Progress has commenced on the laying of a new surface for the Glen Eden Bowling Club’s all weather green with the workers starting cutting up the current carpet in a very unusual roll-up which has been years in the making.
The club’s artificial surface was laid in back in 2007/8 and while still giving good service there were more than a few “straighteners” on some rinks and loose fibres would appear underfoot with minimal effort, so discussions started back in 2020 around the need for the club to invest in a new surface to ensure our wet weather green was fit for purpose for many more years.
Quotes were requested and duly received, with club members grilling the club executive and the contractors. Debates on the pros and cons of surfaces carried over several special meetings until a decision was reached in December 2022, and the club paid the deposit to their preferred supplier; FieldturfNZ.
The order was placed and after their winter break the folks at Fieldturf’s supplier in Portugal started work on manufacturing the carpet which then began it’s voyage to our shore.
While all this was going on the club was applying for grants to help cover the expected cost of $190,000 +GST. Thankfully the club was successful and funding of $97000 was secured from the Bluewaters Community Trust, The Rawhiti Committee, Auckland Bowls, TAB NZ, and Foundation North to help us make the new surface a reality.
An major factor impacting the commencement of work has been the weather; Once the fine layer of fine bedding material are on a base and levels achieved, the top layer is “bonded” with FieldTurf Super Bind. This product requires dry weather prior to and at least 2-3 days after the application to allow the “Bind” to harden and set. The product is also very particular in the exact amounts including water that is in the mix to make it work. Rain – even a 1mm fall, will undo the bind and the fix is a significant cost. So to do the bind and then apply the underlay and carpet needs a good “window” of dry weather. This window proved hard to find of late meaning several greens were waiting to be done before ours came to the top of the pile.
But to the top of the pile it rose, and before even the club cat was awake on Monday 4th September the team from FieldworksNZ arrived to make a start on ripping up the old surface.
Check back on this page for more photos as the project progresses.
A big thank you from the club and the wider Auckland bowling community to the funding organizations that supported this project:
