“ Another One Bites the Dust! ” (to quote a Sander)
By 2017, the 20 or so benches surrounding green had fallen into serious disrepair. These benches dated back to the early 1960s and showed evidence of having been painted at least a half dozen times.. More significantly, the wood seats were rotting. So, the rotting seats were demolished and the steel standards sanded back to bare metal. New redwood seating and fresh paint on the standards made them good as new. Every few years the redwood is maintained with a light sanding and a new coat of stain.
Old bench c. 2017The first staining (before assembly)
Thanks to our enthusiastic crew of volunteers, our wonderful benches are stained and look great. On Wednesday morning March 25 the Sanding Crew—Ben Corson, Patricia Erwin, and Ben Steinberg—under the tutelage of our in-house pro Janie Hillyer, finished all of the benches in an hour (a club record).
Ben CorsonSanding CrewBen Steinberg
Not to be outdone on Friday March 27 the Staining Crew—Ann Brillhart, Ben Corson, Cathy Dinnean, Leslie Engler, Patricia Erwin, Stephen Harris, and Martin Kershaw—under the sharp eye of our other in-house pro Judy Hillyer, finished the staining in just over an hour (surely another club record). Another win for the volunteerism movement in the BLBC and for our beautiful club.
Staining Crew (left-right): Patricia Erwin, Ann Brillhart, Ben Corson, Judy Hillyer, Martin Kershaw, Leslie Engler, Gary Samonsky, Cathy Dinnean, Stephen Harris
On Sunday, March 15th , twenty-two dedicated BLBC volunteers participated in our euphemistically-titled Drill ‘n Fill workday. This was the spring version of the semi-annual operation that is a glorious manifestation of hard work, volunteerism, coordination, and teamwork that is required to maintain our green as the crown jewel of natural bowling surfaces in PIMD.
Tining the green
There are numerous articles on our website that offer a detailed description of the aeration, seeding, and sanding tasks; simply scroll down if you want to know more. As you can see from the photos, it was hard work but lots of smiles all around.
Filling the sand buckets
Many thanks to (in random order): Steven Kirby, Martin Kershaw, Lydia and Luis Zapata, Cris and Claudia Benton, Daniel Gorelick, Ben Steinberg, Ann Brillhart, Chris High, Chris Davis, Rolly Coe, Cindy Moss, Tom Birt, Mike O’Leary, Charles McFerran, Gary Samonsky, Cathy Dinnean, and an extra shout-out to our former greenkeepers Patrica Erwin, and Judy and Janie Hillyer, as well as our new greens coordinators, Leslie Engler and Sarah Allday.
Collecting the plugsFlannel shirt crewFormer greenskeepers showing how it’s done
I am sure you all have been waiting patiently to know when the most fun event held at BLBC will be scheduled! The Greenskeepers need your help with tining, plug removal and sand application/removal, among other tasks. There are also some light duty tasks in addition to those that are outlined below. For newer members, this is a great opportunity to learn more about how our green is maintained and to meet other members you may not know.In coordination with Jose, the weather and the tournament schedule, we have chosen March 15 as the day. As before, helpers are needed to come in stages through the day. We are testing out using SIgn Up Genius which is an online program that the Club has purchased as part of the plan to increase volunteerism at the Club. If you click the link below you will find the various times and chores that you can sign up for. After selecting your time slots, be sure to go the bottom of the page to confirm your choices.
For the past several months, the BLBC Greens Committee has been working to develop a collaborative approach to maintaining our green, one that requires more volunteers than the small greenkeeping teams of previous years. This effort has now morphed into a broader initiative: how to encourage more volunteerism in our club, not only to maintain the green, but to perform the myriad tasks required for our club to operate successfully. Like many volunteer organizations, we have established a pattern where a small percentage of BLBC members have been doing a high percentage of the work. Our volunteerism coordination project intends to move the needle a bit.
Our club is fortunate to have active volunteers. Volunteer efforts are essential to keeping the club running.
Currently we have an ad hoc committee of 15 BLBC members examining different aspects of volunteerism at the club – inventorying tasks, developing a survey, evaluating coordination software, and more. You may be hearing from them over the next several weeks. If you have any questions, concerns, or helpful suggestions, please address them to Cris Benton and Ethan Bortman who are currently heading the effort.
In our relentless effort to maintain our fabulous green, BLBC has purchased a brand new, state-of-the-art, electric roller to replace our ancient gas-powered one. It was delivered last Thursday, and it was love at first sight. It is a beauty.
The new roller finally arrives, light it is not.
Why an electric roller? For the same reason many buy EV cars: economics, convenience, and eco-friendliness. When we powered it on for the first time, we were stunned by how quiet it is; no more heavy, unsightly earmuffs and no more worrying about disturbing our neighbors. Moreover, it is equipped with lights, so our greenskeepers can roll before sunrise if necessary.
The rolling crew was eager to give the new roller a try.
Aside from the EV benefits, the new roller is about three feet longer than the old one so that it takes far fewer passes to roll the entire green.
Snug as a bug in our equipment shed.
