Glen Eira McKinnon Bowls Club

Tyrone St
Ormond 3204

Phone: (03) 9578 2942
Website: www.glenmacbowls.org.au

Glen Eira McKinnon Bowls Club is a club with actually three separate beginnings. The club as we know it today is as a result of an amalgamation between Glen Eira and McKinnon clubs, whilst Glen Eira was once the Carnegie and City of St Kilda bowls clubs.

The first of the clubs to come into existence was the City of St Kilda Bowls Club, which was formed in 1924. In 1997 City of St Kilda merged with the Carnegie bowls club, which was formed in the 1950s, and became the Glen Eira Bowls Club. The reason for this amalgamation was that City of St Kilda had many members but limited parking, whereas Carnegie had good facilities but fewer members. 

The McKinnon Bowls Club was formed in April 1950 following a meeting of interested parties at the McKinnon Public Hall in March of that year.

Following the club formation, a site was chosen, three greens were built and electric lights were installed. A club house was built in 1956 and has been renovated in 1962, 1972, 1983, 1985 and 1989.

In the 1990s, due to demographic changes in the area, the club’s member numbers begun to decline and a committee was formed to look for a suitable club to merge with.

The Glen Eira Club was again looking for better facilities and in 2002 joined with the McKinnon Bowls Club to become the Glen Eira-McKinnon Bowls Club.

The club now has approximately 330 members, made up of about 200 men and 130 ladies. There are 8 mens’ sides in the pennant competition, with the top side competing in the Premier division. The ladies field 5 teams, including 3 in the A1 division.

The club has been quite successful over the years, winning the state pennant championship in 2005, whilst the ladies won the A1 metropolitan section three years in a row from 02-03 to the 04-05 season.

The club boasts some of the states top bowlers in Gail Nadelman & Denese Brick who are currently in the state squad that recently won the state pairs competition. Australian representative Michael Wilks also bowls here at Glen Eira-McKinnon.

During the daylight savings period, Glen Eira McKinnon hosts barefoot bowls and corporate social bowls every Wednesday night. The club also has local school groups visit and learn to play bowls during the school terms in warmer months.

The club also helps people with a disability play bowls with a special time set aside every Sunday morning to assist and coach handicapped people in rolling a few bowls down.

With three excellent grass greens, good facilities and a large number of members, Glen Eira McKinnon Bowls Club is a perfect example of how clubs can pool their resources in order to thrive and be competitive.

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