Santa Anita Bowling Green Club

Royal Heritage

Lawn bowling, or “bowls” has much literary and historical proof of being the real “Sport of Kings.” From the time of Edward III, the game was restricted by royal decree to “Noblemen and others having manors or lands.” Successive kings played and enjoyed the game. However, King Henry III, who had bowling greens installed at Whitehall, permitted the common people to play on Christmas Day.

Fortunately, no serious effort was made to enforce this ban, and of course it did not apply to Scotland. Almost every English monarch was a bowler, and the royal estates were all equipped with fine bowling greens. King James I was an ardent bowler, as was his son King Charles I. Both monarchs are reputed to have enjoyed playing for high stakes. King Charles, according to bowling tradition, lost over $5,000 in one encounter with a Barking Hill merchant named Richard Shute. A bowling green has been a permanent fixture at Windsor Castle. Anne Boleyn was a bowler, as were many noblewomen, including the first Princess Elizabeth and Queen Victoria. The late Queen Mary, and King Edward V enjoyed the game of bowls. Edward VIII, now the Duke of Windsor, was president of the Royal Household Bowling club of Windsor Castle. His brother, the late George VI, was an enthusiastic bowler and patron of the English Bowling Association.

Noble Heritage

In the early days, it was fashionable for the aristocracy to have private bowling greens. Samuel Pepys mentions in his diary being invited to “play at bowls with the nobility and gentry.” Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Water Raleigh, Victor Hugo, and Lord Macauley were all bowlers. British officers installed bowling greens in the American colonies in New York in 1725, and in Port Royal Canada in 1734. George Vanderbilt and John D. Rockefeller had private bowling greens on their estates in 1896.

Today, bowls is no longer solely a rich person’s game. The world famous have played and enjoyed this game from ancient to modern times, ranging from Dr. Samuel Johnson to Dr. William Brady, and from Shakespeare to Walt Disney. Men play today on the very green at Plymouth Hoe where Sir Francis Drake and his captains bowled that memorable day in 1588 when the messenger arrived with the news of the invading Spanish Armada.

Literature, history and art all abound with references to this game, and we can indeed look back with pride on the noble heritage of our Royal and Ancient games of bowls. It may seem a little selfish, but some “old timers” dread the day when the American public really discovers this game. They picture bowling alleys deserted, golf courses neglected, and tennis courts empty, while waiting lines form at the bowling green; and there will be no royal decree to restrict this game to a favored few.

The American Scene

Lawn bowling appears to have been introduced into the American colonies in the1600s, although archaeologists have uncovered biased stone bowls, now in a museum at Vancouver, B.C. which indicate that a similar game was played be the North American Indians centuries before this. Bowling greens were recorded in Boston in 1615, New Amsterdam, as New York was then called, and not long afterwards in Washington and Virginia.

Bowling at Mount Vernon

In 1726 George Washington’s father, Augustus, took over management of the family estate at Mount Vernon, and in 1732, the year George was born, constructed the bowling green. At this time the game was highly favored as a genteel pastime by the ranking officers of the British Colonial Army, and the green at Mt. Vernon was undoubtedly very popular. George grew up with the game, became an avid bowler in his youth, and apparently this love of the game was never lost. He kept the green busy through the years. By 1754 he had come into his inheritance and settled down with Martha. They kept up the family tradition of sponsoring bowling on the green as “suitable for the intelligentia and ranking army officers.” The game abruptly lost its popularity during the Revolution. On July 4, 1776, with the Declaration of Independence, the Colonies were rent apart. Those still loyal to the British Crown fled to Canada, were imprisoned or killed, and their property confiscated. This wartime hysteria swept all thing British with it, including bowling greens. Greens were plowed up, converted to camp grounds, planted with flowers or trees, and hidden as much as possible. At Mount Vernon the abandoned green was planted with young full grown trees described as a rugged type of magnolia. One of these trees, “The Washington magnolia,” planted in the garden entrance to the bowling green is reputed to be hale and hearty today. Apparently all local records went too, as our national archives had no record of bowling activity for this period until our first edition. Recent research by the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association of the Union record authentic maps which date back to 1726, locate the bowling green, and confirm our previous reports.

Canadians Preserve the Sport

To the Canadians we owe the preservation of Bowling on the Green in America. With peace, the game spread across the continent to Vancouver, and grew in popularity. In time, friendly games across the border began, and eventually old animosities were forgotten.

There is a certain magic in this game that builds lasting friendships, and Bowls has done a lot to cement the friendly relations that now exist between Canada and the United States. The game was not revived in the United States until 1879 when a bowler named Shepplin started a small private club in New Jersey. Soon this expanded to a second club and in 1885 the Middlesex Bowling Green Club was officially organized. New clubs appeared in Boston, and soon bowling greens were once again flourishing along the eastern seaboard. Fourteen years passed before the first West Coast club was formed. In 1899 the St. Andrews Society of San Francisco and Oakland combined to construct the first bowling green in the West in Golden Gate Park.

The first Southern California lawn bowling club was formed in Los Angeles about 1908, and today there are more than thirty active clubs and many private greens in this area.

In 1918, the County of Los Angeles purchased 185 acres from Anita Baldwin for $92,000. Prior to the purchase, the land was part of the Santa Anita Racetrack. The county turned the land into a park, which was then used as a training camp by the U.S. Army. Later, it was the site of the Japanese concentration camps in World War II.

