At 646 Comstock Avenue there are two flat, closely cut greens inside Holmby Park, a low community building, and a row of floodlights that most passersby never see switched on. Until this year, the club's permitted schedule ran mostly on weekdays: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., plus a two-hour Wednesday evening session.
That changed in 2026. The city has now approved weekend hours that include Sunday for the first time. Those hours are written into a contract that also requires free public lessons during the first hour of each permitted session. The new weekend window is set by daylight saving time, so the generous summer hours shrank when clocks fell back this fall, and they stay shorter until daylight saving time returns in the spring.
A Club That Used to Test Its Applicants
Holmby Park Lawn Bowling Club was founded in 1927. According to its own history, it is the oldest continuously operating lawn bowling club in Los Angeles. The park stands on land the Janss family deeded to the city in the early 1920s. The first green was laid soon afterward and drew about 80 founding members.
By midcentury the club had a reputation for being selective. The history page says prospective members had to pass written and practical tests on the rules and etiquette of the game. It also names Walt Disney, Frank Sinatra and Ronald Reagan among the people who spent time on the greens.
The facility grew out of private generosity. In 1955 the philanthropist Marcellus L. Joslyn paid for a clubhouse extension that added a kitchen and a ladies' locker room. In 1958 he funded the conversion of a former duck pond into the second green, which let the club host larger tournaments and inter-club competitions. The Marcellus L. Joslyn Lawn Bowling Foundation later helped pay for the floodlights, which made twilight play possible and improved security in the park.
That history explains why the 2026 change matters. The club still runs the greens on public parkland, and its contract with the city now requires it to teach the public for free, lend equipment to learners, and charge nothing beyond membership dues.
What the City Approved This Spring
The Board of Recreation and Park Commissioners approved Board Report 26-054 at its March 5, 2026 meeting. It amends Agreement No. 4209, the document that governs the club's use of the greens and community building. The request came from the club, which wanted more hours on Saturdays and Sundays. The report gives the city's reason for agreeing: the extra time lets people already using the park on weekends join the club's free lawn bowling lessons.
After that the item went to City Hall. Council File 24-1183 shows the Arts, Parks, Libraries, and Community Enrichment Committee approving it on March 24, the full City Council adopting it on April 17, and final Council action recorded on April 21, 2026.
The new permitted times, as written in the amendment attached to the board report, read:
Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm Wednesdays from 6:00pm to 8:00pm Saturdays and Sundays from 10:00am to 4:00pm, except during Daylight Savings Time when ORGANIZATION's hours shall be 10:00am to 8:00pm
The weekday schedule did not change. All of the added time is on weekends, and how much of it there is depends on the season.
The Season Sets the Weekend
The table below compares the old schedule with the new one, using the permitted times in the board report and the amendment.
| Before 2026 | New hours, standard time | New hours, daylight saving time | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday | 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Sunday | Closed to club play | 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Weekend total | 4 hours | 12 hours | 20 hours |
| Full week total | 14 hours | 22 hours | 30 hours |
The weekend has grown from 4 permitted hours to 12, and to 20 when daylight saving time is in effect. Fall and winter carry the shorter of the two weekend schedules. The 8 p.m. close only applies once clocks move forward again in the spring. Until then, a Sunday on the greens ends at 4 p.m.
The park itself keeps much longer hours. The city's page for Holmby Park lists it as open from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day of the week. On a winter Saturday the greens therefore close more than six hours before the park does. The club holds the gate keys and is responsible for locking and unlocking during its permitted times. It may use the premises for one hour before and after those times for setup and cleanup only, not for play.
The Free Lesson Is Written Into the Contract
The club offers free lessons as a matter of contract. The agreement attached to the board report requires the club to give free lawn bowling lessons to the general public during the first hour of its permitted times, and to supply equipment free of charge to anyone taking them. The same agreement says the club cannot charge any participation fee beyond its membership dues. It also requires the club to advertise the lessons through on-site announcements or flyers, social media where available, and its website.
The board report adds two facts about the club's position. It is the only recognized lawn bowling club inside the City of Los Angeles, and one of only twenty-seven recognized clubs in Southern California. For anyone in Holmby Hills curious about the game, the nearest place to try it in the city sits on Comstock Avenue.
The arrangement also puts obligations on the club. It pays the Department of Recreation and Parks a Cost Recovery Reimbursement Fee of $303 per quarter, plus $2,500 a year to cover supplies for maintaining the greens. The report credits the club with funding several improvements to Holmby Park since 1955, including the community building's kitchen, the women's locker room and the brick patio.
Getting on the Greens This Winter
The club's website announces that it is "Celebrating 99 years." Its posted bowling schedule is:
- Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 10 a.m.
- Sunday at 2 p.m.
- Twilight Bowling on Wednesday evenings, played under the floodlights the club helped fund
Under standard time, a session starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday has two hours before the 4 p.m. close set in the amendment. Saturday's 10 a.m. start gets the full six-hour weekend window. During the darker months, a newcomer who wants the longest stretch on the grass will find it on Saturday mornings.
The club also offers a separate private introduction with one of its instructors at no cost, booked by email through the sign-up link on its homepage at losangeleslawnbowling.com. Because the club takes these bookings directly, confirming the session time with it beforehand will prevent a wasted trip to a locked gate.
For those who keep playing, the club's plans and pricing page lists an annual membership at $135, billed yearly. The agreement expects people who join after a free lesson to buy their own bowls eventually, so equipment comes on top of the dues.
Pairing a Saturday on the Greens With the Village
Westwood Village's free Holiday Village market is scheduled for Saturday, December 12, from noon to 5 p.m. at Broxton Plaza, with more details to be announced by the organizers. Because the club's Saturday session starts at 10 a.m., that date leaves time for a morning on the Comstock greens before the afternoon market, all well before the 4 p.m. close the winter schedule sets for the greens.
The club was founded in 1927, so its hundredth anniversary falls in 2027. By the summer of that year, the clocks will have moved forward again and the weekend greens will be permitted to stay open until 8 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Holmby Park, its greens and the unhurried rhythm around them are part of what the streets near Comstock Avenue offer. If you are considering what that setting is worth for a home nearby, Joseph Babajian offers a confidential home valuation or private consultation, with the discretion that a long tenure in Holmby Hills deserves.
