The Lakeland Lawn Bowling Club's artificial green is "Henselite" Sportgrass 2000 and measures 132' x 132' with 12" ditch and 6" concrete backboard. The concrete backboard has a facing of a 2" x 6" wood board. This leaves us with eight (8) 16' lanes and a side boundary on lane 1 and 8 of 2' each.
The construction of the green during the summer of 2003 was done in conjunction with an outdoor recreational facility contracted by the City of Lakeland. The City has left vacant an area adjacent to our green which we hope, at a later date, will become our "second" green
Construction of the green began with the clearing of the entire area followed by the installation of a high volume drainage system, concrete backboards and base with sand overlay; all done using laser. The "carpet" came in bundled rolls (looked like what you'd see in hay fields) that were about six foot wide. The carpet was laid (starting under the sand level) at a 45 degree angle. On the bottom side of each carpet was about a 3" strip of adhesive that would lock in the next roll of carpet. With this over-locking feature there are no visible seams.
The installation of the entire project was under the supervision of the Australian company (Henselite) that sold the system. They had three Australian maintenance workers that laid the entire rink. Even the sand was imported from Australia!
Some of the maintenance guidelines supplied by the Henselite were:
1. Henselite 2000 performs better in a damp mode and requires watering on a regular basis. Suggest watering the green lightly just before play.
2. When the installation was complete, the sand levels were to the top of the grass.
Over time the sand levels have dropped to below the surface and compacted.
3. As with grass greens they need to be rolled to obtain the desired speed and performance (draw)and to complete a final leveling. However after the initial settling in period rolling of the green should be done only to increase the speed of the bowl's.
4. Regular sweeping of the surface is required to keep the tip of the grass open and to prevent matting and caking. They recommended a light sweep once a month using a motorized brush. (Both the roller and sweeper were furnished with our installation)
All the maintenance on our green is done by the Lakeland Parks Recreational Dept. and, on a daily basis very little; other than the watering by automatic sprinklers, is required.
The year 2003/2004 at Lakeland Lawn Bowling Club was quite an experience for all our regular members who were "grass" bowlers, mostly with full bias bowls; but I think as we all adjusted to the new surface we found the carpet great. Smoother roll and lighter release of the bowl's.
Over the summer; after the green was complete and since I live in Lakeland year round, I "tested" the green and was shocked at the draw as compared to grass. Draws of 15' to 16' were common(Quite a draw as compared to grass)
With the completion of the Outdoor Recreation Facilities here in Lakeland, we found quite an increase in interest in Lawn Bowling. Over a five week period we had 38 people show up for lessons and this year our club membership almost doubled from last year.
Our clubs aim is to bring membership over the 100 level and get that second rink completed.
While we still have some problems to correct with the new carpet (small rut's to be flattened and buildup on one side of end lane) overall conditions were great during winter play. .
Ken Martin is in charge of ground maintenance and was in daily contact with the City of Lakeland and their Parks & Recreation crew throughout the season.
Prepared by Don Woodington, (Treasurer and Summer Director)
The game of Lawn Bowls was first played in Lakeland in 1923 on a small "marl" court (a mixture of sand, clay and other aggregate) situated on the west side of Lake Mirror at the foot of Main St. The creation of the club was largely due to a group of winter visitors who had worked for a number of years with the City of Lakeland to provide a lawn bowling facility. From 1923 to 1927 W.R. Bird was the first President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the club. The difficulty in getting volunteers for executive positions is obviously not a recent phenomenon.
With the development of the Civic Center (now Lake Mirror Center), the "marl" court was surrendered to the city and new bowling greens were incorporated into the plans. For economic reasons (another perennial situation) the construction of the Center was delayed. Coming to the rescue was the Cleveland Heights Corporation who provided us with a bowling green on the shores of Lake Hollingsworth.
On completion of the Lake Mirror Complex the sport was transferred to a green adjacent to the shuffleboard courts. It was at this time that the Lakeland Lawn Bowling Club was really organized with a full slate of officers. With only one green, the group was invited to use the facilities at Carpenters Home (an Institution which now includes a rest home, hospital and a church) whenever additional greens were required.
It was in 1927 that the Lakeland Ladies Lawn Bowling Club was formed, joining the Mens club in 1933.
The South green was constructed in 1934 and the North green in 1954. Recognizing the importance of lawn bowling in the city, the Jacaranda Building was constructed for the convenience of the club in 1962, the club having affiliated with the American Lawn Bowls Association in 1960.
As of April, 2003, the 80th anniversary of L.L.B.C., the Lake Mirror complex became history and a new chapter has begun at our new facility in Lake Parker Park. The Tom Shaw Complex, shared with the shuffleboard club, has one artificial green, clubhouse and screened pavilion.
Prepared by Brian Rice, Club Curator
