Burlington Lawn Bowling Club - Since 1971       Follow @BurlingtonLBC
OFF THE GREENS, MASK UP, BOWLERS!

SAD NEWS:  With great sadness the Club announces the passing of Kevin Joseph Donovan (1935-2020), a long-time member of BLBC, on September 6. Our sincere condolences go out to Trudy and the family. A Funeral Mass was celebrated on Friday, September 11, 2020 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Burlington. For those who wish, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation. Click here to view his Obituary.

BURLINGTON CLUB TO EXPAND REOPENING FOR TEAM GAMES:  In late June Ontario allowed most of the province to enter Stage 2 of the Covid-19 Re-opening Plan. Among many things, this designation permits sports clubs, such as lawn bowling clubs, to reopen their facilities for very limited use such as permitting members or players to practise but not for competitive play or games. As a result, the Club presented a Return to Play plan to the City of Burlington and the local public health authority to permit it to reopen the club for practice sessions. The City gave the Club the green light to proceed and on July 3 the Club's Board of Directors voted unanimously to reopen the greens with practice sessions starting July 13. On July 28, the province allowed our city to enter Stage 3 and this permits the club to now include the playing of team games such as jitneys, open bowling, aussie pairs and 4-3-2-1.

SAFETY REGULATIONS:  In order for the Club to offer practice sessions and team games, we will have to adhere to Return to Play conditions and regulations which the Club negotiated with the City. For your safety, the Playing Regulations are quite comprehensive, restricted and detailed. It is imperative that members who want to play read and understand the Return to Play policy. This document is now available for download in two formats: .doc and PDF . Simply put, bowlers will only be allowed to touch their own bowls when playing. They are not allowed to touch anything else when at the club or on the greens. The drawmaster will act as the Safety Officer. The clubhouse will not be opened and players are asked not to socialize.

ACCEPTING THE RISKS INVOLVED:  In addition to reading and adhering to the return-to-play regulations, bowlers must also read the Compliance Waiver which asks members to accept the risks associated with practising while there is still a pandemic and a 'state of health emergency' in place in Ontario. This Waiver is also now available in two formats: .doc and PDF .

TEAM GAMES TIMES:  Beginning Monday, August 10, we are going to start the Team Games by having two morning and two evening sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. On those three days the morning sessions will start at 10 a.m. and the evening sessions will run start at 7 p.m. Please check with Club's Newsletters (which are frequently emailed to all members) to find out which games are played on those days. Unlike the practice sessions which required members to book practice times, players simply have to show up to play. First come, first served. Presently we are allowed a capacity of 32 players or 16 pairs teams playing on eight separated rinks.

PRESIDENT'S UPDATE ON CLUB'S FINANCIAL STATUS:  The board has just completed a review of our financial status covering the period July 1 to December 31. Considering our lack of revenue during this time, as close as we can determine, we will move into a deficit position of $2,708 at the end of September rising to a deficit of $ 12,270 by the end of December.
 
The board has approved the transfer of $10,000 from our cashable GIC into our chequing account immediately to help cover this shortfall. This money is not coming from our reserve fund, it is money that has been accumulated over the past few years mostly from our tournament profits and fund-raising efforts. This money was put aside to cover any anticipated rainy days. Friends we are there!!!
 
We are asking our members to pay  $75 to help us through this financial crisis. Please mail your cheque to Evan Bingley membership chair and consult the club’s Handbook for her address. Your co-operation will be gratefully appreciated, thank you. Tony Farrell, president and Al Price, treasurer.

 Greens Restoration 
Progress Reports:
Nov. 2016 Update
Oct. 2016 Update
Spring 2016 Update
Oct. 2015 Update
Nov. 2015 Update

The Burlington Lawn Bowling Club (BLBC) is a private charter club located in the heart of Burlington, Ontario. The club is a member of District 5 of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association (OLBA).

The club invites you to join us for lively social interaction and mild exercise  on the "GREEN" and we invite and encourage non-members to play as our guests.  Lessons and loaner equipment are available for all who are interested in learning this sport. Guests may also use club bowls for a small fee.

BLBC has two regulation-size greens of 8 rinks each. Bowling occurs virtually every day of the week during our operating season, usually in the afternoons and evenings.  More information on the choice of times and levels of play of all bowling activities can be found in the 2018 Handbook.  In addition, for the competitive bowler, the club also hosts numerous "Open Tournaments" and District & Provincial Championships throughout the year. For your enjoyment, the club is licensed for beer and wine service.

