I can remember a centre that most people would never have looked at if you where looking to go social bowling, as that first impression would never have got you through the door.
The look of the centres is a must to keep social players coming through the doors. The staff are also as important, as they keep the social players coming back through the doors. The whole deal needs to be working to ensure the growth of the sport, both in social and league and tournament. If the centre looks good, but is not run well, people will not come, if the centre looks crap and is run well, league and tournamnet bowlers will come slowly. If you combine the good stuff, good looking centre & good staff and well maintained centre they all will come, which is what we all want, especially the owners.....
Let me paint a picture about a centre l remember visiting for Junior Sydney Cup........ ROCKDALE.
I can remember walking up and down the raod, past this old tin shed in a gravel car par 3 or 4 times. After being unable to find the street number listed for the bowl, as the number before was on the other side of the intersection, and the next number a good 300 meters up the road, l decided to go and check out this old tin shed.
Well guess what it was ROCKDALE bowl. If l had been a social player, nothing would have made enter that bowl, but as a tournament bowler, bowling an event there, in l walked without hesitation.
The staff and atmosphere inside the bowl were fantastic, and l would have gone back again, but that was the last year the event was held at ROCKDALE.
That is the thing about league & tournament bowlers. We will walk in the doors, but that first impression is so criucial to social play.
