Dear Club Board of Directors and Fellow Lawn Bowlers:

The Annual General Meeting is set for Saturday January 19^th. This year, more so than in previous years, we need your clubs representation at this very important meeting. Aside form the usual business that we must conduct, we intend introducing you to our new programs and next years schedule. Why is this so important?

Next year we have set aside OPEN HOUSE DAY in our schedule of play and are attempting to hold an OPEN house for every club in Southern California on the same day. The first day reserved on the schedule is Saturday MAY 10^th and therefore no Tournament or League can be played on this day.

What does this do for us? It allows all tournament bowlers to support their local home club with this very important project. All tournament bowlers, all club members will be asked to participate and make this effort worth while to you and your Club and to Bowls in general.

Our Division will support each club with detailed information to make this a success. Newport Beach over the last few years has perfected “The Open House.” Earlier this year we invited all clubs to attend Newport’s Open House and observe how it is done. Several clubs did and some held their own Open House with great success. Now that we have a proven plan, we as the Division must implement it for all.

We will all jointly advertise as one and hopefully get more “bang” for our buck. We will have a committee monitoring and tutoring each Club as we go, starting right away. At least one member of each club should attend these meetings and be your Clubs OPEN House coordinator.

Most of you are holding your Annual Board meetings in the next few weeks. This program should be discussed in detail and hopefully your representatives at the AGM in January will come with your willingness to participate. You will need to understand that this is a major undertaking and we need responsible representation from all Clubs.

We will need to begin advertising soon. With this in mind, the Division will try and obtain group rates for the advertising in your area. We will try to have written editorials published to promote the day. Perhaps even get some endorsements from the “Famous” and promote “Lawn Bowls Day”.

We will help you with a specific list of tasks that must be achieved. We will try and mobilize our Tournament bowlers so that they not only help at your club, but go to other locations in their area to help those Clubs in need.

We have created a new LOGO which would like to introduce to you. We will have the very first new logo shirts that will be available for the very first time and we will sell them at cost. After that, if you want to be recognized as a member of the elite Southern California Bowling community, you will have to buy them at the retail price. Be the first to show them off.

We have developed and printed a TRI FOLD brochure, generic to Lawn Bowls in the USA. We will have a large supply to hand out to each club. These are for use throughout the year, but will be especially important for the OPEN house.

Make sure your Club receives them.

We have printed a booklet for the MAINTENANCE of greens. Rich Widdows of Arizona graciously spent time with some of our Clubs and those that are using his methods seem to have had wonderful results. Therefore, our Division will hand out one booklet per club, with the hope that you will improve your Clubs playing surface and make it more attractive to use, which should make membership easier to recruit and maintain.

Lawn Bowling in the USA is at the cross roads. We have the baby boomers about to bloom. Our Southwest Division leads the way in numbers and innovation. Would we not be negligent if we failed to make an effort at this time in our history? Please do not pass this on to the next generation. Join this effort and support Lawn Bowling as you have in the past. Our very future is at stake, please don’t let me down. I am looking for 100% participation.

There is not one Club that could not benefit from an influx of members, but if we don’t try, for sure it will not happen. Lawn Bowls and the Southwest Division need you and your club NOW. We need innovative forward thinking people to take up this challenge and move forward without the fear of failing. Let’s give it our best shot. Please support the sport you love so dearly.

Feel free to call me for additional information; however, it will all be given to you in the next few weeks and at the AGM.

I’m counting on you.

Mert Isaacman