New Bowlers

New members are the lifeblood of any organization. Without them, an organization cannot grow or even maintain. They are also valuable in that they bring with them new ideas, personalities, and strengths. At the Long Beach Bowling Club, we value our new bowlers, and do everything in our power to help them attain whatever it is they are looking for by joining our club. We provide a friendly, social atmosphere so they will never feel out-of-place, and offer free lessons to beginners, and lots of unofficial help and advice.
Free Lessons Contact:
Pat Gonzales
562-296-8072                                                                                                  pgebza@gmail.com

Each new bowler is allotted three free lessons. The content of the lessons will vary based on the ability of the new bowler. But at the least, the new bowler (called a novice) will come away from the lessons with a basic understanding of the rules and etiquette of the game, as well as having been taught the basic mechanics. The learning does not stop with the free lessons, however, and there will always be somebody around to answer a question or give some advice. To set up a time for a free lesson, contact the club (562) 433-9063 or email us at: longbeachlawnbowlingclub@gmail.com If you are just curious about the game, stop by during any of our draw games and check us out.

The Learning Curve

One of the great things about this game is the learning curve, and how it varies at different stages of a bowler’s development. It is fairly easy to get to the point where you are fairly presentable. At this point you can enter the draw. The draw is open to any member who wishes to participate and is exactly what it sounds like. Everybody who wishes to bowl in that draw’s game puts their name on a board, and then draws a chip to determine the team that they are on. As the draws are usually triples, and you are able to pick the role you wish to play, you never have to worry about being over your head. As you progress in your abilities, you will see a decline in your rate of improvement. This may be an easy game to learn, but it can be quite difficult to master. In fact, if you ask most bowlers how long it took them to master the game; they will probably say that they’ll let you know when it happens. Eventually, you will progress as with any other sport. As you practice, your muscle memory will kick in, and every now and then you will figure something out, and will make a small jump ahead. As you gain skill, you may want to try your hard-earned talents against other bowlers at tournaments. Sound intimidating? Don’t worry; it’s not, especially since there are several Novice tournaments throughout the year.

Novice Tournaments

Feeling like you want to test your mettle against other bowlers in a more competitive environment, but feel a little nervous about competing in a strange setting. That’s why there are Novice and Vet-Novice tournaments. A Novice is any bowler who has been bowling for less than two years, and a Vet more than two years. In Vet-Novice tournaments, teams are consisted of a mixture of Vets and Novices, with a minimum of one each per team. The idea of these tourneys is that the Novice gets to experience tournament competition in a more relaxed (yet still very competitive) atmosphere, with their Veteran on hand to guide them through the various rules and etiquette involved in tournament play. There are also Novice only tournaments. At the division level, there are single sex and pairs tournaments, and at our club we have a novice singles tournament, open to men and women.

California State University @ Long Beach

OLLI  (Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at CSULB

Please call the OLLI at CSULB for additional information: (562) 985-8237
The office is open from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM  Monday through Friday.

 (front row, roughly) Bob, Barbara, Lourdes, Louise, Lee (woman), Bob, George, Julee, Jim; (back row, roughly):  Mary Ann, Susan, Dan, Chris (man), Maryan, Patty.  There were 15 students at the “graduation”.