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GolfBowls in Australia

Announcement posted by Perfectstroke Pty Ltd 07 Dec 2018

A new sporting activity has been developed on the Gold Coast in Australia that involves golf putting games played at the local bowls club.

GolfBowls is a game that uses coloured golf balls being hit with a putter to a standard bowls jack on a bowls rink.

PGA Australia members Mark Officer and Garth Cusick as well as golf enthusiast Mark Bengtson have developed the game born out of Officer’s indoor golf studio on the Gold Coast. “We needed to be able to occupy some of the people coming to the Perfectstroke Golf Training Centre with training when the full swing and putting studios were already being used.”  Officer stated.  “So we set up an area where up to six people could play a putting game using coloured balls with a white ball substituting as the jack. What we found that participants quickly improved their distance control and direction without thinking too much about technique. It wasn’t until a year later that we actually tried out the game on an actual bowls green.”

Bengtson and Officer took the game to Club Robina on the Gold Coast where there was an immediate positive response from those involved at the bowls club. They have played three competitive tournaments at the facility since including the Queensland Open Singles title which was won by PGA member Clint Sailes. Others to compete in the Queensland Open GolfBowls title included Jeff White, former AFL player, Aaron Nye, ex Queensland Bulls cricketer, Dylan Campbell, two time winner of the Australian Junior Golf Championship.  The event was open to any age above 12, male or female and all abilities with five golf professionals taking part.

The competitive events usually played in GolfBowls are scored basically in the same manner as the same way as in lawn bowls with players scoring points for every ball that finishes closer than the opponents nearest ball. The standard game of GolfBowls also includes the use of a PowerBall which can be used once only in any one game which adds to the overall strategy of the game.

After a soft introduction of the game at bowls clubs all around the country it is hoped that local clubs will start their own GolfBowls Leagues competing against neighbouring teams. There are over fifteen different games that can be played under the brand GolfBowls which include games that are more suitable for kids, corporate and party groups, as well as in teams of two, three or four.

There are plans for a series of state and national level tournaments in 2019 culminating in the World GolfBowls Championship with all events offering prizemoney to the leading place getters.

For more information on GolfBowls go to the website www.golfbowls.com.au or email info@golfbowls.com.au