Report on Sanding the Green

The club’s hard working Greens Committee provided, via an Annie Brillhart e-mail, a post-sanding update on the green condition:

Jose mowed, plugged and sanded the green today. As promised, he brought a heavy duty blower and attempted to remove as much of the “top” sand as possible. He left quite a bit of sand at the north end (nearest the equipment shed) because he fertilized that area. The rest of the green is sandier than I expected, but Jose will continue to remove the “top” sand every Tuesday and Friday. He assures me that “most” of the green will be in great shape in time for the Jamboree tournament. He said that pesky “east” section might take a little longer, but we typically avoid bowling in that section already.

As to bowling: You can commence bowling tomorrow (Sunday). Please bowl North-South. It will be sandy, but not as sandy as it usually is this soon after he plugs and sands.

Kudos to these club members who meet the daunting challenge of green maintenance head on!

annie-almost-idle

As an extra treat here is a rare photograph of Annie in an (almost) idle state – it lasted all of 30 seconds.

WWW site migration underway

BLBC Jamboree, April 2013

Please be patient as we rebuild the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club WWW site in a new, fresh server space. Stay tuned for the new look. Hmmmm, come to think of it if you are reading this you can see the new look already.

Update:  8 April – the redesign and relocation of our WWW site is near complete. If you notice anything amiss please bring it to the attention of me or Dave Rockhold.

 

President’s Newsletter for April

Several of the items discussed in the recent board meeting were:

The Board unanimously recommended that Clause 5 of the Constitution be amended to eliminate the restrictions on participation by low income or handicapped members in the governance of the club. The current wording is out of date and does not reflect the spirit of the club. These members will continue to be eligible for a reduced membership fee. The actual change to the Constitution will require a vote of the membership and will be taken up at the next Annual Meeting.

Cris Benton has been working with Dave Rockhold on reformatting the BLBC website. It will go live very soon and I encourage everyone to visit the site and see the changes. I will send out an email when the site is up and running. The website is also a wonderful way to keep everyone informed of what is occurring at BLBC.

Alan Kaplan has kindly consented to take charge of restocking the refrigerator relieving Dave Rockhold of one of the many jobs Dave does to keep the club running.

Just a reminder: our PIMD representatives for 2014 are Geoff Chandler and Gary Knox. Howard Mackey has decided to retire as a representative and deserves a warm round of applause for the many years he has committed to this activity.

We need to be more attentive to using and caring for the green, particularly by altering the direction of play on a regular basis. The board decided to reinstitute an old system for determining direction of play on the green, and we will shortly post the system inside the door of the mat room, so that it will be easily available and visible when setting up the rinks. If properly followed, the use of this system will reduce the wear and compaction of the green, especially at the edges. In the meantime, please follow the recommendations sent out in a recent email by Ann Brillhart on behalf of the Greens Committee.

In May, Phil Grattan and Neil Levy will meet with representatives of Berkeley’s Parks and Recreation Department to begin renewal negotiations on BLBC’s lease with the city.

The April and March birthday party is scheduled for April 26th, the last Sunday in April. Four of us celebrate our birthdays this month: Phil Grattan, John Hooper, Katie Mordarski and Frankie Napoli. The four March celebrants are Howard MacKey, Dave McMullin, Bob Schwartz and Des Simpson. With both months represented we should have a festive crowd. The club will provide coffee and dessert. Bring your own lunch at noon to be followed immediately by bowling.

 

Get a grip!

We all need a better grasp of the basics of our game. One of the first things you’ll do as a new student will be to find a bowl that fits your hand. The coaches will ask you to hold a bowl using only the thumb and middle finger of both hands around the large circumference. If your finger tips just meet comfortably, that’s the right size.

P1080177

Side view – a consistent grip aids delivery.

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Front view – Note vertical position of the bowl.

Sometimes a coach will give you a slightly smaller bowl as a beginner to enable a stable grip. How you hold the bowl will affect the way the bowl rolls once it’s released. In the photographs above, you can see one way to hold to bowl to maximize consistency. As you develop your skills, you’ll want to make simple things like the grip as automatic and stable as you possibly can.

 

Notes on the Green

New initiative: Let’s vary rink layout

The Greens Committeee has determined that, for the integrity of the green, bowling should adhere to a schedule of alternative directions on certain days of the week. Rinks need a chance to recoup in the areas where mats, bowls and feet are placed–typically two to six meters from the ditch. Please note the schedule below and maintain this schedule when bowling ladder games as well as draw games. In other words, you will need to be prepared to bowl east-west if that is what the schedule calls for on the day of your match.

