Greens Committee Part 1

Most of my blogs are intended to help with

Team Effort

 improving the readers bowling and mental tricks to help better understand their abilities and the game. 

  However, the future of our Sport (bowls) depends upon the survival of the local clubs as today more and more clubs are being closed. Why ?

 Everyone should be involved in preserving their club and where in some countries like Canada; there are very few private clubs it might be the decision of  Municipal councils if our club survives. Without private clubs which owned land and clubhouse and our sport being a business venture by a few wealthy individuals; the club become administrated by executives which are volunteers. To these individual whom for a year or two accept to administrative the club and greens; they may not have the survial of the greens as a priority. Their interest is not in developing a better bowling experience for the members, but their own expectation. 

  Now in  the Northern hemisphere, we are closing the Lawn Bowls season and our clubhouses and having the General Assemble of  members. Who will be the new executives for the coming year.

In the next two blogs, I will do an introduction of explaining why the decision of members to "get-involved" in their club and the value of a well developed "Greens Committee "  will mean your club will have a future.

The "Greens Committee" should  work with the Match Committee  with the intention of provide the best greens available; to members for club games and to visiting Lawn Bowlers in competitions. The "Greens Committee" members concerns is first to protect the Lawn Bowling greens against damage during the club fun game and work with the Match executive in establishing schedules. and maintenance conditions. Yes, every muncipal Bowls club has their greens keeper,which between the small few hundred dollars the club can afford to paid them and their pride of maintaning a good green; they need the help of a team of volunteer.

  First, is the education of all club members (and visitors) toward their responsibility to protect the greens during play. Here the "Greens Committee" must interact with the Coaching Team and inprove the quality of instruction to Beginning Members. It is not sufficent to teach them the game and how to deliver a good bowl to the jack; but also that being a Club member is also being responsible toward a well maintained Playing green.

Also, all members of the club should work toward the future development of the club and it facilities wheather they accept to work with the "Greens Committee", the "Match Committee" or accept a role on the Social Aspects.  Each committee should have its own chairperson who is usually a member of the club's executive and have their own bi-weekly meetings to discuss and develop policies. These policies may have been established before hand in previous years and only need to be adapted to the new year of Bowls; or there may need to be a better understanding between the  club executives and the "Greens Committee" in support of the enorous work needed done by a Greenskeeper.

Under a Match chairperson who also is probably a member of the club's executive, the "Match Committee" is responsible for organizing the activities and various types of games of play for the members; as well as the various competition scheduled during a Lawn Bowls Season. This large task of organizing the activities of Bowls must be done with the Greens committee, Match will expect that the Greens Chairperson and Greens keeper will attempt to offer the best conditions;y while maintaining the best security of persons and material. INCLUDING THE GREENS.

How important is a "Green’s Committee"?   I would not venture to guess how many good bowlers have left their club to go to another club with better greens.  Faster, or better maintained.  How would you feel, paying a couple Hundred dollars for a four month of Lawn bowls and one morning  discovering the greens like the photo to left.  Who’s fault is it ?.  Fall damage by rodents (Squirrels, Skunks) or can this have been prevented by the members with the help of a "Greens Committee". 

A recent discussion about this fall damage to the greens, suggested it was caused by skunks digging for grubs. This is possible as our greens are neighbouring  the community garden. However, when the damage is unique to a certain part of the greens and happens overnight it may be strange for one time visitors to be squirrels or skunks.

However, I believe this was caused by the lack of control on the use of the greens and slack rules which allowed regular  street footware being used on the greens. Since the rules have been slack on the type of footwear, many members buy sailing or running shoes with flat soles and  no heels and then the club accepts them as proper lawn bowling footware.

 YES, during early summer, we often see these flat footware worn by members to bowl. Heck, in Canada the flop-flops type sandals are common.  Wear these shoes all day and then come to the club and going onto the green. Without a Greens committee which studies this greens damage s problem and takes it to various concern individuals;  (executive, greenskeeper, pest control)  we just accept it as "Oh Well what can we do ?"  Yes, with a lack of implementing of  a clear policy about footwear; and especiallyy during the fall months when may trees drop their fruit onto sidewalks; this will happen every year.

  
 My apartment is surrounded by apple trees which are beautifully flowered in the spring but now in the fall  my sidewalk from house to Car consists of a lot of small apples. Other members have acorns or other fruits on their footpath and likewise bring these foods to the greens when they wear the same footware.

 Small apples crushed by people passing on the sidewalk get onto your street footware, which if you do not change before going onto the greens; you can be sure to have carried  this food scent to the green. Squirrels which leave the greens alone all year round are attracted now to this new scent and believe a buried treat awaits them so the digging begins.  

When I first saw this problem, I thought why that single green only; and why so far from the community garden.  I realized that I had been the day before,  helping a learning member with a problem in delivery and I had not changed my footware before going on the green.  Yes, I think it was my fault.

