One of the most contentious issues involved in future planning relates to the number of greens operated by the Club. Under the current design and road access, we will not be able to use either current Green 4 or the former Croquet Court land for a green.
There is capacity to locate a new green with capacity for 5 rinks between Green 3 and the Tennis Courts. That is the better long term solution anyway as it places all the greens in the same proximity and provides capacity for a covered/indoor green without affecting the current aesthetics.
However, in view of the borrowing costs and risks in the first stage and it is desirable to keep the options open for possible other uses of this land, the current thinking is to see how the Club goes with three greens and only build a new green if there is a need. At the same time we need to plan for this to be a 4th Green to either cope with growth in bowling numbers or because in practice it is found it is too disruptive to operate at times with just 2 greens.
In the “normal” running of bowls at the Club ie when 3 greens are usable, this will not be an issue as we very rarely, if ever, need 4 greens at the one time. The problem arises when we need to close either of the grass greens. At those times the Club will be limited to 2 greens which are insufficient for Wednesday afternoon bowls and a number of other special events.
(b) Period of Time with Two Greens
To give an idea of the size of the problem, the following gives estimates of periods we would be without one green.
There are two types of green disruption
- Minor - Occasionally, depending on circumstances such as the weather, a green may need a rest. Green 1 in particular tends to need more “resting” than Green 2. The greens can usually be used; it is just preferable to be able to rest either of the grass greens at times. As Wednesday is the only Club day where 3 greens are required, there is a fair amount of resting available in any event. Perhaps allow 1 Wednesday per year per grass green, ie 1 week of disruption.
- Major - Greens usually have a major renovation at least once every 2 years and more likely, once per year. A major renovation can take between 6 and 10 weeks, depending mainly on the weather.
On the basis of the above analysis, the Club could be restricted to 2 greens (which is 13 rinks) for a maximum of 13 to 19 weeks in a year for major renovations every year and a minimum of 7 to 11 weeks for major renovations every 2 years.
(c) Current Capacity
Current capacity is between 24 and 26 rinks.
Greens 1 and 2 have an ongoing capacity of 6 rinks but can accommodate 7 rinks each occasionally. They cannot accommodate 7 rinks all the time as there is insufficient room to move the rinks slightly to avoid wear.
Green 3 and Green 4 have capacity for 7 rinks and 5 rinks respectively.
(d) Extent of the Problem
The Wednesday Men’s is the biggest problem because there is a regular requirement for 3 rinks. We sometimes have up to 120 Bowlers or 20 rinks of Triples and regularly have 108 bowlers or 18 rinks, when the maximum capacity for 2 greens is 14 rinks.
There are other known times when we need 3 greens, as the Women’s Classic 4’s in August, requires up to 24 rinks, the Women’s Versatile 6’s in November requires up to 20 rinks, Women’s Open Gala days in February usually needs 3 greens, Summerland and Wintersun both require 16 rinks, the Mixed Pairs at Easter requires at least 3 rinks. There can be other occasional special events that require 3 rinks.
For many of these events, other than the regular Wednesday afternoon bowls, with fairly careful planning, the Green keeper will be able to organise the green renovations to limit the disruption. However, as the weather in particular is unpredictable, it is probable that there will be disruption to some events in some years.
(d) Options for Play with Two Greens
- Play outside the current scheduled times: It would be possible to run the Wed Men’s Triples and any other normal Club events in the morning, afternoon and, in the Summer, at night. There would be choices as to whether it was the one comp or two. Morning and afternoon play effectively doubles our player capacity. But less social interaction and vitality compared to one larger event.
- Restrict the Number of Players; Keep to the current times but have a means of rationing the number of players eg first in first served; rostered days off; other options??
- Play fours; This would increase the player capacity by 16 bowlers or the equivalent of 5 rinks of triples. That would produce the same capacity in terms of games of bowls as the current capacity when we use Green 4, when one of the other greens is out.
- Use other club’s greens. This may be necessary if a major scheduled event is disrupted by green renovations and/or, the Club chooses to accept a larger number of entries for an event than the Club can cope with. It would require prior alternative arrangements with another club. Some Members dissatisfied with the other three options may also choose this option.
