Lawn Bowling in Golden Gate Park

The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club (SFLBC) is an organization committed to the health and well-being of it members, to the community, and to fostering and promoting the game of lawn bowls. It is an easy-to-learn, yet highly competitive sport that can be played and enjoyed by people of all ages and levels of physical fitness.

General Information Free lessons are available every Wednesday at noon or at any specific time by appointment with any designated Club Instructor. In the late spring and summer, additional lessons are given during  evenings. Further information on lessons is posted on the front of the Clubhouse. Telephone 415/487-8787 for greens information or to leave a message. The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club is conveniently located in beautiful Golden Gate Park, near Sharon Meadow and the Carousel.

A bowler can progress at his or her own pace and take as many lessons as needed, either to aspire to tournament-level skills or enjoy the game at a social level. After receiving adequate instructions on the basics of the game bowlers are welcomed to join the Club.

SFLBC History

On October 7, 1901 the St. Andrew‚s Society, a Scottish fraternal organization, formed a lawn bowling club in San Francisco. John McLaren, then Superintendent of Golden Gate Park, laid out a "green" in the west corner of the recreation grounds near Sharon Meadow.

Commenting at the time, McLaren said, "This pleasant sport has been held in high repute in the British Isles and its introduction on this coast would be beneficial both to young and old alike as it combines an exercise with the pleasures of amusement. The ground for its site has been graded, loamed and manured, and it is in a square about 150 feet each way. Plantations have been formed on its margins giving it a secluded air". A game was bowled on the spot on October 18, 1901 using wooden bowls brought from Scotland by several members of the organizing group.

At first, the Club was called the San Francisco Scottish Bowling Club. A permanent green (now Green #1) was built on the original site and opened in 1901. Many enjoyable games were played on it until - April 18, 1906 - when the earthquake and fire destroyed much of the City. The earthquake heaved the green and the Army, under the command of General Funston, used it as a corral for a troop of cavalry. The troops were quartered in nearby Sharon Meadow. The green was not fully restored until April 1907.

From its beginning in the City, the sport attracted a number of women who sometimes played along with the Club's gentlemen members and, on September 17, 1912, the Women's Golden Gate Lawn Bowling Club was organized. Since one green was inadequate, the Parks Commission laid down another, Green #2, which opened for play on July 19, 1913. Contemporary maps of Golden Gate Park designated the area as the "Women's Lawn Bowling Green.

In 1914-15, the members of each club contributed $500 which was turned over to the resourceful John McLaren for the construction of a one-story wooden, Edwardian-style club house, which became known as the "House that Jack built." The Clubhouse and three greens are now registered as San Francisco City Landmark #181. Green #3 was constructed in 1928 and a State Tournament was played on the greens in 1929. The Club's name was changed to the San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club in 1931 and 48 years later, the Women's Golden Gate Lawn Bowling Club merged with the SFLBC.

SFLBC also shares some City history, starting with such well-known San Franciscans as the previously mentioned John McLaren, who was the Club's first vice-president. Y.C. Lawson Jr. was its first president and James "Sunny Jim" Rolph, the club's first Treasurer, later became a colorful, progressive Mayor of San Francisco and Governor of the State of California. Mrs. Gabriel Moulin, of the City's famed photographic studio, was an early member of the women's club, along with other prominent residents of the City.

The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club is the oldest public club in the country and boasts the first municipal lawn bowling green opened in the United States. It's the oldest club on the west coast. The Club elected its first woman president, Catherine Remedios, in 2000.

With a current membership of 130+, SFLBC is a member of the Pacific Inter-Mountain Division (PIMD) of the US Lawn Bowls Association, which also has other divisions and clubs throughout the United States.

Members of the Club may participate in bowls events world wide and in past years have won national honors, with one member winning a gold medal as a world champion. SFLBC, the PIMD and individual Bay Area Clubs all conduct tournament competitions throughout the year and on an almost weekly basis on weekends through the spring and summer.

