Lawn tournament ready to bowl ‘em over

If you’ve driven past the Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club on Cliff Drive recently, you may have noted the slightly browned greens — thinking, perhaps, that this was the club’s sacrifice during the state’s historic drought.

But you would be wrong.

That’s because, unlike the lush, rolling golf courses that blanket much of Orange County, lawn bowling greens are supposed to be a little dried out.

“If you were to come here for competition, you don’t want [the grass] wet. You don’t want it green,” said Curt Bartsch, former president of the club. “For us, it’s all about speed.”

So when bowlers from around the world converge on Laguna this weekend to compete in the U.S. Open of Lawn Bowls — which will kick off Sunday and end Sept. 20 — they can rest assured that what Bartsch called the nation’s best lawn bowling location will be ready to roll.

Matches are set for greens around the county, including Corona del Mar, Irvine, Laguna Woods and Santa Ana, as well as Long Beach.

The finals will be held in Laguna Beach, as they have been for the past four years.

Since matches take place over two to three hours — about as long as a baseball game — Bartsch said he expects the finals to draw more than 200 visitors throughout the day.

The sport has its roots in the 13th-century Roman empire, Bartsch said. The Laguna Beach club was formed in 1931.

In the United States, most lawn bowlers historically have been of retirement age. But Bartsch said the sport bridges generations in Australia, South Africa, Scotland and Ireland — places where lawn bowling is most popular.

“In other countries, you’d be bowling at a school age,” Bartsch said. “I learned when I retired. I’m 71. I learned when I was 64 or 65.”

Since lawn bowling is a game of finesse rather than brute strength (players roll a sort of lopsided resin “bowl” down the green in an effort to get it as close as possible to a cue ball-like “jack”), matches can take on a leisurely feel.

As a result, the game is gaining popularity among thirtysomething professionals as a form of weekend recreation.

“We have over 200 members now, and we’re trending young,” Bartsch said. “Whereas, the old imagery is guys like me wearing our whites.”

Keno Shaw, a player in the tournament who’s also serving as its promotion director, said he hopes to bring that “younger vibe” to the event.

Shaw, 56, added that anybody can play and there are no qualifiers, other than a couple of small fees, depending on the number of categories of play.

Shaw added that although the sport might have a richer history overseas, the Laguna location is unbeatable for its, well, views.

“The international guys can look out over the ocean, look at the girls in bikinis,” he said. “That’s the best.”

Of course, players take the competition seriously. But at the end of the day, Bartsch said, it’s an opportunity to relax and make friends from abroad.

“You’re sitting there having a beverage with them,” he said. “You end up shaking their hands.”

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If you go

What: U.S. Open of Lawn Bowls

When: Sunday to Sept. 20

Where: Laguna Beach Lawn Bowling Club, 455 Cliff Drive, and other locations

Cost: Free to watch

Information: usopenlawnbowls.com