Greens Committee Part 2

Most of my blogs are intended to help the readers improve their Lawn Bowls, however, the future of Lawn bowls  depends upon there  being a lawn bowling club tomorrow.  Too often the other club which disappear is of little concern to us.  Lawn Bowls must survive world wide and this may mean your involvement as a club members, in activities that build a better club. To expect a better services to yourself and members is more than just changing clubs.  Getting involved may mean being part of a Greens committee at your club and helping the Greenskeeper in greens maintenance.

There are Lawn Bowls Clubs which are privately run like a Sport Business, ( Australia and United Kingdom have quite a few); however, in Canada and several other countries the clubhouse and greens belong to the muncipility and the Lawn bowls club is administrated by an executive of volunteers.

 To the right Broughton&Bretton LBC has "put their greens to bed" with their work finished for the year. Though out this blog are photos of various clubs which have recently closed in 2016 by their muncipility.  A few years ago, almost half of the muncipility own clubs in Wales closed in a similar manner.

 When the elected members of the muncipility meet and discuss the amount of investment in your lawn bowls club ( land and yearly expenses); and then compare it to the number of citizens which make use of the sport facility we find that they conclude that the sport is not a goodmuncipilital investment. 

Are being closed because  the few longtime elite lawn bowks players  are seeking out a better clubs with better services? We find that very often they speak of the important of the quality of the bowling greens as becoming one of the major deciding factor. This blog is not intended as critizism of many volunteer green keepers but more as a warning to the club executives that the financial stability of the club is not judged by finalcial statements. An executive committee administrating a lawn bowls club is required to controlled everything that loses membership. Paying a membership fee often makes members look at the greens keepers services as to the quality of the lawn bowls greens. These expenses can not be excluded.

This blog is hard to write because in criticizing the club administration, who are often volunteers with little financial knowledge; it also suggest that the executives are allowing themself to be bullied and overrun by the demands of a Greenkeepers.Every year these green keepers are asking more for the few months of work; and where many Greens keepers in muncipial clubs are usually volunteers and give a great deal of their time; none of the club executives feel  it is important  to use members on a Greens committee as a supporting arm of the greens maintenance.

Another club lost revently @Chaddertonbowls

 These muncipal owned club sudde3nly arrive without a greenskeeper and run crazy to try to find and  hire individuals to  replace their green maintenance personnel. Yes, this happens !!  And as fewer and fewer club members are asked to help as part of a Greens committee, there are less members who have experience working with greens maintenance.

  Members who become active on a Greens committee are always learning about the various tasks through a Bowls season. How is a "Greens Committee" started ? A decision of the executive to have members helping the greenkeepers and a distribution of some of the responsibilities of maintenance and setup greens schedule. As these tasks are passed to members  and the greens keeper is busy doing expert work; we find that there is a greens committee.

  If the lawn bowling club president was a CEO of a company he would be fighting with some of his/her employee who were not  contributing their best. The club president, who often is the sole responsible for greens decision and working with the greens keeper;  and as a member of the executive committee should be questioning the money  spends for the services received from the greens keeper.  . To pay  $4000 or $5000  to a Greenskeeper for four months of work (which happens in clubs with $200 or more fees)  and for the club executives to not bother to evaluate this investment is definitly bad administration. If you as a club member read this and think likewise, the question becomes "What are you going ot do about it?"  There is a lot of work and knowledgeable decisions in maintenance of a Lawn Bowls Green and where most greenkeepers are volunteers they are paid so little that they are worth their pay. 

Today the green is a garden @chaddertonbowls

 However, where an individual does everything and expects a big contract; the creatuin of a Greens committee as a pool of support should be seen not as decreasing the work of the greenskeeper; but as a way to save money when tasks like post season greens maintenance require a lot of work and manpower.. 

 In the spring and fall when the work on the greens  requires many hours, and old members are returning as members, this is the time for the recruitement of members for a Greens committee.  It is easily in early season to define various tasks which will be done by the Greens committee , such as using the greens roller or setting up the new bowl greens each morning; and free the greenskeeper for doing work which requires his expertise. A greens keeper which must spend all day visiting supplier to find a special lawn maintenance package and price is better spend than picking up early spring weeds and dandilions.  Get the member involved and keep that contract for greens maintenance of the greens keeper to specific task. Remove the total control of the green from the green keeper.

This week a club member said to me. “ we have an $8000 roller and not once this year has it been used “ If for some reason this is true, this shows a busy greenskeeper of a club which does not have a greens committee to perform these tasks..  My friend, Laurance , of another club, which I visited with him.would go out every morning of  club game play and spend 2 hours on the greens roller.  He is proud of his contribution and the club is proud of  the quality of their greens. 

  Likewise, green committee members can do many greens preparation tasks in the morning during the time the greenskeeper is cutting or preparing the greens. Not only do they appreciate being able to contribute to the green maintenance and become proud of their work but also they are increasing their knowledge of greens maintenance.  Most members of a Greens committee are more than willing to learn and would be happy to help with cutting, top-filling and airation work when these jobs are being done.

Most hateful of all... a parking lot today

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One of the common questions the executive and greenkeepers are asked are “Why are the greens so slow in early season ?” and “Can we not lower the cutting edge of the mower to give a faster green ?” With a Greens committee the active club members would know the value of allowing the greens to grow and be involved in educating members on the need for the grass to develop a good early season trasking and then the important of cross cutting during regular maintenance.  Here again the committee member has helped the greenskeeper by defusing a negative discussion of members, who without knowledgeable information are critizing a good job done by greens maintenance volunteers.

