The Jack, the Rink and Bowling in San Francisco
By Daniel Brockman

Have you seen the people in white rolling balls along the grass at Golden Gate Park and wondered what kind of game they were playing? Wondering precisely that, I went to the lawn bowling greens to find out something about the game. I had the pleasure to encounter Bill McConachie who described the game to me. By googling this name, you will discover Bill has chaired several major tournaments.

Bill migrated to San Francisco from Scotland, where the game originated, and where he played as a kid. People play bowls worldwide. The San Francisco club, originally named the San Francisco Scottish Bowling Club, conducted their first games October 18, 1901 on greens built by John McLaren, the original superintendent of the park. The Clubhouse and greens are now a registered San Francisco landmark.

While bowls seems to attract old folks in America, Bill says that's because there's no money in it. Elsewhere, such as Australia and New Zealand, each club has a pro paid tens of thousands of dollars per year, and in those parts, it's a young person's game.

The players usually form teams of two or four on each of two sides, but singles games are also played. Both women and men play. Tournaments are held for women, and for men, and for mixed teams. The game requires a physical capacity for endurance.

The game is played on a rink, the length of grass marked for the game. A small mat, like a welcome mat, at one end of the rink marks the place a player stands when bowling. A player must always have a foot on the mat when launching the bowl.

The game starts when the lead player rolls the small spherical white jack, or target, down the rink to the other end. The jack is a little smaller than a tennis ball, and perhaps twice the diameter of a golf ball. For the remainder of the "end", the players take turns rolling the black bowls, each about the size of a grapefruit, toward the jack. The bowls are lopsided, not quite round. An emblem and distinguishing colors mark the relatively flat side. The asymmetry of the bowls means they always curve somewhat as they travel the length of the green. A skilled bowler controls the curve and uses it to advantage. She wants to her bowl either to stop as close to the jack as possible, or to knock an opponent's bowl further away. For the curious historical explanation of the "bias" of the bowls and other lore, visit the website http://www.frp.org/links/lawnbowling.html.

Scoring depends on which team's bowl lies closest to the jack when all players have taken their shots. A team scores one point for each bowl that lies closer to the jack than their opponents' closest bowl. This means that one team gets the points, and the other team gets zero.

When all the players of both teams have expended their bowls, the score is reckoned, and that finishes the end. Once the points are counted, the players reverse direction and begin the next end. A full game consists of an agreed number of ends.

The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club is located near the carousel toward the eastern end of Golden Gate Park. Dues are $85 per year. You can take free lessons at noon every Wednesday or at other times by arrangement with club instructors. Telephone (415) 487-8787 for information.

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569 words.

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