About Keynsham Bowling Club.

Keynsham Bowling Club was formed in 1957 and has bowled in the Memorial Park ever since, as tenants of a succession of Local Authorities in whom the ownership of the park has rested. For details of how to find us and parking, please return to the bottom of our home page.

The Memorial Park has rightly been claimed to be the jewel in Keynsham’s crown and we are proud to have enhanced it for over 50 years, as the Club and its facilities have developed. That development is far from complete and we are constantly reviewing plans to improve our facilities.

As things stand now, we would start any comment on our facilities with the claim that we have the benefit of playing on one of the very best greens in the South West and add that it compares very favourably with the best in any other region as well.

Our clubhouse, whilst starting to show its age, still provides comfortable “après bowl” facilities that include a new kitchen (refurbished in 2006) and the ever popular bar. The large picture windows afford a perfect view of the green. Our changing facilities are not huge but they are comfortable and well kept. Improvements in our changing facilities are top of the agenda within our Development Plan and we aim to be in a position to provide four changing rooms from 2009; separate men's and ladies' changing rooms for both home and away teams.

Keynsham Bowling Club’s close proximity to Bristol allows us to affiliate to and participate fully in both the City & County of Bristol and Somerset County Bowling Associations.

Our men enter three teams in the Somerset County League (Saturday afternoons), two in the Bristol & District League (Thursday evenings) and just the one permitted in the Bristol Triples League (Friday afternoons). Our ladies enter teams in both the North Somerset League (Tuesday or Thursday afternoons) and the Bristol Evening League (usually Wednesday evenings with some Friday evenings).

Both ladies and men compete as club teams in a variety of County and National Cup Competitions and individual Club Members are encouraged to enter both County and National Competitions as singles, pairs (including mixed pairs), triples and fours.

Keynsham Bowling Club also runs no less than seventeen different internal competitions, including one just for novices. The knock-out competitions include five for ladies, seven for men, one mixed and one open. Competitions in league format include two for mixed teams and one for men only. We reintroduced our Junior trophy in 2008 and hope this will now be an annual feature.

On top of all that there is a full programme of friendly fixtures for both men’s and ladies’ teams, with the ever popular mixed friendly matches on Sunday afternoons and the equally popular Club Night on Monday evenings (that’s just a friendly social roll-up).

No season would be complete without our “fun” days; usually Sunday afternoons, when we adopt fancy dress, occasionally bowl some unusual formats and always conclude with a Barbeque or a Fish & Chip Supper.

Novice bowlers are encouraged to participate in friendly matches as soon as possible, with a view to progressing to league bowling when they are confident to do so. Keynsham Bowling Club has a policy of seeking to offer the services of at least three qualified coaches from amongst the membership to assist novices and experienced bowlers alike. Coaching sessions are usually on a Monday morning, but other arrangements can be made for those with work or school commitments.

Many of our Members enjoy a continental mixed tour before each season opens and at least a couple of dozen of our men escape the leash to tour in the UK in September. The men’s tours are for six days, with six matches and have ranged as far afield as Cumbria (sneaking in a match over the border in Dumfries), York, the Isle of Wight, Devon and Wales.

Whilst we are essentially a bowling club we do manage to include an active social programme. Indeed, a very good way to meet us is at our regular coffee mornings; the first Wednesday of every month, right through the year, from 10.30am, in the Clubhouse.

What ever your bowling ability or bowling aspirations, you can be guaranteed a very warm welcome here at Keynsham Bowling Club. Membership application forms can be obtained at the Clubhouse or from our Club Secretary (return to our home page for contact details). New Members are always welcome and that includes social members. Now there’s a real bargain, at 2009 prices a Social Membership is just £3 per annum and that gives entitlement to use all of the Club’s facilities, except the green, and participation in all Club events, again except on the green.

Keynsham Bowling Club is a Community Amateur Sports Club and apart from the services of a professional green keeper (John Swift) the Club is serviced and maintained by Member volunteers. No offers of help from within the Club or outwith the Club will be turned away. The Club depends largely on Membership subscriptions for the income to maintain its facilities and desperately needs sponsorship to progress its Development Plan. We want this to be a Club the town of Keynsham and the local community can be truly proud of. If you can help us achieve that objective, please contact our Chairman or Club Secretary (again return to our home page for contact details).

A visit to www.keynshamweb.org.uk or www.keynsham-tc.org.uk will give you an idea of what a busy little town Keynsham is. One of the underlying objectives of Keynsham Bowling Club is to be a contributor to this thriving community. As simple examples we would cite our participation in the Memorial Park Forum, right from its inception in 2007 and our efforts to involve local schools in bowling.

Following several comments on a blog posting back in March 2008, our "Getting Started - A Quick Guide" for those interested in taking up bowls, transferring their membership to us or  becoming a Social Member now follows this introduction to our Club. Just scroll down.

The final comment comes from our President, succinctly summing up the whole ethos of Keynsham Bowling Club:-

“Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!”

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Keynsham Bowling Club is an equal opportunities club.

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Keynsham Bowling Club has a no-smoking policy covering the Clubhouse and the Annex. Although smoking is allowed outside the buildings we expect smokers to display common courtesy to non-smokers by not smoking where the smoke can drift into the buildings or across spectators and always seeking permission of fellow players before smoking on the green.

