EVENT & PHOTO-OP The New York Lawn Bowling Club celebrates the Opening Day of its 82nd anniversary year on the Central Park Bowling Greens (north of Sheep Meadow, near the West 69 th Street pedestrian entrance) at 12:45 PM on Saturday, May 3rd.
Members of The New York Lawn Bowling Club, dressed in traditional whites, will start their 82nd year at the Central Park Bowling Greens on May 3rd. “Lawn bowling spans over 350 years in New York and we look forward to recruiting new members for our 82nd season in Central Park ,” said Charles Crawford, president of the New York Lawn Bowling Club. “It is one of the best sports values in town.”
Membership is open to all who wish to enjoy the sport during the May-October season. Members may bowl on the greens Monday through Sunday, evenings included. Beginners receive free instruction and use of bowls. Annual membership cost is $95, which includes a Park permit, dues, and reciprocal privileges to 100 community sponsored clubs nationwide. The club's website is www.nybowls.com .
The New York Lawn Bowling Club, in cooperation with the New York City Parks and Recreation Department and the Central Park Conservancy, will hold eight club and regional tournaments in 2008 and also host free group lessons for the public. Members compete in national tournaments as well.
The New York Lawn Bowling Club and Central Park bowling green attracts many visiting lawn bowlers, including a team coming from South Africa in September. Today, the sport is played in 44 countries by over 640,000 registered lawn bowlers.
The object of lawn bowling is to roll a ball (called a bowl) so that it comes to rest closest to a smaller white ball (the jack) at the far end of a rink. The three-pound bowl does not roll in a straight line because it is biased, not round. The winner is the player who places more bowls closer to the jack.
The roots of the New York Lawn Bowling Club date back to one of New York City 's most treasured sites, Bowling Green in lower Manhattan . The Dutch played a version of the game on the flat sandy plain by the market square at Bowling Green in the early 1600s and the British built the first green in 1664. That green was erected where today the U.S. Customs House stands. Seventy years later, in 1733, Bowling Green Park , the first official park in New York , was established by lawn bowling enthusiasts for the annual rent of one peppercorn.
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