Our club does not have a "Greens committee " to bring such problems or even develop an aawareness of such problems. This is  one type discussion members of a Greens committee will find interesting and of course the executives don t have time to study or discuss these things.

 The Greens chairperson, at our club is the president and as a member of the club executives would definitely need members to work with him (as  Greens committee) to suggest such policy to members. Asking them to understand the need for  unique footware in the fall.  Therefore no such policy exist or will be installed and  applied in the coming (or following) year. So the greens will have this problem every fall.  Personalty,  I have for many years use only a clubhouse stored pair of lawn bowl shoes for this reason. This is an example of greens protection which involves all members.

Some of the members of a Greens Committee to work with the Chairman and the Greenskeeper are:

Games Person - This individual take a preparation and verification role in the club games schedule as organized by club Match Committee.  This schedule created by Match Committee establish the club`s game  games time for each club activity and the Greens Person  helps to arrange that games and competitions run smoothly.  While the greens keeper has worked  hours preparing the greens Games, he should see the Greens committee individual as responsible to verify that all greens preparation and security is in place before and during club game play..

Greens Preparation  - Where  Greens are usually rotated in their direction of play and the boundary lines

 of play changed daily; the Greens individual (or greenskeeper if working daily hours) will be sure that greens are  prepare before anyone goes on to the greens.

 Although the direction of play will be a posted schedule  in the clubhouse and the match individuals who place mats, pushers and protective screens could also setup these Green boundary indicators; it is usually suggested the Greens committee individual do this work in the early morning.  If so prepared or check,  every morning and again prior to the club game play; such  verification also shows a well organized and responsible club.

Yes, the Umpire is expected to check these things before a competition and I would not wish to say how many times as a player I have told an umpire the greens were not setup properly.   Our club has letters A to Z and on a day which line E (center line large white iindicator in photo right) is played  the rink or greens boundaries (smaller white strips) are also set on E. The next day the letter is changed and the center of the greens are moved left or right to prevent extreme wear on any given green. Everyone walks up a green in the center and therefore pack the center unless changed daily.

  Not a big task if controlled by one individual or an individual per certain game play. (Thursday's night play). What happens if the greenskeeper has requested certain area of the greens not be played that day?? Without a greens committee the greenskeeper must  be there when match is preparing the greens or simply leave a note for his Greens committee person responsible for that day and know this individual will verify his wishes are respected.

  Competitions may require  that the best available greens be assigned for the competition and give the best performance  to all visiting players.   In some cases certain part of the overall greens may be suggested, by the greens keeper or greens committee; as being withheld from play because of problems ( damage or has bad roll or falls) causing bad bowls performance. As a the greens preparation individual, in previous years,  I often rolled bowls with the greenskeeper prior to assigning greens, to evaluate and provide the best greens (I am a left hand bowler).

Lets look at what happens when a Greens Committee  does not exist and one member of the executive makes decisions concerning the greens; ( At our club this individual is the club president)

 At our club in early evening, the sun sets behind the skip when we are playing the East/West direction of the greens.  As we were having a important provincial competition that evening, a participating member of the club asked the club president (responsible for greens) if it was possible to change the greens North/South because the greens had been East/West for several days without being rotated.

 In preparation for this provincial  competition ,  the club president called the greenskeeper, to ask if he could do the competition with the Greens  going North-South. Yes, the president , without a greens committee, was  attempting to provide the best greens and  without a policy of greens rotation schedule was verifying  with the greenskeeper that there was not a specific objection.  (the greenskeeper being awoken from his sleep (works nights and greens as a small contract) replied.  “It is the same conditions of play for both teams, why change it “ so it was left that way.  True both teams had same problems; but what was the visiting bowlers opinion of our greens or our attempts to offer good bowl conditions and greens for the competition. 

Greens Security – Greens  Committee Chairman (President now) 

 (photo from Pinterest1000+ ideas and images)

is responsible for decisions to halt play for reason of security during dangerous conditions.

 With a greens committee it become the known policy that during a thunder storm and lighting that all game play must be stopped.   Our greens have a lot of large surrounding  trees and at any time when  sign of Lighting appear with the rain, the players will be  asked to leave the greens immediately.

Security of the greens is also a Greens Committee responsible. Every activity and usage of the greens should have a Greens committee member present to make decisions which protect the greens .

 During a competition in a previous club we were forced to play during wet conditions. the club greens were tough and had good roots so no protective screens were used during the start of play, but once the wet greens were beginning to show signs of damage  and debits, the Greens Committee dictated that the protective screens must be put into play.The umpire and the Greenskeeper or Greens committee know such a request must be respected; so play was stopped while protective screens were installed.  

What if it had been only one player causing the damage.  A greens committee individual would very politely speak to the skip of that team and explain if that player continues to make bad deliveries and damage the greens; it would be necessary to install protective screens.  A polite and without offensives to anyone.

Second part of this blog on Green Committee and Greenskeeper cooperation and working together.