Bowling for Right to Say: ‘World’s Best’

As a youngster, Virginia Marlar loved to battle against her three older brothers in rough-and-tumble kids’ games.

At 67, the competitive fires still burn for Marlar as she goes up against some of the best in the world at the U.S. National Open Lawn Bowls Tournament starting today at Leisure World.

“It gets pretty tough,” said Marlar, a Leisure World resident who is president of the American Women Lawn Bowls Assn. “The Canadians in particular play pretty well. You really want to win out there; that’s what we’re here for.”

About 350 men and women from countries including Scotland, Argentina, England and Canada will compete for a total of about $8,000 and, more important, bragging rights. “We really like to go up against people from other countries and see how we do,” said Dick Leroy, who will bowl in singles and doubles during the weeklong event.

Lawn bowling is played with hard plastic balls about 4 1/2 inches in diameter. The purpose is to get the ball as close as possible to the jack, a ceramic sphere about three times as large as a golf ball.

The fun comes when a bowler needs to knock a competitor’s ball away from the jack.

“Yes, that’s certainly part of the strategy,” Marlar said. “It can get a little heated sometimes.”

This is the fourth time the national competition has been held at Leisure World. It is one of the rare occasions that the public is allowed into the gated community.

The lawn bowling area is at Clubhouse No. 2, off of Moulton Parkway, just north of El Toro Road.

Information: (714) 863-1999.