MANN PARK
NEWS
September 2012
SPECIAL MEETING
An informational meeting will be held
Friday Aug 31st at 1:30pm to discuss artificial vs natural greens and any other special capital projects that the club should consider, so that motions can be presented to the AGM on October 24th.
This is an informational meeting only, and no votes will be taken
ABOUT MAINTANING OUR GREEN
By Paul Brinton, President
When I joined Mann Park in 2004 I immediately began work with the Greens crew which consisted mainly, at that time, of Ole Madsen, Garry Stronach and Don Johnson, our Greens Keeper. Ole, Garry and I met every Friday afternoon to verticut and do other maintenance work on the grass. We got lots of help from other members, of course.
Don Johnson, our contracted Greens keeper did most of the cutting, including the grass out front and the ‘nursery patch’ by the sand box. Don trimmed and cleaned out the ditch around the green, as well as the fertilising and a good
amount of maintenance on our equipment. The Club had employed a Contract Greens keeper since before 1986, with a detailed list of duties. By the time I joined, the Greens keeper was Don. A great guy who always put in more time that he
was actually paid for. Unfortunately, due to health problems, Don had to quit working for us in 2009; a great loss because he took such pride in making our grounds look pristine. The Greens keeper’s wages were $5,400 per year and came out of the Gaming Grant.
I understand that, before my time, members did more work on the greens. Twice a year, a machine was hired to core and top-dress the green and members worked on the green, in addition to the work done by the Contract Greens
keeper. For instance, Christie Graham built a heavy beam, with a metal edge, which was dragged across the greens to level the top-dressing sand and to fill in the ‘runs’ and low spots. I saw a similar arrangement in use in The Wanderers, one of the most famous grounds in the world, situated in Johannesburg, South Africa. Unfortunately, Christie’s ‘machine’ had not been used since I joined the team, although it is still outside, by the locker room door. We did, however, use an old ladder to drag the green but it was only used the first year of my membership.
Even before my first year, a company was doing the coring of the green. We always had (and still do have) lots of help from members as, twice a year, the green is cored, the cores gathered up and wheel barrowed into the parking lot.
The big pile of cores disappears very quickly because they are an excellent source of high quality soil. Immediately after the coring, top dressing sand is spread over the green and raked into the holes left by the coring. This process aerates the green, allows moisture to reach the roots and does some leveling.
In 2008 the company doing our coring went out of business and Ole contracted with Tournament Turf (John Findlay) to do the coring and top-dressing of our grass. At the same time our spray applicator developed a leak and John was asked to take over our spraying and fertilizer programs.
As mentioned earlier, Don Johnson, who did our grass cutting, had to retire from work in 2010, leaving us without a Contract Greens keeper. Fortunately, John Findlay was able to take over our cutting, at first on an interim basis, while
we waited for Don to return. Over time it became apparent that Don would not return and John Findlay’s contract was changed to include the grass cutting duties.
How much do our greens cost to maintain? In 1998/99 the total cost of our greens maintenance was $7,340. In 2003/2004
our greens cost was $8,986. In 2004/2005 our greens cost us $7,856.79. In 2010/2011 our green cost was $9,348.00.
The Club has been in the very fortunate position of having a Gaming Grant for over 20 years. This Grant has averaged about $9,000 a year and has paid most of the greens maintenance costs. The net cost of green maintenance to the Club
has been quite small. For instance in 2003/2004 and we received a Grant of $10,080.88 leaving us with a net ‘profit’ of +$1,093.99. However, in 2010/2011 we received no grant, so the total cost of $9,348.00 was borne by the Club.
In 2011/2012 our greens will cost us $11,223.00 and this year we received a ‘regular’ grant of $9,000.00, meaning the net cost to the Club is – $2,223.00.
COACHING
Hello Bowlers . Where has the year gone ?. It seems like such a short time ago we were in the midst of the coaching with our new members . It’s nice to see so many of the Novices coming out and enjoying themselves . We do have a small number of our new members that feel that their golf game has been suffering so they are going to back off on the bowling for a while . I do hope that they join again next season and try to play both golf and bowls . Those bowlers that have rented bowls from the club and have the bowls in a locker…..could you please return them to the boxes so I can take inventory. I’m not sure who has them in a locker ,,,,,I’m just hoping that’s where they are .!!.
Thanks to every one who has helped make our new bowlers feel supported and welcome at our club .
Head Coach Garry Stronach
HOUSEKEEPING
Club’s looking good. We have a new towel dispenser in the ladies room. Much easier and less waste. One will also be installed in the ‘other’ room soon. BUT, we need house cleaners for the balance of the season, so volunteer for a week and help out. Remember, it’s not just a woman’s job.