With the exception of clubs where the club president or a member of the executive is a previous greenskeeper; most volunteers who accept a role of  a club executive have little or no knowledge of proper greens maintenance. When as a homeowner you hire a plumber or electrician you may not know all the regulations and all the “how-to”  for the work you are requesting; but you know standards exist which define how that work must be performed. Likewise there are books on Greens maintenance and all clubs should have them for members wishing to develop a Greens Committee or help with greens maintenance.

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 Bowls Canada Boulingrin (BCB),  the Canadian  national Lawn Bowls governing body knows of this important of volunteer greenskeepers having a good source of information on  greens maintenance. 

 Several Years ago BCB went to Australia and hired an experience and knowledgeable advisor  and at the end of that summer produced a great publication which is still available in many lawn bowls clubs thoughout the country.  This publication tends to disappear  where the greenskeeper  is changing every few years or where the greens keeper does not want this knowledge made available to the club executives.  The lack of a control of documentation supplied or purchased by the club about the fine detail of Greens maintenance; is a very serious administrative fault of the lawn bowls club executive.

Where a Greens committee exist we very often  find a library of these publications and others like the blog written last year called Greenskeeper gift. These Magazines,doctumentation and the committee discussions on previous executive decision and policies on   greens maintenance would be available for new greens Committee members. . Club membership come from many walks of life and sometime members with previous  golf courses administration bring some very  important knowledge. Knowledge of golf course maintenance, local landscaping and lawn maintenance companies and other experience of the club members become valuable for the Greens committee.

 

At our club we have a very good greens keeper who receives  praise from most of the other local clubs. But ,I am sorry to say, he also is strong on a refusal  to share the knowledge.  This lack of development of members of the greens committee by the greens keeper, can dangerous when the club discovers it does not any longer have their regular greens keeper.  Yes job security and pride in one's work means  to not show too much to too many individuals; but when a club loses a greenskeeper whether  sickness or age; it can be sufficent of a problems to replace or train another that the lose  causes the complete closure of the club.

The greens committee should work with the greenskeeper and if the greenskeeper does not use these volunteers the Committee chair (usually an executive member) must express their wishes that the greens keeper know the importance of teaching and showing the Greens committee the fine points of Greens maintenance. If there is a cost increases every year for greens maintenance, the executives must stand strong in financial restrains and find that the use of volunteers and the Greens committee; is another way to cut greens maintenance cost with out more hiring.

beachhousepark or  Worthing  ?

On twitter Mark Reed @Mark_bingo_Reed posted the photo left with the comment "Gone down hill a bit since I was last here...shame to see it" How many times have you visited an old club and saw the same thing.  Will this be your club's greens next year ?

 This week, at the General Assemble I asked the tresorier  if we had an inventory of Greens Maintenance equipment and an expected value. “You can not tell the members whether we have $1000 or $20,000 in greens maintenance equipment”  was the follow-up question when told  " It was too difficult because we have some and we borrow some" and I am sorry to say all members sitting at the Assemble accepted this reply.

 Another job for a Greens committee for documentations whic they maintians yearly,  is the administration task ofs inventory and  other  documentation, like where and how certain equipment is maintained and stored thoughout the non-bowls season.  In another club, of which I am a member, we discovered that several years ago the club loaned greens maintenance equipment to the Tennis club and this equipment was still in storage in a Tennis club shed.  The Greens commitee should be concerned if the club insurance cover the replacement of  certain inventory and certainly new equipment which is purchased .

This week some club members were happy to be able to roll bowls on the 15^th of October but another knowledgeable members made comment that  it was strange that the post season work of airation and sanding  had not yet started on our greens.. A greens maintenance schedule, if made, would have defined  by the greens keeper and the green committee in early lawn bowls season; what is the actual available bowl time of the greens to all   members. It would have been clear that bowling has ended and when the post season work was to have began.

 Again the work of the need for a greens committee who is working between the club executivesand the greens keeper.  If these questions were  left to the club executives to consider; they would have not time  with the end of season workload of reports and financial statemen; and it may be that the greenskeeper has had major problems which prevent these task from being performed.  What is the conditions of a green in the following year if not  prepared post-season maintenance.  Some clubs decide in Canada to do a cover of the green with burlap material and/or straw to prevent spring frost damage.

   One member commented “Maybe the work is not needed this year”. 

 In  photo (Burlington LBC) the many individuals involved with the post season work is a sign of a healthy club.  If a club does not make expectation of the greenskeeper to  complete this year end work they accept that the greens next year will be unacceptable.  We all must be educated  and know that the use the greens committee is a big part of greens maintenance.  Otherwise we all  are creating a dangerous problem which will arrive when the discuss is made for  the new maintenance contract next year.   I visited my club twice over the last two weeks, since the closing and no end of season work has yet been done.  Will it be done in the spring?  Does it make a difference to greens quality?   These questions are best for the executive to ask of other clubs in the area which have a greens keeper which performs the end of seasons tasks of maintenance.

  Financial stability of a Lawn Bowls club does not mean being a private club but means money is spend wisely and members who pay dues get their best value for the high membership fees. Members who asked for more are more likely to also give more to the club.

 If no Greens committee exist then the executives not only have to pay for hired help but the club members who could help and learn the trade of greens maintenance have lost their opportunity.