Bowling in the Sun

For 12 years, Ginger Harris has spent her summer bowling outdoors in the warm California air. As the president of the Palo Alto Lawn Bowling Club, she overlooks games and maintains the overall facility.

The club was recently closed for two months, a month longer than the usual duration for maintenance, thanks to volatile weather conditions. The reopening of the club was celebrated by its members with a full day of games on July 2.

During the facility’s closure, the club’s connection with other clubs nearby allowed the members to continue playing in alternate locations.

“The nice thing is that because there are eight other clubs [in the Bay Area], they all said ‘come bowl with us,’” Harris said.

With greens throughout California, including Santa Cruz and Berkeley, the club welcomes anyone interested in trying the sport.

“We’re part of Palo Alto Parks and Recreation, so we’re open to the full community,” Harris said.

Bowling offers a comfortable atmosphere for socializing, said Harris, and it is a considerably relaxed sport. The Palo Alto team holds several tournaments throughout the year, with Woman's Team Pairs taking place on Saturday.

“The most [important] part of [bowling] is that it’s good exercise that isn’t high stress [or] high impact; you don’t have to run,” Harris said. “It’s a game that most people can pick up and be successful at varying degrees.”

An additional advantage of lawn bowling is that bowlers can play in almost any weather conditions and at any time of the year.

“It’s a year-round sport," former club president John Hickson said. "Being in California here, we play right through the winter. There are very few days when we can’t bowl, because the drainage here is so good that even after rain we can be on the green within an hour.”

Hickson said bowling does not require immense physical activity and people of all ages can partake in the social sport.

“It’s a sport you can play from 14 into your 90s, because it’s not that physically energetic,” he said. “You do have to be able to move and to bend, but it’s nice exercise. It gets you out in the open,  and we have very social activities.”

Although lawn bowling is typically enjoyed by an older crowd, team member Nikki Schrager said  younger individuals should consider playing the sport.

“I’d like to have young people come down and try, because it seems, only in the United States, that [more often] older people have taken it up, whereas in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Israel and [other countries], everyone is into lawn bowling,” she said.

In addition to getting a range of people to look into lawn bowling, Harris hopes to get the word out that the club is open to all members of the community.

“It’s a fun sport; it’s a family sport," she said. "And I wanted to let people know that it’s here and it’s available for them.”