GAMES
MIXED TRIPLES
Mixed triples went very well with Garry S/Carole R/Rod B coming in first, with Leo’s team coming in 2nd and Graham’s 3rd.
MAYOR’S SHIELD
Held at Surrey on Aug 15th on a very hot day between 4 teams each from Langley, Surrey & Mann Park, our teams came 2nd, 3rd & 4th to retain the trophy.
SADIE HAWKINS TOURNAMENT
Some fantastic costumes. Sharon Avery won Ladies costume & Bill Wallace won the Men’s. The tournament was hotly contested with several teams winning two games, so total points needed to select winners.
Nino Dinunzio & Sharon Avery 1st
Garry Stronach & Wanda Taylor 2nd
Jim Carter & Pat Caldwell 3rd
CONGRATULATIONS to Larry Ridenour, winner of the Men’s Singles Club Championship. Pat Salvador came 2nd & Don Rattray 3rd.
Also, Wanda Taylor, Carole Reynolds and Sharon Beard came in first at the Inter Club 3’s in Ladner (great green!). And, I hear that Paul Brinton, Bryant Avery and Bob Stevenson did very well in the big Gold Cup in Richmond on the weekend. Congrats everybody!
MP is hosting the V & D Inter Club Mixed 4’s on Sunday so come by and take in some great bowling. Then Labour Day follows on Monday and is filling up. If you haven’t purchased your $8 dinner ticket, I’ll be at the club most days this week (or phone me), REMEMBER, the game starts at 1:30 pm and the draw will be made then….so come early with the $2 fee (for prizes after) and join in the fun.
After that it’s Club Mixed Pairs on the 10th/11th, with 2 – 10-end games each morning. Sign up soon.
Wanda Taylor
FINAL FRIDAY AGGREGATE DATES, 2012:
We’ve set a new record, bowlers. Friday Aggregate has 80 members this
summer and we’ve been averaging over 40 people on the greens each week.
The final pay-to-play date will be Friday, Sept. 14, weather permitting. Then on Sept. 21, at the usual time, we will have a fun day. No dollar
needed. If it should rain, making a game impossible, we’ll instead gather at 11:30 a.m. and have a pot-luck lunch. Bring enough food of
any kind to feed yourself. We’ll put it all on the tables and share a feast. During the lunch hour, we’ll also distribute year-end prizes to
at least 30 bowlers — perhaps as much as $900!
So, all 80 of you who have signed up for the Friday league, mark Sept. 21 on your calendar. It’ll be a fine time.
Sharon and Bryant Avery,
Friday Aggregate coordinators
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
During our two weeks in Seattle and Portland in August, Sharon and I had opportunities to look at one of the two bowling clubs in Seattle and the one and only one in Portland. In Seattle, the healthy club is apparently in the southeastern part of
the city and we were unable to get there. Nor did I have much luck calling or emailing anyone at the Jefferson Park club. But we did stop by the Woodland Park green in the city’s north end. It’s in awful shape with patches of long grass. It looked untended. The sign on the fence said there’s bowling twice a week. When I called the club, I
reached a staff member of the city recreation department, who knew
little about the club.
In Portland, the club in Eastmoreland Park has only 14 members and its grass is nearly nonexistent. The baked ground peels big slices of dirt on the greens, making it very rough and unpredictable. We played there
one evening with two gracious members.
The experiences brought home how fortunate we are to have a busy club.
We also recognized the importance of continuing the growth of a club’s
membership and improving its facilities.
Plug 1: When Mann Park holds Friday evening open houses, bring your
family, friends and neighbours to the club to show them what
lawnbowling is all about.
Plug 2: For both your own best interest and the health of the club, volunteer to help get things done and to ensure the future of Mann Park.
Bryant Avery, vice-president
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September2012
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| 1
|
||||||
| Sat 2-game
1:10pm |
||||||
| 2 NRB | 3 NRB | 4 | 5 | 6 NRB | 7 | 8 |
| V&D Mixed Fours
9 am |
LABOUR DAY
TOURNAMENT 1:30PM |
|
6PM Ladies Night | Hunter Trophy
1pm |
Friday Aggregate 9:15am | Sat 2-game
1:10pm |
| 9 NRB | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| Waring Trophy
1pm |
Mixed Pairs CC
9am |
Mixed Pairs CC
9am |
6PM Ladies Night | Friday Aggregate 9:15am
[Last official draw] |
Sat 2-game
1:10pm |
|
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 6PM Ladies Night | Friday Aggregate 9:15am
Friday Aggregate Pot Luck Lunch |
Sat 2-game
1:10pm |
||||
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| s | Closing Day
Draw 1:15pm Happy Hour Awards 4pm |
OCTOBER
Afternoon bowling available until coring is done