We purchased the roller from an Australian-based company and ours is only the second electric roller currently operating in the U.S.
If you are interested in learning more about it, go to:
On Sunday, September 19, BLBC volunteers showed up for our second semiannual greens maintenance workday. The aeration (tining), seeding, and sanding is critical for maintaining our healthy and gorgeous green, widely acknowledged as the crown jewel of PIMD’s natural bowling surfaces.
Fill the buckets with expensive sand, load the spreader, fill the 200,000 holes
The weather was ideal: clear skies, modest temperature, low humidity, and a gentle cooling breeze. Twenty members (including our 4-person greenkeeping crew) and Jose (our professional) worked together in perfect harmony.
Lesiie enjoying presidential privileges
The work consisted of three phases. Phase 1 started just after 8 AM, as four workers followed Jose’s tining vehicle to sweep up the extracted turf plugs and scoop them into wheelbarrows. Two other workers replaced the full wheelbarrows with empty ones before wheeling the plugs off the green. The coordination was extraordinary as the sweepers never had to wait for an available wheelbarrow. After 90 minutes or so, a huge, motorized gas-powered blower was used to remove the stray plugs and excessive dirt, after which Jose spread calcium sulfate (aka gypsum) over the green to break up the compaction of dense clay soil.
Jose tending the machineryJanie and the big blower
After a very brief break, phase 2 began. One group of workers stood in the sandbox and shoveled sand into buckets. A second group transported full buckets to the green so that a third group could dump the sand into Jose’s mechanical spreader as it travelled slowly across the green. A fourth group carried the empty buckets back to the sandbox to be refilled and the process repeated itself until the entire green was covered in sand. Once again, the coordination was perfect as the sand spreader remained in constant motion.
In the final phase, Jose dragged a metal mesh with his tractor to distribute the sand evenly on the green while a few volunteers swept sand into the corners.
Ethan kept track of the workday as a workout – and earned a kudos from someone.
The entire workday effort was completed in just under five hours, allegedly the fastest in BLBC recorded history.
A hearty shout out to our volunteers (listed in random order):
Douglas Frey, Mike O’Leary, Annie Brillhart, Ben Carson, Stephanie Upp, Chris Davis, Phil Watson, Rolly Coe, Thomas Birt, Phillip Andrews, Gary Samonsky, Cindy Moss, Leslie Engler, Cathy Dinnean, and Mo Shooer.
BLBC is preparing for the Annual Fall Workday for the Green, scheduled for Sunday September 14, 2025. This aeration (tining), seeding and sanding is critical for maintaining a healthy green.
Work day on Sunday, 14 September, 2025
In preparation for the upcoming fall Greens Maintenance workday, nearly 6 tons of special sand was delivered to the club. The greenkeeping crew helped guide the truck onto the premises and the sand drop was perfect. At $1700+ for the load, it was important that nary a speck was lost. So, the stage is set and we could use some help.
Tight quartersSand at the ready
The Greenskeepers need your help with various steps including plug removal and sand application/removal, among other tasks. There are also some light duty tasks in addition to those that are outlined below. As many of you know, this is a great opportunity to learn more about how our green is maintained and to meet other members you may not know.
We will be providing pizza and light snacks for those who volunteer, please let us know if you will join for that.
Below is an outline of main tasks and timing. We hope to be done by early afternoon and can use your help even if for a short period of time.
Starting around 8:30 we need 6 volunteers to shovel the plugs from Jose’s tining into wheelbarrows.
View of tining plugs, numbering over 200,000, being swept up for removal.
Starting around 10:00 we need 4-8 volunteers to shovel sand into wheelbarrows and then use buckets to dump the sand into the mechanical spreader. The larger number of volunteers would allow for breaks.
Starting around 10:30 we need 2-4 volunteers to sweep sand into the plug holes along edges and corners only. Jose will use the tractor with a broom/mat to sweep the sand from most of the green.
The club has most of the equipment, but we could use snow-type shovels and sturdy dollies. Please bring them along if you have those.
Spreading sand to fill the holes created by tining.
We do have some work/gardening gloves, but please bring your own if you have those.
Please reply to the Greenskeepers via email (greensblbc@gmail.com) by Sunday September 7 to let us know that you can join and what time slot, or to let us know any questions.
Following the workday the green will be closed for approximately one month for continued maintenance.
Income from rental events helps balance our annual BLBC budget. I know it is inconvenient to have the green closed from time to time but rental events are great outreach to the community, and we rely on the income they generate. So far in 2025, the Berkeley Lawn Bowling Club has hosted 7 rental events.
Rental events introduce lawn bowling to an bunch of folks.
Our events have included two large corporate outings of 40-60 guests and a handful of smaller functions ranging from birthday parties to smaller corporate team building gatherings. Several have involved returning customers including Caribou Bioscience and Ava Community Energy, who you may notice on your PG&E bill.