In 1935, through an act of Congress, the War Department redeeded the 185 acres to the county with the provision that it be used as a park and recreation center. The conversion of the site from an army camp into a recreational facility was a WPA project that employed 600 men and cost over $100,000.00. Ninety percent of the labor was done by hand and produced an 18-hole golf course, a swimming pool, a bath house, two grandstands, eight tennis courts, a hardball court, a baseball diamond, a baseball grandstand, a softball diamond, a children’s playground, and two lawn bowling greens. Can you imagine what the cost would be today?!

The Club is Formed

Bowling greens #1 and #2 were almost complete when a group of local men got together to form a lawn bowling club. They met in the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce rooms on June 17, 1937. There were 12 men at that initial meeting. At the next meeting, five days later on June 22, 1937, the original twelve (who would become the founding members) were joined by an additional eight, and the organization was officially founded under the name, Arcadia Bowling Green Club (ABGC).

The ABGC was strictly a male organization, and only three of the organizers had any idea how to play the game. Jack Stanley, who moved to Arcadia from Oakland, California, where he was active in the club there, became the first president and agreed to teach the other members. He was joined by Ed Berry who also had some experience with the game.

The club grew, and by the time the Pearl Harbor attacks occurred there were about 55 members. The hardships associated with the war took their toll on the club, however, and membership dropped to about 40. With the return of peace, membership quickly rose to about 75.

The Formative Years: 1937 - 1960

During the first ten years of the club’s existence it was without a clubhouse. Then in 1947, after years of lobbying, the club was able to persuade the county to appropriate $30,000 to build a clubhouse. The building was completed in 1948.

During this time, the club was also pleased to welcome players from Britain and Canada. A group of 30 British bowlers visited the ABGC in 1947. They were followed by a Canadian group in 1995, and another British group in 1956. Though both the British and Canadian players were able to defeat the members of the ABGC, the competitions were educational and fun for everyone.

Another significant event during this time was the incorporation of the club. Incorporation was approved by the State on March 4, 1955.

The Ladies

In January 1949, a group of ladies formed their own club and began bowling. At one time the membership of the ladies’ club stood at 15. They associated themselves with the Southern California Women’s group and enjoyed bowling in tournaments throughout the state. The ladies’ club was also active socially, holding parties and picnics to celebrate most of the major holidays.
 

By 1960, the membership of the ladies’club had dwindled to almost nothing. It was decided that they would be admitted to the men’s club, but only as Class B members. This meant that they could bowl with the men but had no voting privileges.

In July of 1964, Class B memberships were eliminated from the club’s by-laws and the women became full members. The first women to join the club were Anna Bucher, Nellie Jerg, Susan Long, and Cathy Noren. Both Cathy Noren and Anna Bucher had served as President of the ladies’ club.

The Good Years

The years 1962 and 1963 were good for the ABGC. Construction of a north wing room was completed and the club was allowed to use it as a clubroom. At the same time, construction of Green #3 began. While all this construction was in progress, the club entertained 31 men and 15 women from six lawn bowling clubs in Australia.

Up until about 1963 the ABGC was almost the only organization using the clubhouse. Hardly a day went by that bowlers didn’t stay after their games to chat, eat lunch, and play bridge. Once the new additions were completed, however, more and more groups began to use the facility.
 

Green Fees

Until 1966 no money was paid to the county for the upkeep of the greens. However, there was an unspoken agreement that the club would donate one half of all dues collected to the county. One half of what was collected was put into a separate bank account and given to the county at the end of the year as a goodwill offering. The county supervisors acknowledged the receipt of this money as a gift. Because the greens were in poor condition in 1965, the county decided that the club should withhold its gift. In 1966, the club decided to begin collecting fees specifically for the care of the greens. The first fees were set at $18 per year.

Throughout the 60s and into the 70s, the club earned the respect of the lawn bowling community with its sportsmanship and competitive stance. Training classes were organized and the positive results were reflected in a steadily increasing membership:

1971 – 86 members

1972 – 122 members

1974 – 149 members

1975 - 173 members

1976 – 196 members

1977 – 204 members

1978 – 204 members

1979 – 244 members

Historic Moments

The ABGC was the first lawn bowling club to stage charity events. The first project, started by Joe Zook in 1965, was a Halloween party for retarded children. Though it was a hit with everyone involved, it had to be abandoned in 1978 due to a transportation problem. Another club project that deserves special mention is the annual City of Hope Triples tournament, which raises money for cancer research. It is held on Parks and Recreation Day each year.

ABGC has been the host for many notable tournaments, including the Women’s U.S. Nationals in 1977 and the Southwest Division Open.

A typical example of this club’s willingness and ability to work together to create positive change was the day members appeared at the budget session of the County Board of Supervisor’s meeting to ask that a fourth bowling green be installed. A large group of club members, dressed in whites, sat in the audience while Bob Weitkamp made a stirring appeal for the green. The Board approved and the 4^th green was built.

The progress this club has made since 1937 should instill a sense of pride in each member and make us determined to maintain the high standards and good sportsmanship that are traditional in lawn bowling. As Alastair Booke wrote, “It is one thing to write history; it is far better to make it.” That is exactly what we are doing in our club.