Bowling Greens

Introduction

I've introduced this topic to the latest edition of my site for two reasons: firstly, to provide information for those visitors who are involved with greenkeeping; and secondly, for the sake of 'completeness' in the broader subject of 'books on bowls'.

I have to admit that my interest in books on bowling greens is minimal, but research into bowls books has inevitably led to the discovery of a few relevant titles, and so far I've found twelve books (including two ebooks) and one video that deal essentially with bowling greens and these are listed below. There are perhaps a dozen or more books that include sections on bowling greens as part of a more general work.

A number of websites well worth bookmarking include:

• John Quinn of bowls-central.co.uk is one of only 55 Master Greenkeepers worldwide and has three decades of experience in greenkeeping and fine turf management. He is the author of Performance Bowling Greens...a Practical Guide and offers a consultancy service to bowls clubs.
  
  
• Bowls England offers free practical advice and assistance to clubs regarding all issues related to the bowling surface through its Greens Maintenance Advisory Service and by means of its Club Greens Loans Scheme helps affiliated clubs to access funding to pay for any item related to the bowling surface and its surrounds.
  
  
• With the death of Dave Bracey in August 2015 at the age of 81, the sport of bowls lost one of the country's leading experts of turf culture. He was a true gentleman and passionate about his job. We are very fortunate that his extensive knowledge is freely available to us through the Dave Bracey website.
  
  
• Greenkeepers Corner is part of the extensive Lawn Bowls Forum at Julian Haines Bowls very professional site.
  
  
• The site of Greenmaster Professional Groundcare contains an abundance of practical advice, provides free greenkeeping tips by email and promises to reply to specific greenkeeping problems within 24 hours.
  
  
• The Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG), has developed a series of short training programmes for the development of greenkeeper skills. This page contains brief information, whilst details are accessible by clicking the 'Bowls Course Syllabus' link on the right-hand menu.*
  
  
• Pitchcare.com is the interactive online magazine for the grounds and greenkeeping industry. Free subscription provides access to hundreds of articles on bowling greens.
  
  
• Sisis have been designing and manufacturing turf maintenance machinery since 1932 and their site provides an article giving year-round maintenance tips from an authority on the maintenance of flat and crown greens.
  
  
• The Sports Turf Research Institute (STRI) is the independent market leader in turfgrass research and agronomy. It is the UK's national centre for consultancy in sports and amenity turf and a recognised world centre for research.

	Title  (Click title below)	Author, Compiler, etc
Books	All About Bowls - The History, Construction & Maintenance of Bowling Greens	Jeff Perris
	Annual Maintenance of the Bowling Green	IOG and EBA
	Bowled Over - The Bowling Greens of Britain	Hugh Hornby
	Bowling Greens	William Howell
	Bowling Greens - Their History, Construction and Maintenance	Roger D C Evans
	Bowling Greens and Their Maintenance	Harold S Darke
	Construction of the Lawn Bowling Green, The	Edgar R Haley
	Construction, Renovation and Care of the Bowling Green	Enoch Bruce Levy
	EBA Professional Programme for the Care of Bowling Greens	EBA Greens Maintenance Scheme
	Green Manual - The Construction of Bowling Greens and their Maintenance, The	W D Powell
	Maintenance of the Lawn Bowling Green, The	Edgar R Haley
	Performance Bowling Greens...a Practical Guide	John Quinn
Video	Bowling Green Maintenance	STRI