InstructionCateringEnthusiasm
A great time has been had by all, bowlers and BLBC coaches alike. We have produced some amazing first or second time bowlers! This is a fine endorsement of our awesome volunteer BLBC coaches who have given their time and expertise to make the events so successful. These include alphabetically:
Sarah Allday, Cris and Claudia Benton, Gordon Beveridge, Ethan Bortman, Annie Brillhart, Russell (Rolly) Coe, Cathy Dinnean, Leslie Engler, Patricia Erwin, Phil Grattan, Janie Hillyer, Judy Hillyer, Martin Kershaw, Art Kotoulas, JoAnn and Marty Lorber, Charlie McFerran, Cindy Moss, Glenn Nunez, Ben Steinberg, Ashok Verma.
And then there is special thanks to Sarah Allday who is our head coach and Ethan, Patricia and Janie who occasionally fill in for Sarah.
If you are interested in coaching one of these rental events or know of someone who would like to host an event at the BLBC, please contact Claudia Benton at 510-384-4255 or chbenton@sonic.net.
As bowling greens in the Bay Area go, Berkeley is looking pretty good. We enjoy bowling on a fast rink and our green attracts dual members from across the Bay Area. It’s hard to overstate the energy and dedication required to keep the green in good shape. Take, for instance, rolling the green to improve its speed and consistency. Our current crew of Greenskeepers have been selflessly performing this task multiple times a week and my introduction to the process this week reveals that it is far from trivial.
Greenskeepers Patricia and Janie instruct our rolling neophytes
On Monday, six green rolling newbies (Cris, Charlie, Mark, Glenn, Philip, and Janine) attended the first of three training sessions led by Greenskeepers Janie and Patricia. The goal is to have a trained team who assume green rolling duties by the end of the year.
The gas-powered roller
We are currently using an older gas-powered roller, but will soon receive a new electric model from Australia. Rolling the green involves several steps. Arriving at 8 AM, the process begins with a walking inspection of the green. It’s important to clear debris, often dropped from neighboring trees, from the green so that it doesn’t get embedded in our turf by the rolling machine. On some days, this is a quick process but on others, say after a brisk wind, it could be a two-hour job. Nevertheless, it must be done before rolling and it makes sense to have two or more people in the rolling crew.
Simple but effective logbookThe equipment shed
Rolling proper begins with opening up the equipment shed, hauling out the roller, and making notations in a small logbook about direction and date of rolling. After a close inspection, the somewhat heavy roller is then wheeled onto the green through a gap in the backboard. The machine is lowered onto the green by carefully rotating a big yellow frame. One then adjusts the choke and throttle to start the machine’s engine, and then rolling begins.
Patricia coachingPhilip at the joystick
As one sits on the roller, it moves left and right perpendicular to the body position of the operator. This takes a bit of getting used to. It also has a turning radius that is wider than that of an automobile. So maneuvers to change direction require some forethought. The roller is first run around the perimeter of the green where tolerances in missing the ditch are tight. It is then reversed back-and-forth in parallel paths to cover the entire green surface. This requires approximately 80 passes and can follow an orthogonal or diagonal pattern depending on the day’s bowling direction and prior rolling.
Groping for thatchA look under the machineThatch harvested from rollers
Driving the machine is challenging at first, but also kind of fun. Not fun is stopping to clear thatch that accumulates on the rollers. When the rollers pick up debris, the machine must be stopped, turned off, tilted back onto its transport wheels, and carefully cleaned by hand which requires (for me) lying on the ground to reach underneath. On good days this might happen once or twice, after a verticutting session it might happen a half dozen times (groan.)
Lifting the machine to clear thatch
I have come away from my inaugural training with great admiration for the effort our Greenskeepers have put into their rolling program to date. It’s a good thing that we have folks signing up to help out for this aspect of greenskeeping alone is a significant job. Here’s a pat on the back for those who have volunteered.
BLBC members may have observed an unusual, dark, and mossy patch in the northeast corner of the green. A few weeks ago, we aerated the area and applied a light dose of seed and sand to level the section and introduce new grass. The outer perimeter responded favorably, but the interior of the section appeared to deteriorate further.
Harvesting turf from the nurseryRemoving turf from the greenPatching the nursery woundExposed wound on green
In consultation with Jose, we decided to perform surgical intervention on the green to remove and replace the affected area with bent grass from the nursery. Jose provided and sharpened a specialized tool resembling a cheese slicer, which enabled the removal of rolls of sod approximately 5 feet long and 10 inches wide from the nursery. The same process was employed in the impacted area on the green.
Upon removing the mossy patch from the green, we discovered a lump of dirt containing a redwood tree root. The root had a diameter of approximately 3 inches and was situated just below the green’s surface. Its removal was necessary. Jose collaborated with us to saw the root into two sections and extract it from beneath the mossy patch.
The exposed redwood rootlaying nursery turf on the greenPost surgery patchingRoot section removed
Subsequent steps involved the placement and leveling of sand, followed by the rolling out of the sod harvested from the nursery to patch the affected area. Light watering was applied to saturate the sand beneath, which will be continued for the next few days. The nursery area was also filled with plugs, sand, and seed to restore the removed section. We remain optimistic that the removal of the root and the installation of the new bent grass sod will yield positive results. In the interim, please exercise caution when bowling in the affected area.
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