Putney Bowls...Moving into Barefoot Bowls?

Putney-Tennyson Bowling and Community Club is one of 603 registered bowling clubs in NSW. It has 800 members, including 80 registered bowlers. There are nine members (all bowlers) on the board who handle business matters. John McWilliam is the chairman of the board, and a member of the Grade Five Men’s Team (along with Jim Jones, Peter Keenan, and Max McVicar). There are also two separate bowling committees for men and women.

The small club has operated for about 30 years, and also provides a venue for other small community groups in the area.

"There’s been a trend back to small community clubs," said Michael Beaumont, the Sports Development Officer with the The Royal New South Wales Bowling Association. "Smaller clubs are better than the big, rich clubs who pay their bowlers for wins. The small clubs are more social," Max McVicar, Vice-President of the Social Committee said.

The club is also planning a new social initiative. "We're going to start up Sunday afternoon, barefoot bowls…It's saving a lot of clubs, they're right into it…Hunters Hill do it big…If we don't we'll be behind," John McWilliam said.