Lakeland Bowling Club

The game of Lawn Bowls was first played in Lakeland in 1923 on a small "marl" court (a mixture of sand, clay and other aggregate) situated on the west side of Lake Mirror at the foot of Main St. The creation of the club was largely due to a group of winter visitors who had worked for a number of years with the City of Lakeland to provide a lawn bowling facility. From 1923 to 1927 W.R. Bird was the first President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of the club. The difficulty in getting volunteers for executive positions is obviously not a recent phenomenon.

With the development of the Civic Center (now Lake Mirror Center), the "marl" court was surrendered to the city and new bowling greens were incorporated into the plans. For economic reasons (another perennial situation) the construction of the Center was delayed. Coming to the rescue was the Cleveland Heights Corporation who provided us with a bowling green on the shores of Lake Hollingsworth.

On completion of the Lake Mirror Complex the sport was transferred to a green adjacent to the shuffleboard courts. It was at this time that the Lakeland Lawn Bowling Club was really organized with a full slate of officers. With only one green, the group was invited to use the facilities at Carpenters Home (an Institution which now includes a rest home, hospital and a church) whenever additional greens were required.

It was in 1927 that the Lakeland Ladies Lawn Bowling Club was formed, joining the Mens club in 1933.

The South green was constructed in 1934 and the North green in 1954. Recognizing the importance of lawn bowling in the city, the Jacaranda Building was constructed for the convenience of the club in 1962, the club having affiliated with the American Lawn Bowls Association in 1960.

As of April, 2003, the 80th anniversary of L.L.B.C., the Lake Mirror complex became history and a new chapter has begun at our new facility in Lake Parker Park.

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