The History of Lawn Bowling

Bowls historians believe that the game developed from the Egyptians. One of their pastimes was to play skittles with round stones. This has been determined based on artifacts found in tombs dating circa 5,000 B.C. The sport spread across the world and took a variety of forms, Bocce (Italian), Bolla (Saxon), Bolle (Danish), Boules (French) and Ula Miaka (Polynesian). The sport of lawn bowls is the forerunner of curling, a tremendously popular winter version played in northern countries (including Canada) on ice.

The oldest lawn bowls site still played on is in Southampton, England. Records show that the green has been in operation since 1299 A.D. There are other claims of greens being in use before that time, but these are unsubstantiated by proper or sufficient documentation. During the reign of Richard II bowls were referred to as "gettre de pere" or "jetter de pierre," and describes throwing a stone, probably as round as possible. In the early 15th century bowls were made of hardwoods and, after the 16th century discovery of Santo Domingo, of lignum vitae, a very dense wood.

It's believed that the "bias" was introduced inadvertently in 1522 by the Duke of Suffolk. Apparently his bowl split in two after striking other bowls and he took a knob off of a stairway banister post for a replacement. The flat side of the knob caused it to roll with a bias and he experimented by curving his bowl around others. The word spread and bias bowls gradually came into use.

Certainly the most famous story in lawn bowls is about Sir Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada. On July 19, 1588, Drake was involved in a game at Plymouth when he was notified that the Spanish Armada had been sighted. The tale says his response was, "There is plenty of time to win the game and thrash the Spaniards too." He then proceeded to finish his match and the British Navy soundly defeated the Armada. There is a lot of controversy as to whether this event actually took place.

Henry VIII was also a lawn bowler. However, he banned the game for those who were not wealthy or "well to do" because "Bowyes, Fletchers, Stringers and Arrowhead makers" were spending more time at recreational events such as bowls instead of practicing their trade. Henry requested that anybody who wished to keep a green pay a fee of 100 pounds. However, the green could only be used for private play and he forbade anyone to "play at any bowle or bowles in open space out of his own garden or orchard." King James I issued a publication called "The Book of Sports" and, although he condemned football (soccer) and golf, encouraged the play of bowls.

English and Scottish colonists brought the game to America. There was a bowling green in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1632 and many states have towns named "Bowling Green" due to the early settlers abiding interest in the sport. Even George Washington laid out a green at Mount Vernon in 1732.

Interest lapsed for years until the wave of Scottish immigration to the US revived it in the latter part of the 19th century. The American Lawn Bowls Association (now the USLBA) was established in 1915, more than a decade after the founding of the SFLBC.

Game Variations of Lawn Bowling

The game is known around the world as bowls, lawn bowls and bowling-on-the-green. It is played on a bowling green which may be a minimum of 30 meters (120.5') feet square to a maximum of 40 meters (132.25'). The green is marked off into 8 rinks (each approx. 15') wide meaning 8 games may be played at one time.

COMPETITION in bowls is made up of one, two, three or four players on each team.

Singles - One against one.

Doubles - Two against two.

Triples - Three against three.

Fours - Four against four.

EQUIPMENT consists of the following:

1. A set of four matched bowls - each of which weighs about three pounds.

2. A jack - the small white ball, which is two and a half inches in diameter.

3. A mat - which is 14 by 24 inches

Bowls are purchased by individual players and are their personal property. Jacks and mats are usually furnished by the club. Bowls are not available for rent, but each club usually has sets available for beginners for a limited time. Flat rubber-soled shoes are required and players must furnish their own shoes.

THE OBJECT OF THE GAME is to roll the bowls so that they will come to rest as close as possible to the jack. The side that has the bowl nearest to the jack scores one point for that bowl and an additional point for each bowl closer to the jack than the nearest bowl of the other side.

The following are frequently asked questions and their answers:

WHY DOES THE BOWL CURVE AS IT ROLLS?

A bowl curves because of the way that it is made Ëœ not because   of the way it is delivered by the bowler. The bowl is not uniformly shaped and since it is smaller on one side, it naturally curves in the direction of the smaller side as it loses speed.

HOW LONG DOES A GAME LAST? Baseball has innings. Football has quarters. Hockey has periods. LAWN BOWLING HAS ENDS.