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Some of you may be thinking of taking up bowling for the first time. It therefore seems reasonable to post a few answers to the questions most asked by people thinking of taking it up.

 

Some of you may even be thinking of changing Club’s, so some of this information might be of interest to you. I’m thinking particularly of our subscriptions and rink fees.

 

“How much will it cost me?” This is probably the question most commonly asked by those thinking of taking up bowls.

 

All Bowling Clubs have an annual subscription and rink fees. The annual subscription is self explanatory but not everyone knows what rink fees are. Quite simply the Club will levy a small fee each time a Member takes part in a match against another club. Some Clubs also levy a one off joining fee; at Keynsham we don’t.

 

In order to keep pace with the rising costs of maintaining the Club and its facilities there will be a small increase in subscriptions for the 2009 season, but no increase in rink fees:-

Annual Subscription - £65.00

Rink Fees - £2.00

 

We also have a special discounted subscription for first time bowlers in their first season, at just £32.50.

 

At our Club, Junior Members and those in full time education benefit from a discounted subscription at the discretion of our Executive Committee. They also pay no rink fees.

 

Bowls is a very sociable game, so be prepared to spend a bob or two over the bar. It’s customary in matches against other Clubs for the home players to buy their opposite numbers the first drink after the game, even if it’s only a soft drink. On the up side the light teas commonly served at matches against other Clubs are free.

 

So, now you know how much it’ll cost you to join and participate. There is however the question of equipment. This can be really expensive, or you can go for some of the cheaper options.

 

You’ll need something to roll down the green. We call them “woods”, though you may have heard them called “bowls”. You don’t want to know the cost of the most expensive, but they start at about £100 for a set. Junior sets can be bought even cheaper. We can provide woods on loan here at the Club for anyone wanting to have a taster on the green and if you like it, have a look on e-bay or at the local retailers (see our links) before buying a set. You might even find a second hand set for sale.

 

Your woods are the biggest single investment you'll make in bowling and should last a lifetime. So its worth asking to have a go with other people's woods before you buy, as many different ones as possible. There's a huge range on the market, all with their own characteristics. Size and weight are also critical. You'll want to get this right first time. Our coaches will be only too happy to answer questions on woods and offer advice.

 

All clubs insist only bowling shoes are worn on the green and they should only be worn on the green, nowhere else. This is to protect the grass both from sharp heels and from damaging substances that can be introduced from the soles of street shoes. These start at about £30 in specialist shops, but they can be found even cheaper.

 

Woods and shoes are the basic musts. With those you can play on the green, but to participate in matches you must have the correct clothing. White tops are a must and depending on the nature of the match either grey or white below the waist. For men these items of clothing do not have to be bought from specialist shops, so they can be as cheap as you can find them. I am however given to understand ladies' dress rules are a little stricter when playing in tournaments under County or National rules, so you may have to use specialist shops if playing at this level.

  

There you go; a very quick guide to the costs of bowling. Of course some people don’t want to play; they just want a Social Membership and what a bargain that is here in Keynsham, just £3.00 for the full year.

 

“Will there be someone to teach me?” It never ceases to amaze me how worried some people can be that they will make a fool of themselves when they first roll a wood down the green. Why? We all know bowlers of many years standing who still do that on a regular basis, but who cares?

 

Bowling is all about enjoyment. Yes, I know, it’s more enjoyable if you’re doing it right and doing it well. That’s why Keynsham Bowling Club aims to have at least three qualified coaches available every season.

 

From early May our coaches, Dave, Joan and Ian, will be conducting weekly coaching sessions, every Monday at 11.00am.

 

Don’t think this is your only opportunity to get help and guidance though. Monday evenings, with a 6.15pm start, from mid May are Club Nights. These are roll-ups, that’s bowling talk for informal, casual, non-competitive bowling, for Club Members followed by toasted sandwiches. It’s also an ideal opportunity to mix with Club Members on the green, make new friends and pick up a few bowling tips.

 

In fact you’ll find Members bending over backward to help you all the time.

 

“How often will I get to bowl?” You want to know you’re getting value for money.

 

Apart from Wednesdays the green is available to Club Members from 11.00am to dusk. Wednesdays the green is available from 2.00pm to dusk.

 

Club Members are entitled to roll-up at any of those times, provided of course the green is not fully booked for a Club Match or Competition.

 

Matches against other Clubs include friendly fixtures for men's, ladies' and mixed teams. These are an ideal starter for new bowlers and there really is no pressure from your team mates, in fact they will do everything they can to help you. We also participate in a variety of highly competitive league and cup competitions.

 

New Members are encouraged to make themselves available for matches with other Clubs as soon as they feel comfortable to do so. All Members are encouraged to enter Club Competitions, indeed one is just for Novice Bowlers.

 

The simple answer to this question is “as often as you want”.

 

“Do I have to join before I can start?”

 

No, we always welcome people wanting to give it a go. Club nights are an ideal opportunity to "have a go" or taster sessions can be arranged for small parties or individuals.  We would however expect some commitment in the form of a Membership Application before an unreasonable number of "free" sessions have been enjoyed.

 

“How do I join or get more information?”

 

Oh come on! You must have some idea to have got this far.

 

Go to “contacts” on our home page. The e:mail addresses and phone numbers are there for our Secretary or Chairman.