Feelings of excitement and relief are among the Bowls Matua club members, having finally opened their new artificial greens after a three-year project journey.

Bowls Matua officially opened their start-of-the-art synthetic greens on Friday, November 4. Costing more than $500,000, the project to install the new greens began in 2019 and has had its fair share of twists and turns. 'We've had one thing after the other,” says club president Derek Vincent.

There were some unexpected hitches in the project from Covid-19 delays to their contractor from Berry Bowling Systems getting injured and needing to return to Australia. 'The biggest challenge also was keeping the money valid. The funders were getting agitated so we had to give some back and then reapply for it so that's why it was so frustrating,” says Cliff Osborne.

Better bowling

The club predicts they will be $30,000 better off each year with the new greens. 'The basic reasoning behind going artificial from grass is that they're hellish expensive to maintain,” says Derek. 'You've got a greenskeeper and that's about $50,000 a year, you've got all the various sprays so you're looking very close to $100,000 a year, and we just couldn't continue to substantiate that.”

Happy with future savings and the project madness behind them, the club celebrated the greens opening with speeches, a barbecue and – of course – bowls.

Dennis Gillard, aged 101, and younger sidekick 90-year-old Pat Gillon were the lucky club members to grace the greens first – launching their bowls across the new turf loaded with opportunity.

'We're now in a position where we can hold some pretty darn big tournaments,” says Derek. 'I think we would be the only club in the Bay to have three greens, so the Bay centre will like to come here because they can get a hell of a lot of people on here.”

Bowls Matua thanks all the sponsors and funders that supported them with the project, and most importantly the club itself. 'I can't stress enough without our members taking their debentures we just wouldn't have got there and the comradery in this club is just incredible,” says Derek. 'We're a fellowship…it's the friendliest club in Tauranga,” says Cliff.

Dennis Gillard, aged 101, rolling out one of the first bowls on the new greens. Photo: Georgia Minkhorst.