The value of your Bowls Club (NMem)

Update and Cleanup Feb 2026

Now under way. 

Using your Head.  Think for a minute.  What do you pay for the use of Club facilities ?  Is it piece-meal or one yearly membership fee?  Does your club have member's participant requirements ?   What do you think you should get for your fees.?  Lets say that you pay $10 (or $20 today 2026) for a day of Greens, how many days of lawn bowls does your membership fee actually pay.

Does the total Putting Greens of Augusta
equal to your Club's Bowling Green's area ?

Greens Maintenance  If Lawn Bowls Greens are as much maintenance as the putting greens of a Golf course, and the total " Putting Greens" area of each of the 18 holes course is less or the same as the 900 square meters of Greens of a typical Lawn Bowls' Club Green. (Feb 2026 the largest green of Augusta National is the 14th hole, measuring 9,880 square feet, which is smaller than the approx 10,000 square feet of a regular Lawn Bowling green) 

Maybe we should start seeing $1500 Club fees like in Golf Course Membership. (Feb 2026, of NOTE is the Curling club next door to my Lawn Bowls club charges over $700 a season of 2 possible seasons)  Why not ?? The maintenance of the total area of  greens of Augusta National is as much work as your clubhouse and grounds and  Lawn Bowl Greens.

In an earlier Blog I approach the fact that "all members of a club must do their part to develop the local club and secure their sport of Lawn Bowls".  Your love of the sport and your pride in its future should also be directed toward new members who do not find such a cheap participation and welcome in various other sports.

As we see from our previous experience with a large (hundred or more member in Canada is large) club showed that some clubs maintain these memberships numbers with "Social Members" and "Social Activities".  Don t be surprise when your lease on your Lawn Bowling club is replaced by a muncipal  decision to make it a Social club without a bowling green.

  Club Insurance -  First,in Canada, with the exception of Quebec, the french province, all insurance at the club level is in three parts of responsibilities..  Lawn Bowls participants are protected from club to club and province to province by their membership in the Canadian Lawn Bowls Association, (Bowls Canada Boulingrin).

Secondly, most clubs assets, clubhouse, lawn and maintenance, are administrated by the city or town.  Therefore, insurance for the municipal liability and  propriety damage is covered by them as a town or city property.  For this reason, even in England, we have seen more Lawn Bowls Clubs belly up as municipalities tighten their spending budget.

Finally, many clubs, wanting to protect their administrator, which are volunteers from local or provincial levels attacks;  advise club members of obtaining a personal insurance. Sometime, under the coverage of the club's own insurance.

These three levels of insurance can be very confusing when an accident appears to happen.  I say, "appears" because today in the insurance industry the trend is to "pass the buck" to blame another insurance coverage. This attitude is needed or applying  in most sort of accident. 

In Quebec, the Provincial Sport Association define safety for all sports and provide extra (and immediate) accident insurance. (I have seen figures of over $10,000 for such Club insurance). (Feb 2026 When this blog was written almost 15 years ago, the provincial government sporting body established strick administration structure for all sport clubs. But today this structure does not exist or is not inspected. Simple things like member's health problems, list of qualified members with medical experience and other supervisory structure to protect members and the club)

Canadian Blind Lawn Bowls Facebook

 Who must pay this insurance?) Does the rates increase as we as members become less responsible for safety and more accidents occur ? Forgot the monetary value.  A lot of older Lawn Bowlers may find the slow healing of a fracture means a lot of pain and even lost of the opportunity. (Feb 2026 - I started the Blind Bowls Facebook thinking someone would take charge. It is still there with visitors but now beyond 80 I have no time for it.)

As as example,  A skip decides to throw a heavy bowl or Drive without any warning but only thinking to break the head. The bowl rebounds and hits a person. First, the club must have security (Green's executives or Match executive) and decisions on how they supervise the game.

  Rules like "Only mate or skip should be on the green during a Drive" are avoiding responsibility. The rebound bowl could also go to the neighbouring green where players are changing ends or involved in non-head activities. Does Skips doing a drive follow a procedure of communication and the mate in the head clear the members before a drive? 

 If the bowl hit the backstop and rebound, and the condition of the surrounding boards or protective facilities maybe questioned by the insurance company.  I have seen a bowl hit the back of the ditch and rebound over a 1.5 meter wire fence.

 
   Club Coaching    In "Coaching", do we teaches new member about drives or heavy bowls and how to prepare for what might occur during a game. Yes, we do not expect any new members to do any "Drives", but more important to know what is the skip's responsibility toward team members. Not just teach them to understand why a skip's decision is such and such or  do we explain the lack of responsibilities that exist and the dangers. NO  Is Security not important ??

