The community bowling club is just as much a part of Australia’s cultural landscape as our public pools and our pubs. We all have fond memories of spending time by the greens, sometimes with a drink in hand.

But despite the place the local bowlo has in our hearts, they are becoming a disappearing community asset. The report Redefining local social capital: the past, present and future of bowling clubs in Sydney paints a stark picture of lawn bowls in the modern age, with the number of clubs in Sydney decreasing from 210 to 128 since 1980, with no new clubs established in the 15 years to 2020.

The UNSW researchers conclude that as the clubs disappear, we’re losing a significant part of our cultural landscape and a space that is important to many people.

The mass closures have coincided with a decline in the popularity of the sport and a rise in other competing claims on leisure time. “Australia had a very strong post-war leisure boom. There were often many sports clubs in one suburb, including an abundance of bowling clubs. Having multiple clubs in some suburbs just couldn’t be sustained over time,” says Louis Heath, a city planning graduate and lead author of the study.

Bowls clubs evolved beyond just their sporting function to become important social hubs. Many have relaxed their rules to appeal to social players and reinvented themselves as hybrid sporting clubs with the occasional barefoot game.

“Bowling clubs are much more than a destination to play lawn bowls. They are a place to engage with your local community and make friendships,” Mr Heath says. “The relaxed vibe and the affordable beer in an unpretentious setting still resonates with Australians.”

Of the 128 remaining bowling clubs in Sydney, 96 are independent, while 28 have amalgamated with another club, with mixed results. Private or government agencies own the other four.

While some are heritage sites, many more sit on prime real estate and are targets for redevelopment, depending on land ownership and zoning.

Bowling club closures 2006-2020. Image: University of New South Wales

Clubs on public land face constraints on redevelopment and are most likely to be repurposed by the council for community use, mainly open space. The options are greater for the 86 clubs on private land, with or without bowling facilities.

Given the rate that bowling clubs have closed, it’s unlikely all will survive.

“The thinning out isn’t detrimental yet, but if clubs start to become less accessible, beyond easy walking distance, they won’t attract as many people, and people will lose a way to engage with their community,” Mr Heath says.

Residential developments and community facilities, along with other commercially oriented developments, are likely to be among the potential future uses for most clubs on private land. But whether they can recapture the distinct qualities of the traditional bowlo remains to be seen.

When assessing the value of bowling clubs, the researchers say local authorities should be mindful of their importance to communities who have already seen similar recreational facilities like squash courts and drive-in cinemas fall by the wayside.

“The future of the privately owned clubs is more in their hands, but that doesn’t mean council shouldn’t have a role to supporting them to navigate some of the struggles they’re facing,” Mr Heath says. “Councils should understand the social value of bowling clubs for the community beyond profitability and membership numbers.”