Roll of Honor

The Hermosa Beach Lawn Bowling Club will mark its historic 90th anniversary this year as host to one of the most prestigious tournaments in the country, a crowning achievement for an amiable group of enthusiasts whose numbers have been on an upswing in recent years.

“I can honestly say the club has never been stronger, livelier, or more fun,” said club President Tony Crutchfield. “We have built a great community that will surely last well into the future.” 

Crutchfield is one of the eight legacy members who will be recognized at a special breakfast on Saturday to celebrate the club’s nine decades of operation.

Founded in 1936, the club once thrived as one of the premier lawn bowling clubs in the country. But membership gradually dwindled to near extinction. “In the 1980s, there was probably one member left,” he said. 

Over the years, speculators have eyed the club’s prime location, tucked between the Clark Building and tennis courts, for everything from a dog park to a community plunge. But the club managed to stay put. 

Today, membership stands at a robust 82, testament to a successful mix of togetherness, outreach, and lively competition. 

“It’s an outdoor activity that’s active, social, strategic and competitive,” said Board Member Myles Kropf, who picked up the sport after suffering a stroke. “The community is unbelievable. You make friends immediately.”

Despite its long history and welcoming atmosphere, the club has largely flown under the radar, even among locals.

“Nobody knows we have this lawn bowling club that has national tournaments,” Board Member Vaughn Feather said.

That is beginning to change.

Last Labor Day weekend, the club hosted its first major open tournament, drawing top competitors from California and Arizona. With $6,000 in prize money, set to increase to $8,000 this year, it is now the largest pool for any lawn bowling event in the country.

For a club that had long been overlooked in competitive circles, it was a breakthrough moment.

“We were always looked at as sort of like, ‘Hermosa? Isn’t that the place where they’ve got this cow pasture for a green and nobody ever bowls there?’ We didn’t have much of a reputation,” Feather said. 

“This put us on the map.”

The competition is now set to become an annual fixture over Labor Day weekend, with organizers expecting stronger turnout as the word spreads.

“I think we’ll fill up very quickly,” Feather said. 

Beyond the prize money, players were struck by the quality of the greens, another factor in shaping the club’s reputation. 

“They thought the playing conditions were going to be very poor,” he said. “But we have a very hard-working greenskeeper…and the conditions of our greens are vastly improved.”

The success of the tournament has also helped elevate the club’s standing locally. Once a largely hidden amenity, it is now emerging as a source of pride. 

“It’s easy to start to play,” Feather said. “There’s a low bar of entry. But then as you play more and more, you realize to get really good, that’s a challenge.”

The club is working hard to secure its future by reaching new audiences, often hosting open houses, offering free lessons, and exploring partnerships with local schools. 

“We’re all getting older,” Crutchfield said. “We’re not going to be around forever, so we need younger people to come in.” 

The game’s blend of strategy, social connection and low impact offers a rare cross-generational appeal. 

“It probably won’t appeal to the football player or soccer player,” Crutchfield said. “But it’ll appeal to the tennis player, golf player, even the video game enthusiast.”

For now, the club remains one of Hermosa’s best kept secrets, a place where people can play barefoot, listen to music while they bowl, and have fun.

“This is one of the greatest things to do in Hermosa before noon,” Kropf said.