoria Drive, and so provide another exit from the city and so reduce traffic congestion. For this reason, the club was moved to its present location in 1958.
The Club now has its premises within Rymill Park in the eastern parklands, with the entrance off Dequetteville Terrace.
3. Bowls Victoria
Bowls Victoria, established in 1880 is the governing body for the sport of bowls in the State of Victoria. In addition to its specific responsibility for governing the sport and the development of the game at all levels, it also has a social objective to enhance existing bowling communities and to position bowls clubs and the sport in the wider community.
Bowls Victoria has a responsibility to govern the game as directed by World Bowls and Bowls Australia, to run events at state level and also to run Pennant competition in the Metro region. We have representative teams at senior, under-25, under-18, over-60 and bowlers arm levels. They also have a responsibility to promote the sport in the community at large and in minorities. Clubs can lean on Bowls Victoria for support in a range of areas.
There are over 520 bowls clubs across Victoria, with 50,000 plus members affiliated with Bowls Victoria.
4. Bowls Queensland
Bowls Queensland (BQ) is the governing body for lawn bowls in Queensland, Australia. There are over 600 bowls clubs in Queensland, with more than 40,000 members all up. Each club is part of one of 20 district associations.
CLUBS: CAIRNS & Far north: Gordovale bowls club, Edmonton bowls club, West Cairns Bowls club, Stratford Bowls club, Marlin Coast bowls club, Edge Hill Bowls club, Mossman bowls club, Mareeba bowls club, Yungaburra bowls club, Weipa bowls club
Central Queensland: Charters Towers bowls club, Hughenden bowls club, Richmond bowls club, Cloncurry bowls club
Brisbane: Coorparoo bowls club, Merthyr bowls club, New Farm bowls club
GOLD Coast: Helensvale Bowls club, Musgrave hill bowls club, Southport bowls club, Burleigh heads bowls club, BroadBeach bowls club, Tugun bowls club
Former clubs: Masonic Bowls club (Cairns), Cairns Bowls club, Surfers Paradise bowls club, Townsville city lawn bowls club, East Brisbane bowls club, South Brisbane Bowls club, Moorooka bowls club.
5. WA Bowling Club
Perth & Tattersalls Bowling and Recreation Club is a bowling club based in East Perth, Western Australia. The club was formed from an amalgamation of the Perth Bowling and Recreation Club and the Western Australian Tattersalls Club in the 1970s. It is the oldest bowling club in Perth, Western Australia.