Bowls Canada Promotion
Blind Lawn Bowls. 

  Words toward new members by Bowls Canada on the  promotion of the sport, writes in their publication "How Can We Grow Our Club" 
 "By working together as a club to make people feel welcome. Encourage outside entrance and ask yourself would you feel comfortable if you came in on the street to play Bowls for the first time?" In a recent support letter to a club executive, when bring Blind Bowlers to the club at the suggestion of the municipality: I suggested that if the club wanted to use the distance (frequently unused  green) then they must take responsibility for the preparation for these special need bowlers.  Water hoses, walking path access, or other obstructions have to be removed  prior to the arrival and usage of that green. 

Until recently, in Canada, Bowls Canada, the national Lawn Bowls organization and BBAC (Blind Bowls Assoc of Canada) were not supporting each other's efforts. (Feb 2026 - Today Bowls Canada replaced the BBAC and does next to nothing to develop or support its efforts. Is there now a BCB involvement in Blind Bowls). The facebook page(above) promote Blind Lawn Bowls. Not just for Canadian but for all nations. If you or someone of your club wants to becomes involved... Even just a like helps like answering the inquires of readers; it is yours (Feb 2026 Springhiler@gmail.com).
 Remember, Facebook and Twitter is not user friendly to Visually impaired individuals so it is for you, the visual lawn Bowls lover.  Each of us can creat a web page, as I did with Maritime Blind Bowls page  in 2012, or maybe just  and following another Blind Bowlscompetition, like 2011 Champions. .It all promotes our sport.
  This summer, we have a Blind Bowls team going to England; will there be  some BCB Head office involvement with  Canadian Blind Bowls.(At least it is being promoted on the webpage of Bowls Canada)
This is not a critizism of BCB,, all volunteers do the best they can and this blog mentions BCB in hopes to promote the new (and greatly improved) Canadian Bowls Web page. and point to articles lke attached to the photo showing Niagera first match of the year..

 

 Also at a club level, each "special need" individual should have their own support member and the club should have a "activity supervisor".  Each volunteers should each know their responsibilities and how to react to various needs which might arrive..
Get involved.  More involvement means more members as this support show not only to those "special need" individuals but also become a dinner table conversation; which speaks well for the sport, the club and the members.  Get involved as much as you can
Are you excited to extend your passion for the sport , or recreation, of Lawn Bowls to others, noon participant  groups ? What are you planning to do this year.

    This year2013, which just finishes now in australia has had a lot of excitement  for a 12 year old lawn bowler, who  participated in a major competition; and done very well.
This brings to mind, when in Montreal,  a fellow club member who was a member of the Canadian National team; and the clubs best bowler, took time to include a new 2nd year lawn bowler ( a special needs individual) on his provincial team.  They went to the national and this unique individual was so appreciated by the national bowlers that, that year,  a new award was created for "Most sportive individual at the National"  Which of course he won by votes from all national participants.  Does the award still exist?   You will be surprise how these individuals with change your sport.  (and your view of Lawn Bowls and fellow members)
  Last,  speak up when you hear comments which are clearly signs of exclusion. "We don't want "THOSE" people as members." should find members speaking up.  I am sure that the individual who made the comment does not see their comment as discrimination. but it is and very destructive to the life of the club.. Show them their errors.
 As I finished  a few blogs about 1906 Lawn Bowls( see the blog), I find the "Old guys" club attitude existed even  back then but of the 45 bowlers who sailed from United Kingdom to Canada, several  brought their wives and daughters. And certainly without the use of the Ladies of Canadian Clubs visited, there would never been such a successful 1906 tour.

As far back as the decree of "Royal Bowls " there were exclusion from the sport certain "those types".  In the History of England, we find that King Edward III, and Richard II  both played the game of Bowls.  But also Lawn Bowls History shows how it was restricted to the wealthy, and even  at one point Lawn bowls was forbidden except on the Royal Greens.
 Today, Australia, the largest and best developed Lawn Bowls nation, has began in the past few years to have mixed tournaments although still some private clubs have restrictions on women membership or condition of play.In Canada, at one point two different organizations govern the playing of Lawn Bowls. Canadian Lawn Bowling Council (CLBC)and Canadian Ladies Lawn Bowling Council (CLLBC) in 1972. Both were combined into one organization in 1982 as Lawn Bowls Canada and now the Bowls Canada..