The All-in-One Bowls Club Management System
If your committee spends more evenings with Excel than on the green, you’re not alone. Late-fee chasing, double-booked rinks, and Annual General Meeting (AGM) spreadsheets swallow hours in the average UK bowls club. Yet more than 200 clubs have already swapped that grind for Bowlr’s cloud dashboard, saving their weekends and lowering stress.
Take Bedford Borough Bowls Club. Before switching, their volunteers needed a fortnight to create winter league fixtures. With Bowlr’s integrated modules, the same task now takes a day and a half to complete. That kind of gain matters when 45% of over-65s still choose bowls as their sport of choice, but volunteer time is shrinking.
This guide unpacks the five features behind results like Bedford’s. Whether you’re managing a large indoor club or a seasonal outdoor green, these are the tools that help you run smarter, not harder.
Fridays often end with one question: “Who still owes fees?”
Generic multi-sport software usually doesn’t work well for rinks. Secretaries frequently have to adjust settings or use three separate systems. When you add an ageing volunteer base to that, the admin load snowballs. A bowls-specific platform trims those steps, speaks your language and lets every role – from treasurer to team captain – work in sync.
Renewals shouldn’t rely on reminder letters. Bowlr’s membership management module sends emails to members before their fees expire. It monitors payment status and stores GDPR-compliant information in one database. No more cross-checking spreadsheets or chasing signatures. All that's needed is just one click to see who is in good standing. That one change alone stopped fee-chasing at Ilfracombe BC.
When members can book a rink from the comfort of their sofa, your phone stops ringing. Bowlr’s booking & calendar module displays live availability. It stops double entries and shares daily schedules. You set the parameters; the system enforces them. That means fewer interruptions for staff and a fairer diary for players. Plus, it frees up time for the moments that make club life meaningful.
Collecting fees shouldn’t mean counting coins. Bowlr’s accounts module works seamlessly with your booking system to reduce admin in three key ways:
For many clubs, this replaces hours of spreadsheet juggling with just a few clicks.
Running leagues used to mean grids, paper diaries, and hours of coordination. With Bowlr’s league management module, everything happens in one place:
It’s a simpler, faster way to run competitions, with fewer headaches and a fairer season. Leagues once meant gridlock for club volunteers. It even balances rinks to stop “Why are we always on lane five?” complaints.
Reconciling figures doesn’t need to be a tedious task. Bowlr’s live dashboards show member renewals, rink takings, and engagement data all in one place. This gives committees ready-to-use numbers for their AGMs whenever needed.
Looking for software shouldn’t feel like learning a new language. Here’s what to check before choosing a bowls club management system:
With Bowlr, you also get ongoing updates, cloud access from any device, and a system that’s been shaped by feedback from real clubs since 2015.
“Working with b4b to develop our very own customisable version of Bowlr has been an exciting time for BBBC and we’re very much enjoying working with the system. It has dramatically reduced the administration effort our staff has to put in to ensure the smooth running of our busy club and our members have been impressed at how easy it is to book rinks themselves. Our new website enables them to stay much more up to date with scores and general happenings at the club.”
— John McConnell, Bedford Borough Bowls Club
Admin doesn’t have to rule your week. Stories like Bedford Borough’s aren’t unique, as 200+ clubs – from Aberdeen IBC to Taunton BC – report similar time savings. Bowlr combines all your key tasks into one simple, cloud-based platform. So, you can help your club reduce paperwork, improve communication, and make informed decisions. When the admin shrinks, the whole club runs more smoothly, and members notice the difference. Ready to see how it could work for your club?
Call 01202 684400 or book your free demo today for a no-obligation chat with the Bowlr team.