Leisure on the Lawns: The Frick Park Bowling Greens

Summer can mean many things to many people, but there are a few quintessential activities like dining al fresco and taking advantage of outdoor leisure activities that are loved by almost everyone. As summer draws to a close, and along with it our tours and exhibitions that focused on sport and leisure time, I remember a blustery winter afternoon and an introductory call from Maz Zankowski, one of our neighbors and a member of the Board of Directors of Frick Park Lawn Bowling Club (FPLBC). 



With DNA that traces back 700 years, to the oldest active lawn bowling club in England, and roots to the earliest settlers in America, FPLBC has been a fixture right across the street from the Frick since 1938. I was taken aback as it dawned on me, after all these years, that here was another patch of beautifully manicured lawn I drive past every day, and knew nothing about! What actually goes on over there? And when? How do you play the game? Do you use pins? Is it like bocce? It was definitely time to find out, and, with that, a neighborhood partnership was made!

Fric Park Bowling Green, ca. 1938. © Frick Park Lawn Bowling Club (FPLBC)

Differences exist between lawn bowling and bocce. The bocce ball is round, while the lawn bowl is round in only one direction and elliptical in the other. The bocce ball is thrown under hand, like a softball, while the lawn bowl is rolled. Although bocce can be played on a lawn or grassy area, it is formally played on a dedicated court or lane consisting of a long, smooth surface enclosed by wooden sideboards. While lawn bowling is played in a “rink” of bent grass, usually 19 x 120 feet in size. Both play to an object—a pallino in bocce and a jack in lawn bowling.

A bowl (rear) and a jack (front).

Lawn bowling is inviting to learn, and you can understand the basics in under an hour. It seems less strenuous than tennis and more social than golf, and can be enjoyed at any age and with no experience. The object of the game is simple: get your bowls closer to the small white ball (the jack) than your opponent to earn the right to score points. 

Rolling a black ball toward a smaller white ball sounded uncomplicated enough. In fact, when I explained the game to Frick staff, they quite liked the idea of rolling lopsided balls down a green to a tiny white ball, so I spoke with Maz and we planned a bit of after-work, end- of-summer fun and camaraderie.

It sounded simple until we tried it!

The bowl moves at a slow crawl, drawing out the intrigue of where it will stop its roll.

The simple fact that the bowls don’t roll in a straight line certainly adds to the tactical challenge. They curve, at a large degree, and different release techniques put different spins on them. Plus, greens (the playing surface) can run either fast or slow. 
Needless to say, we had a blast, and working as a team was a really fun way to learn about the game and the amount of skill, technique, and strategy involved.



With crisp evenings ahead, our lawn bowling event on September 10th is a great time to have a go at one of these games yourself! Bring some friends, or come and make some new ones, to The Café at the Frick for some wine and light bites al fresco. Then, we’ll go across the street and throw some lawn bowls as the sun sets. You don’t have to be athletically inclined for this idyllic way to end a weekday evening. With the proximity and hospitality of FPLBC, it couldn’t be a more perfect pairing!

I think many organizations are asking the same questions these days: How do we attract new members? A younger audience? Reframe a program or experience? Create more of an intergenerational connection? The value of partnership is to re-mix our missions in fresh new ways. We look forward to the idea of bringing new visitors to a venue they may never have thought about previously. Lawn bowling and the Frick are perfect for all ages and genders, for singles, couples, and families. Try us both! We think you just might be charmed! 

FPLBC hosts corporate and private events. If you're interested in a unique experience, it’s the perfect activity. There’s nothing nicer on a warm night, and bowling under their new lights is fantastic! https://sites.google.com/site/frickparklbc/home

Lawn Bowls Trivia
 

• Historical evidence suggests bowls-like games were played by ancient Egyptians, Aztecs, early Polynesians, and various North American aboriginal groups. Rounded stones found in Egyptian tombs are thought by some to prove that bowls was played around the same time the wheel was invented.
• The world’s oldest surviving bowling green is thought to be the Southampton Old Bowling Green, established in 1299 in England.
• Henry VIII, himself a bowler, banned the sport among the lower classes and levied a fee of 100 pounds on any private bowling green to ensure that only the wealthy could play.
• As legend has it, Sir Francis Drake, immersed in an afternoon round of bowls, insisted on finishing the game before confronting the Spanish Armada who had sailed up during play.
• In Shakespeare's Richard II, the queen asks her retinue what sport they can play to lighten the mood. One of her ladies replies, “Madam, we'll play at bowls.”
• Lawn bowling was popular in America before the Revolutionary War, but many prominent Americans disavowed the game to protest British rule, and it never regained its former popularity. Yet, throughout the eastern seaboard, street names and communities still carry the name “Bowling Green,” indicating the likely area where the local bowling facility once stood.   
• The International Bowling Board was formed in 1905, the founding members being Scotland, England, Ireland, and Wales. Today, there are more than fifty member nations. The home of the modern game is Scotland, with the World Bowls headquartered in Edinburgh.
• Walt Disney was a devotee of the sport, and, after he died, the Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Club teamed with the Walt Disney Company to organize a tournament, complete with a Mickey Mouse themed trophy, that continues today.