You’ve seen or heard enough to get you interested in lawn bowling. Now what? How can you actually get started? How can you get some instruction and some practice so you can decide whether this might be something you want to pursue?
The Palo Alto Lawn Bowls Club (PALBC), located at 474 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto (next door to Gamble Garden), offers several ways for a newcomer to get started.
1) Just come by the Club on any Sunday afternoon at 1:30 (unless it is raining). There will be one or more club coaches available at that time to help you learn some of the basics and get you started with some actual bowling practice. No advance arrangements are necessary. Just wear comfortable clothing and flat shoes, and we will provide any bowling equipment that might be needed. You will also have an opportunity to watch other club members playing their usual Sunday afternoon social draw games and to look around our club facilities. After an hour or two you will already have a much better sense of whether to pursue your interest further by scheduling a free private lesson.
2) Even if you don’t take advantage of our Sunday afternoon drop-in time, you are welcome to schedule a free private lesson (30 minutes to an hour) with one of our coaches at a mutually convenient time. During this time, you will receive personalized instruction and will have a chance to practice your skills in a non-game environment. The coach will be able to assess whether you are ready to participate in some of our regularly scheduled draw games or whether you would benefit from some additional private instruction before joining one of the social games. To schedule your first lesson, please contact John Hickson, j.hickson@sbcglobal.net, 650.367.9499.
3) After you become more comfortable with your own ability to bowl and you have been approved by one of our coaches, you are welcome to participate in some of our regularly scheduled draw games, which occur on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Start times vary depending on the day of the week and the season of the year, but your coach contact will be able to provide you with the details. If you are interested in becoming a regular participant, you will need to apply for full membership in PALBC. (See Membership for more details.)