Category Archives: Volunteer Work

Club Members, Volunteer Work

Surgery on the Green 

... and Other Green Maintenance Experiences

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 nursery
Removing turf from the green
Patching the nursery wound
Exposed 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 root
laying nursery turf on the green
Post surgery patching
Root 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.

Continue reading Surgery on the Green  →
Club Members, Club Projects, Volunteer Work

Clearing a path

Rallying cry: Free the Agapanthus!

Update: Eleven hearty and willing bowlers gathered to clear the path to our old bowling green which runs behind several of our neighbor’s homes and Charlie Dohr Mini Park.  The path has not been cleared in recent memory and was buried in leaves from our magnificent oak tree and ivy.  We were cheered on by our neighbors with offers to help and much appreciation. All told, we removed two dozen large bags of debris from the alleyway.

Debris be gone
Crew at work
The cleared path
Neat and tidy

Many thanks to Janine and Phillip Andrews, Cris and Claudia Benton, Annie Brillhart, Russell (Rolly) Coe, Leslie Engler, Patricia Erwin, Janie and Judy Hillyer, and Martin Kershaw.

Meanwhile Ethan Bortman, Glen Nunez and Gary Samonsky were hard at work making repairs on our sand shed to keep it dry in the upcoming rainy months.

All and all it was a very productive morning of work at the BLBC with even a little bowling afterwards.

Continue reading Clearing a path →
Club Members, Club Projects, Volunteer Work

Extracurricular tining

Ongoing efforts to improve the green

On 9 June, Jose Ramirez, our awesome gardener, brought his hollow tining machine and tined the green.  The machine put thousands of small holes in the green about an inch deep.  During the summer the green gets drier and drier. As we bowl and walk on the green, it compacts the soil making it difficult for water, oxygen and nutrients to reach the roots of the grass.  The tining allows for better penetration of the soil.  Tining also removes some of the soil from the green to help level it.  Jose made several passes with the tining machine over higher areas of the green. 

All hands on deck.

After the tining was done,  the green was cleaned by shoveling up the dirt/grass plugs removed by the tining machine and then lightly sweeping and blowing the green clear the debris.  

Thanks to a small group of volunteers this cleaning was finished in a focused 2 hour work session.  Thank you Janie and Judy Hillyer, Patricia Erwin,  Cathy Dinnean, Janine and Phillip Andrews, Steve Harris, and Claudia Benton.  

From the upper left clockwise: Steve Harris, Jose Ramirez, Janine and Philip Andrews, and Patricia Erwin with Janie Hillier.

The next morning our fabulous greenskeepers Janie, Judy Hillyer and Sarah Allday  worked on rolling and blowing the green again to get it ready for bowling, while Claudia and Rolly Coe cleaned the ditch which was thick with debris.

Club Members, Volunteer Work

Spot Watering Daily

Summertime, and the living is easy.
Fish are jumping, and the cotton is high.
But the green is getting dry, and it needs bit of water.
So, each afternoon we’ll give spot watering a try.

As we enter Berkeley’s dry summer, the green needs strategic watering of areas that become dry while avoiding areas prone to moss buildup. Our dedicated greenskeepers are on it and could use some help. If you can spare a few minutes on an afternoon or better yet sign up for a regular shift by contracting one of the greenskeepers. I am sure we would all appreciate it, the green would appreciate it, your karma balance would swell, and so on.

Dowsing the brown areas

Club Projects, Volunteer Work

The Nursery

Editor’s note: Ever wonder about the small Mini-Me bowling green next to the mat shed. Read on for greenskeeper Patrica Erwin’s glimpse into spring initiatives to keep our green in tip top condition.

Since the Spring ‘drill and fill’ workday various bowlers have asked the BLBC greenskeepers if we got some time off since the green was closed.  In fact, the work on the green has continued at a brisk pace, but with different tasks and more flexible timing while it was closed for bowling. 

Janie painstakingly dispatching Poa.

Following the drill and fill, the greenskeepers diligently dragged and swept the green daily. In a few areas, they filled holes one by one with sand. As the sand settled, regular watering was conducted to prevent the green from drying out due to the extensive sand distribution. Careful walking of the green was essential to search for and remove weeds, particularly during the spring season. In the photo, Poa (annual meadow grass) is being removed. Poa requires proactive control to prevent it from overrunning the green.

Grass in the nursery is well matched to our bowling green. It provides a source of turf for small transplanting operations.
Janie and Jose harvesting a thin layer of turf from the nursery.

Another specific area of focus is supporting challenging areas such as the western corners. In mid-April, the team harvested a section of the nursery to replace an approximately 3’x4’ area in the southwest corner. This process, sometimes humorously referred to as a ‘surgery’ on the green, involves delicately cutting a section from the nursery, peeling off the grass and roots, and then ‘grafting’ it into the green. The grafting process requires meticulous attention to detail, including carefully removing the damaged area and placing the new section from the nursery just so. It is then leveled with a layer of sand and seed to enhance its strength. We place wire nets over the grafted area to prevent critters from digging and to mark the area for daily misting to aid seed germination.

The completed transplant will be carefully watched and nurtured.

The nursery has also received recent care. Damaged areas that were excessively dry or mossy were removed and then refilled using some of the thousands of plugs removed during the aeration process. Currently, the nursery is regularly watered, weeded, and supported to promote its growth and health. This will enable us to continue using sections of the nursery as needed on the green in the coming year.

