Believe it or not, one of just two regulation lawn-bowling greens in Oregon is located in King City, putting the small town on the sport’s national map.
Southeast Portland’s Westmoreland Park is home to the state’s other official green, home to the Portland Lawn Bowling Club.
The green in King City belongs to the King City Civic Association and spreads out next to its golf course. As a result, the bowling green’s meticulous maintenance is professionally done in step with the golf green. Plus, the club has plenty of equipment, including round bowls, for use on the green.
Members of the King City Lawn Bowling Club want to spread the fun. They’re staging free open-house sessions at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, to offer introductions, discussions and coaching about the game. Anyone is welcome, regardless of experience. (Flat-soled shoes, such as sneakers, are required for play on the green.)
The game is like bowling in that one bowls towards a target. But there are no pins to knock over. Instead, the object is to wind up with the closest bowls – colorful balls made of dense resin – to a smaller marker ball known as a jack.
Though the game is thought to be centuries old, innovations keep improving the game, Francis says. The King City club, for instance, now features a digital scoreboard.
Member Rita Holmes, 73, says the club and green likely date back to the 1960s, when the homeowner’s association started. But in recent years, the pandemic curbed the club’s membership. The open house is its attempt to rebuild. Annual membership dues are just $55 a year.
“What cheap entertainment – and not having to buy the equipment!” Holmes exclaims.
Ordinarily, the club convenes for friendly competition and camaraderie at 10 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. One recent, mild, sunny morning, about 10 members showed up to play. A couple of others, familiar with the game, came to watch.
Among participants was coach and organizer Raymond Francis, who, along with his wife, chose their retirement home in the King City Civic Association development largely because of its bowling green, along with their enjoyment of the vibrant Portland area.
Three decades ago, Francis was delighted with the game upon his first outing with the Berkeley (Calif.) Lawn Bowling Club, which became a long-lasting association for him. “I had a great first day of bowls, and I’ve been chasing that high ever since,” says Francis, 62.
“It was a very welcoming group,” he says, “and that’s what we’ve done here.”
Seniors make up much of the club’s membership as the sport calls for vital but easygoing exercise, including bending, turning and walking, Francis says. “It’s all the things the doctor tells you to do – and we never do,” he says.
Club members join up in teams of various numbers for casual weekly play but also for Northwest competitions. For the latter, they often wear traditional all-white apparel. While prize money can help individuals defray admission costs, the payouts are low, Francis says.
“There might be a professional lawn bowler out there, but I’ve never met them,” he quips.
Instead, light exercise and fellowship, along with mutual interest in the sport, bring together most of the club’s members. The open house, Francis says, is just a chance for club members to “let the addiction set in” among newcomers.
“We’re always on the prowl for new members,” Francis says. “We’ll take as many as we can get.”
