Groundsman spreads the word

GROUNDSMAN SPREADS THE WORD

By Lynn Hilton

Several years ago Mr. Tommy Seymour of the Larne Bowls Club in Northern Ireland, visited the San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club.

Mr. Seymour, a retired Groundsman, discussed the slow pace of the greens with Bill Ryan the Greens Committee Chairman and told him the most beneficial thing the club could do was to obtain a SISIS Auto-Rotorake. He later sent Mr. Ryan a SISIS brochure and the San Francisco club was also contacted by SISIS Inc., the SISIS subsidiary company based in the USA.

The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club then embarked on a fund raising program to purchase the Auto-Rotorake and in early 2002 the machine arrived. It is a sturdy, well-built machine and Green keeper Dennis Wade likes the way it handles and the ease of changing the various reels. The club says they have had excellent service from SISIS and look forward to many years' use from their new de-thatcher.

The San Francisco Lawn Bowling Club is located in Golden Gate Park. It is the oldest Municipal lawn bowling club in the USA. It has three greens, the first was built in 1901, the second in 1912 and the third in the mid-twenties. The original club was called The St.Andrews Bowls Club and the 1912 green was built for the Golden Gate Women's Bowls Club. The two clubs later merged.

The greens are maintained by the City & County of San Francisco Recreation Dept. On September 30th 2001 the club celebrated its centennial with about 200 people in attendance and all three greens were full for a wonderful day of bowling and festivities.