Interested in Learning to Play?
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) Drop in at 12 noon any day when practice is scheduled (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday), or at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays during daylight savings time. A coach will be at the green before or after scheduled practices to provide an introduction to the game and beginning instruction as necessary. No advance arrangements are necessary. Just wear comfortable clothing and flat shoes, and we will provide the bowling equipment needed. You can also watch club members playing their usual morning or afternoon social games, and look around our club facilities. After a half-hour or so you should have a sense of whether to pursue your interest further by scheduling an additional lesson, and applying for membership in the club.
2) If you cannot make any of the noon or evening drop-in sessions, you are welcome to schedule a lesson with one of our coaches at a mutually convenient time, by contacting Frank Matyskiela at frankmaty@netscape.net. You will receive personalized instruction and will have a chance to practice your skills in a non-competitive environment. The coach will assess whether you are ready to participate in social competitive play. When you are ready, you are welcome to join in social games.
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.)