About Keynsham Bowling Club.

Keynsham Bowling Club was formed in 1957 and has bowled in the Memorial Park ever since, as tenants of a succession of Local Authorities in whom the ownership of the park has rested. For details of how to find us and parking, please go to our directions page.

The Memorial Park has rightly been claimed to be the jewel in Keynsham’s crown and we are proud to have enhanced it for over 50 years, as the Club and its facilities have developed. That development is far from complete and we are currently working on plans for major improvements.

As things stand now, we would start any comment on our facilities with the claim that we have the benefit of playing on one of the very best greens in the South West and add that it compares very favourably with the best in any other region as well.

Our clubhouse, whilst starting to show its age, still provides comfortable “après bowl” facilities that include a new kitchen (refurbished in 2006) and the ever popular bar. The large picture windows afford a perfect view of the green. Our changing facilities are not huge but they are comfortable and well kept, with visiting men enjoying a particularly large space. Improvements in our changing facilities are top of the agenda within our Development Plan.

Keynsham Bowling Club’s close proximity to Bristol allows us to affiliate to and participate fully in both the City & County of Bristol and Somerset County Bowling Associations.

Our men enter three teams in the Somerset County League (Saturday afternoons), two in the Bristol & District League (Thursday evenings) and just the one permitted in the Bristol Triples League (Friday afternoons). Our ladies enter teams in both the North Somerset League (Tuesday or Thursday afternoons) and the Bristol League (mostly Wednesday evenings with some Friday evenings).

Both ladies and men compete in a variety of County and National Cup Competitions and individual Club Members are encouraged to enter both County and National Competitions as singles, pairs (including mixed pairs), triples and fours.

Keynsham Bowling Club also runs no less than seventeen different internal competitions, including one just for novices. The knock-out competitions include five for ladies, seven for men, one mixed and one open. Competitions in league format include two for mixed teams and one for men only.

On top of all that there is a full programme of friendly fixtures for both men’s and ladies’ teams, with the ever popular mixed friendly matches on Sunday afternoons and the equally popular Club Night on Monday evenings (that’s just a friendly social roll-up).

No season would be complete without our “fun” days; usually Sunday afternoons, when we adopt fancy dress, occasionally bowl some unusual formats and always conclude with a Barbeque or a Fish & Chip Supper.

Novice bowlers are encouraged to participate in friendly matches as soon as possible, with a view to progressing to league bowling when they are confident to do so. Keynsham Bowling Club has a policy of seeking to offer the services of at least three qualified coaches from amongst the membership to assist novices and experienced bowlers alike. Coaching sessions are usually on a Monday morning, but other arrangements can be made for those with work or school commitments.

Many of our Members enjoy a continental mixed tour before each season opens and at least a couple of dozen of our men escape the leash to tour in the UK in September. The men’s tours are for six days, with six matches and have ranged as far afield as Cumbria (sneaking in a match over the border in Dumfries), York, the Isle of Wight, Devon and Wales.

Whilst we are essentially a bowling club we do manage to include an active social programme. Indeed, a very good way to meet us is at our regular coffee mornings; the first Wednesday of every month, right through the year, from 10.30am, in the Clubhouse.

What ever your bowling ability or bowling aspirations, you can be guaranteed a very warm welcome here at Keynsham Bowling Club. Membership application forms can be obtained at the Clubhouse or from our Club Secretary (see our contacts page). New Members are always welcome and that includes social members. Now there’s a real bargain, at 2008 prices a Social Membership is just £3 per annum and that gives entitlement to use all of the Club’s facilities, except the green, and participation in all Club events, again except on the green.

Keynsham Bowling Club is a Community Amateur Sports Club and apart from the services of a professional green keeper (John Swift) the Club is serviced and maintained by Member volunteers. No offers of help from within the Club or outwith the Club will be turned away. The Club depends largely on Membership subscriptions for the income to maintain its facilities and desperately needs sponsorship to progress its Development Plan. We want this to be a Club the town of Keynsham and the local community can be truly proud of. If you can help us achieve that objective, please contact our Chairman or ClubSecretary (again see our “contacts” page).

A visit to www.keynshamweb.org.uk or www.keynsham-tc.org.uk will give you an idea of what a busy little town Keynsham is. One of the underlying objectives of Keynsham Bowling Club is to be a contributor to this thriving community. As simple examples we would cite our participation in the Memorial Park Forum, right from its inception in 2007 and our efforts to involve local schools in bowling.

The final comment comes from our President, succinctly summing up the whole ethos of Keynsham Bowling Club:-

“Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!”

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Keynsham Bowling Club is an equal opportunities club.

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Keynsham Bowling Club has a no-smoking policy covering the Clubhouse and the Annex. Although smoking is allowed outside the buildings we expect smokers to display common courtesy to non-smokers by not smoking where the smoke can drift into the buildings or across spectators and always seeking permission of fellow players before smoking on the green.