The number of sports that are beginning to accept the use of artificial grass surfaces in place of natural grass continues to grow. Lawn bowls is the latest to see it as a viable option and one such club that has made the decision to go with a more reliable option is the Ladner Lawn Bowling Club in Vancouver, Canada.
The members of the club voted with a greater than two-thirds majority to replace the natural lawn a couple of years before work began. The cost of the project is roughly $400,000 and this has been raised over the period of four years.
A ban on using pesticides in the region as well as the annual cost of maintaining the lawn, which runs to around $10,000 per year, has made the decision somewhat easier. With the potential for the lawn to be taken over by diseases such as mould and fungus growth, there was a good chance that the natural grass lawn could be destroyed without the move to artificial.
By moving from natural grass to synthetic turf it is possible that the club could provide play for its members all year round. This is a significant step up from the current length of the playing season which only lasts for five months of the year from May to October.
There is an expectation that the new surface will take some getting used to with the bowls typically travelling more quickly across the synthetic surface. However once the adjustment has been made it is expected that the club members will appreciate the superior playing surface and longer length of the playing season.
The move from natural grass to synthetic grass for lawn bowling clubs is not a new one with a number of clubs already having made the switch.
