Club Celebrates Anniversary as Good Times Roll for 60 Years

As the Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club celebrates its 60th anniversary, club members are hoping that the sport will gain popularity among young bowlers.

Started in 1936 by former Hermosa Beach Mayor John Clark, the club is the only lawn bowling club in the South Bay and was once one of the biggest lawn bowling clubs in the county. Membership plummeted in the 1980s and the club came close to closing, but a group of committed bowlers vowed to keep the historic club going.

In its heyday there were 150 members; today there are only 30. Club members, who range in age from 13 to 80, are hoping to increase membership to 60 so they can host tournaments like the ones that were held in the 1930s and 1940s.

“It’s just a wonderful sport,” said club secretary Jeanne Carr. “It’s a friendly group of people who get together and bowl. The game requires some skill and it’s a nice moderate exercise.”

Unlike alley bowling, lawn bowling has no pins. Much like the game of horseshoes, players toss a “bowl,” a disc-like object, and try to come as close as possible to a white ball, which is thrown across the green at the start of each game.

The Hermosa Beach bowlers get together three times a week. Experienced bowlers bring their own equipment, but newcomers can borrow bowls and take free lessons for one month to see if they like the sport.

“It’s a wonderful sport and not many people know about it,” said club President Lyle Campbell, who picked up lawn bowling in his native South Africa 30 years ago. “We want people to come play because it’s a great game and it’s not just for old people.”

Lawn bowling dates to early 13th-century Europe and is still a popular sport in England. Locally, there are lawn bowling clubs in Santa Monica and Long Beach. The Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club plays three times a week. The club meets at Clark Park on Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon and on Saturdays at 10 a.m. The club is open to all.

Information: (310) 318-0034.