Mount club wins title

Mount Bowling Club president Rodney Warrender (left) and secretary/treasurer Garrick Hamlyn are rapt the club has clinched the Bowls New Zealand Tower 2016 Club of the Year title.Photo/Andrew Warner

The Mount Maunganui Bowling Club is in celebration mode after being named the Bowls New Zealand Tower 2016 Club of the Year.

Secretary and treasurer Garrick Hamlyn says there are 540 bowling clubs in New Zealand so it was a fantastic result.

They were nominated for the honour but had to prepare an extensive report to clinch the title, which included strategic plans, recruitment policies and volunteer support programmes.

"It felt pretty good to get the award."

Coincidentally Garrick was also nominated in the Bowls NZ Administrator of the Year.

"I was a finalist and didn't make it so the club getting there was the icing on the cake."

The club currently has about 180 members and although numbers were down slightly it was holding its own, he says. "It is a nationwide trend.

Membership in bowling clubs across the country is probably declining by about 5 per cent. In 1997 I was the executive officer for Bowls Wellington and at that time there were 85,000 registered bowlers in the country. Today there are about 32,000."

"But there are over 120,000 people who play the game so that comes about through clubs running twilight bowls, and hiring your green out for corporate events and so on ... so there are more playing casually which is great."

The Mount Club has also evolved with the times and diversified, he says. "We had 1200 people on our artificial green last year who were non-bowlers."

Garrick is proud of the club's facilitates which encompass two natural greens and one artificial.

A recent survey of membership feedback also highlighted another philosophy the club endorsed.

"One unique factor that stood out was how much everyone enjoyed the friendship and camaraderie in the club. It was consistent throughout every reply."

Club president Rodney Warrender says members are "over the moon" being named top club and it was a credit to everyone involved.

NEW TO BOWLS?
The Club welcomes new players of all ages.

It is never too early to start playing the game and it is never too late.

Visit www.mountbowls.co.nz or phone 575 3838 for more information.