Club Members, Club Projects, Volunteer Work

Spring Workday shines

 Ethan Bortman reports from 7.000 miles away

Once again, I am pleased to report that last Sunday’s drill and fill workday was a huge success.  I was amazed when I Facetimed Leslie at 1 PM to view the activity from afar and there was nothing to see other than a few munching on pizza.  The work was completed in record time.  Very impressive indeed.  It is this type of volunteerism and cooperation that enables our green to be the envy of PIMD.

Many hands make light work!

A big shout out to the volunteers (listed in random order and including several who called in sick):  Alexandra Terninko, Rolly, Phil Watson, Leslie, the Bentons, Kern, Steve Harris, Annie, Gary S, Chris High, Glenn, Douglas Frey, Martin, Charles, Mike O’, Stephen Ng, Ben Corson, Marty Lorber, Daniel, Mark Baker, Cathy, Tom Birt, and, of course, our four terrific GKs…Patricia, Janie, Judy, and Sarah.  If I missed anyone, please let me know.

For those of you who were unable to participate, stay tuned because most likely there will be another workday in the fall.

The green on Thursday, 27 March

Update: Janie and Patricia just sent a photo of the green from this morning (four days after sanding). The green has received a gentle watering compliments of a cold front and the sand is settling very nicely into the grass – by all accounts a quickly paced recovery is underway.

For more information on this annual maintenance ritual read on.

Continue reading Spring Workday shines →
Club Projects, Volunteer Work

Then and now

While working on the website, I stumbled upon a photo (above) from an open house the club hosted back in August 2017. I was instantly blown away by how much progress the club has made since then in the area visible in the photo. For comparison, here’s a similar image (below) taken in March 2025, almost eight years later.

Looking at the old and new photos, I couldn’t help but think about how much volunteer work and club projects have changed our facilities. It’s impressive how much the green and supporting elements have progressed. In the 2017 photo, I can spot eight places where improvements have been made – some small and some substantial:

Read on for a quick enumeration of progress recently achieved just in the area shown in the photo.

Continue reading Then and now →
Club Members, Volunteer Work

Well Tended

 Thursday morning bowling and gardening group is hard at work whipping the garden surrounding the lawn bowling green into shape.

Leslie and Sarah vs. the weeds

The Gardening Committee meets on Thursday morning at 10:00 am for bowling and then gardening.  Our fearless leader and chair, Leslie Engler directs our weekly projects.  Last week Leslie and Sarah Allday worked on oxalis removal in one of our flower beds to allow breathing and growing room for the plants.  It is, it seems, a never-ending fight with the oxalis. Meanwhile, Donna Otten and Susan Jamart worked on deadheading the daises.  Charlie McFarran mowed the grass surrounding the green.  Ben Steinberg weed-whacked the edge of the sidewalk while his father-in-law, John enjoyed the sunshine and watching the lawn bowling game.  Patricia Erwin, one of our awesome greenkeepers, and Phil Watson worked on getting ready for our semiannual workday by prefilling buckets with sand.  Claudia Benton worked on cleaning the ditch surround the green getting ready for the Two Bowl Single tournament on March 8.  

It is a lovely time of year to garden. Spring is fast approaching and the oxalis is in full bloom. The roses have been pruned and waiting for new buds.  Flowers and shrubs need deadheading and are beginning to sprout new growth. The English ivy vigorously grows year-round on the fences surrounding the lawn bowling club and is frequently in need of pruning. The grass surrounding the bowling green is green and growing with our warm sunny days and rain.

There is a long list of gardening projects for the gardening group to attack.  The Gardening Committee welcomes anyone and everyone on Thursday mornings at 10am for a fun morning of bowling and gardening.  Hope to see you there.

Deep in the weeds, our Acton Street sidewalk c. 2018

As a quick reminder of how valuable this landscape gardening group is, take a look at our Acton Street sidewalk back in the days when jungle conditions prevailed. (2018).

Club Members, Special Events, Volunteer Work

Green Maintenance soon

We approach the Ides of March and that means it is time to lavish even more attention on our lovely green.

Work day on Sunday, 23 March, 2025

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.

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 this email by Sunday March 9 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.

Club Projects, Volunteer Work

To Top It Off

After approximately 65 years of continued service, the equipment shed roof was starting to show its age.  The shed was also being pushed forward by a growing redwood tree, which was probably a cheerful neighbor in its youth. The City of Berkeley maintenance department helped us by grinding off the sapling mound that was growing against the shed, relieving the pressure on the back wall of the shed. 

The equipment shed is visible in the background of this 1964 Opening Day photo.

The roof covering was leaking and causing structural damage to the roof, causing it to partially collapse.  To restore the roof and extend the shed’s service life, we chose to reframe the roof with larger rafters and install a membrane roof with a 40-year service life.  Hopefully, this improvement will let the next generation of bowlers enjoy the shed without maintenance worries.

Mat shed roof under construction.

The mat shed is split into two parts. On the left hand side is an area for our Greenskeepers to keep specialized equipment for maintenance of the green. The right hand side is accessible by club members and houses the accoutrements required to set up the green for play. Here you can find the mats, jacks, green sheets, rink markers,, scoreboards, rakes, and more required for our games. It also provides storage for the tools used by our Thursday gardening group.

The new roof – ready and able for another 65 years of service.

And finally, here’s a big shout out to Judy Hillyer who stepped up to complete a very tidy paint job for the new roof. Judy has been a great asset to the club, quietly taking on a series of painting jobs and carrying them out with care and precision. Yet another reason we’re fortunate to have her among us.