Canada Day 2019
 

 INDOOR BOWLING:  Want to lawn bowl all year round? No problem! At BLBC you can bowl indoors from October to April for $100. We roll out 3 mats in our clubhouse. The game is similar to outdoors but the greens are mats (shorter & narrower than outside) with a block in the middle to make the game more challenging. Small bowls are supplied. All you need is indoor flat-soled shoes.

We have open bowling every afternoon (with refreshments & cookies between games). There are also leagues in the mornings & evenings. Come join us and enjoy the camaraderie. Lessons are available. There is an additional fee of $30 for non-outdoor members. Please check out the new 2019-2020 Indoor Bowling Schedule for the times of all events and league action.

 Ongoing Activities 
 
Open Bowling: Pick-up games with players drawn randomly. Show up 20 minutes ahead of start time and play.
 
Jitneys: Same as Open Bowling, but played for loonies & toonies. Also special Holiday Jitneys when 2 games are played.
 
Tournaments: Some are "in house" Club Tournaments for members only.
 
Click here for Schedule for 2019 Club Championships.
 
Others are "Open" to outside clubs as well. All require pre-registration.
 
Leagues: Pick your own team for league play (such as Australian 2-4-2 Pairs and 4-3-2-1).
 

 
Winners of 2019 Open Tournaments held at BLBC

Previous Winners:  2018   -    2017   -  2016   -  2015   -  2014  -  2013 .

 Bowling Tips 
 
"Bruce's Bits for Better Bowling". Tips:
#1 - #2 - #3 - #4
#5 - #6 - #7 - #8
New: Tip #9 - 
 

 Open Tournaments 
 
Check our NEW  Open Tournaments schedule and plan your entries!
 
2020 Tournaments
 
2019 District 5 Schedule
 
 Tournament Results 

Results & Winners:
2013 Tournaments
2014 Tournaments
2015 Tournaments
2016 Tournaments  
2017 Tournaments
2018 Tournaments

 No Fee Increase for 2019
 

Note: Full Membership Fee includes the annual affiliation fees of $35.00 remitted to provincial and national governing bodies ($16.50 to OLBA and $18.50 to Bowls Canada per player). Members who belong to more than one Ontario club only have to pay these fees once. Therefore if BLBC is not your primary club, you only pay the club portion or $155.00 in 2019. Indoor bowling add $100.

2019 Membership Form now available for download in two formats: .doc and PDF .
To renew your membership, please print, fill out and bring the form with you to the Spring Annual Meeting, or after that, the next time you are at the club along with the Waiver.

  LINKS  
 
Bowls Canada
OLBA Home Page
Ontario Premier League
Burlington Bears
City of Burlington
Region of Halton
Burlington Weather
Tourism Burlington
WOBA 2018

 
 Resources: 
 
Club Constitution
Club Bylaws
 
2019 Membership Form  &  Waiver
 
List of Novice Bowlers
 
4-3-2-1 Rules
 
Ontario Tournaments 2018
 
O.B.A. History

Club Policies

Visitors & Practice:
Potential new members who have never bowled before are encouraged to participate, together with a reasonable number of coaching sessions for free, before making a membership decision. Visiting lawn bowlers may play occasionally for a fee (as defined annually by the club) and must make arrangements with the Drawmaster in advance of any practice or game. The decision of the Drawmaster will be final in all cases. No visitor, unless they become full members of the club, shall acquire any benefits of membership, nor be eligible to compete in club championships or league play. Players from other clubs in the district may practice for district playdowns being held at the club but must arrange for practice times in advance.

Dress Code: (as per the club handbook):

• Flat soled shoes (indentations no deeper than 1/4 inch (1 cm) are mandatory).
  
• Shirts must have collars and/or sleeves.
  
• No restrictions for teams to wear same colour shirts for club championships.
  
• For Open Tournaments and District Playdowns, the OLBA Dress Code (General Rule 6.b.) shall apply (namely players on a team must all wear the same team colours or the default white tops and bottoms).

Smoking: The City of Burlington has a new "No Smoking" by-law on city property, including parks and parking lots. We have new signs on our fence advising the same. Smokers will move to the street curb.

Dogs: The Club has decided that only Service Dogs will be permitted inside the fence of the club.