 Set rinks to run North-South on:

Wednesdays
Saturdays
Sundays

 Set rinks to run East-West on:

Mondays
Tuesdays
Thursdays
Fridays

Upcoming Green Maintenance – April 5 & 6

It is that time again.  Phil relays:

We have asked Jose to plug and sand the green on Saturday April 5th.  This will adversely affect play for approximately a week. So, there will be no draw games scheduled until Friday April 11. Also, because of this, the birthday party scheduled for March will be postponed until April 27th and combined with the April party. We very much regret this inconvenience, but trust that you will understand that maintenance of the greens is a major priority.

So, the grounds crew will plug and fill the green with a bit of leveling flourish here and there. We will have sandy rinks for a few days thereafter. Now, where are those old bowls?

Welcome to the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club


GO OUT AND PLAY!
FREE LESSONS SUNDAY, 10 UNTIL NOON.

VOTED BEST RETRO SPORTS ACTIVITY BY READERS OF EAST BAY EXPRESS

Check it out!

We provide the equipment; all you need is flat bottom shoes. Give us a call at 510-841-2174 or drop us an email at:  berkeleylawnbowling@gmail.com.

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Outdoor bowling on a bowling green is a classic sport that goes back hundreds of years and continues today in Berkeley. The retro sport we love is modern day fun out in the fresh air. Walt Disney was an avid lawn bowler.

Please, stop by and check out the action be it lessons or just to watch on Wednesday or Friday afternoon. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Draw games for members and guests are normally held on Wednesday and Friday. Please arrive or call by 10:45. Games begin at 11:00. Spontaneous draw games, practice sessions, and special sessions have become quite common.

If you are interested in having your own special event at our facility, please contact us or drop by during one of the draw games. Our facilities can accommodate around 50 people for receptions, meetings, or team building events. We can provide bowling instruction or simply a rental venue with cooking facilities.

Map and Directions

Check out our tongue-in-cheek video for a quick look at lawn bowling Curling (without the ice) Check the links page for even more information.

BLBC is a proud member of PIMD (Pacific Intermountain Division) of Bowls USA.

 

 

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Teamwork and stress – Tips for Skips

Winning or losing; having fun or wasting time…

Neuroscientists have shown again and again that positive feedback produces better performance in team efforts. The competitive hormones are all flowing by virtue of the fact that it’s ‘game on’. Negative feedback has the undesirable effect of creating unnecessary tension. It also tenses the very muscles that need to be relaxed to fully utilize the muscle memory we try so hard to develop.

So, the next time your lead is short, take a tip from neuroscience and send some love. It might even help you – the skip – deliver the bowl you need to save the end.

 

President’s Newsletter for March

A few of the items discussed during the February board meeting were:

1. There is a new mowing schedule. Jose will be mowing the green Tuesdays and Fridays from 2:30 to 4:00. Please do not arrange games which interferes with this schedule.

2. Cathy has completed the 2014 club roster and it is available for pickup at the club. Please review your contact data for accuracy and advise Cathy if there are any errors.

3. The March birthday party is scheduled for the last Sunday in March.  Update: due to greens maintenance , the birthday party scheduled for March has been postponed until April 27th. There are four celebrants: Howard Mackey, Dave McMullen, Bob Schwartz and Des Simpson. The club will provide coffee and dessert. Bring your own lunch at noon to be followed immediately by bowling.

4. The board will put on one of the back tables duplicate and excess books on lawn bowling from our library. They will be left out for a short while available for free to any member who wishes to add them to their personal library. The remainder will be donated to a third party.

5. We will have a booth at the September Solano Stroll in an effort to increase membership. Although this does not happen until September 14th we will need volunteers to man the booth. Do not be surprised if you are approached to volunteer your time for this worthy endeavor.

6. On the subject of volunteering the club functions much better if all the members participate in volunteering their time to the degree possible. Again do not be surprised if a board member respectfully asks that you consider doing some project for the good of the club.

7. Opening day at Rossmoor is this Saturday, the 15th. Be sure and consult the calender in the clubhouse Cathy has prepared so you do not miss any upcoming tournements.

 

We promote the game of lawn bowling for the enjoyment of new and experienced players alike.