Clovelly Bowling And Recreation Club

The view is obviously spectacular. I’ve only been lawn bowling at one other club, so I have little to compare it to. However, they are very serious at Clovelly and have lots of rules to protect the turf, even though the turf is brown anyway. For some reason their balls are only dark brown and black, so it was very difficult to tell who was winning. At the time we were there (a Saturday afternoon) there were no food options to accompany the alcohol they serve. I won’t go out of my way to come back here, but might come back if I were in the area already.

You had me at lawn bowls. But beyond that, this place must have just about the most spectacular setting of any bowling club on the planet — a spectacular ocean vista along the cliffs and beaches of the eastern suburbs both to the north and the south. Just love it. Vital statistics: $ 12 a person. Closes around 6.15pm on weekdays. Suggest booking well ahead, especially on weekends and summer evenings.

Bowlings a funny sport. You think you’re going to really enjoy it, then you get on the green and after bowling about 3 balls you think «well, that was fun, now let’s just drink». So yes, it can get a bit boring, seeing as it’s not the most fast paced of activities — hence why it’s generally played by the elder generation — but it does help if you’re in a decent location to play and I don’t think you can do much better than Clovelly Bowling Club when it comes to that. Basically, it’s set right on the edge of the cliff, so much so that if there was a landslide in the area, I probably wouldn’t be heading down there for a game the next day. The view is magnificent, which helps when the game gets a bit dull, and who doesn’t like drinking with a view?!
The beer selection is limited, but has the standard ones at decent bowlo prices, while there are gas BBQs next to the greens, which you’re free to use. So we did. Ball rental is included in the price of the game (although to be honest, I can’t remember how much that was!). So if you’re planning some bowls-​based party, give this place a go — although you may want to check the weather forecast first, I imagine bad weather would be rather unforgiving up there!