The Te Anau Bowling Club celebrated the official opening of its new $400,000 artificial turf green at a ceremony in Te Anau yesterday (18 Apr).

An aging membership, struggles to find a replacement for long-time greenkeeper Graeme Whatson, and a way to attract new members were all reasons behind the club's decision to replace its traditional grass with artificial carpet.

President Brian McCandless said while the club had only decided on the new green about two-and-a-half years ago, they had been quietly saving for "the next step" for the past 10 years.

However the project almost ground to a halt before it started when it was discovered that the green's topsoil, that needed to be removed before the artificial carpet was laid, was classified on the Hazardous Activities and Industries List (H.A.I.L.) as hazardous due to the chemicals used over the years to maintain the grass green.

"Unbeknown to anyone every bowling club in the country is a H.A.I.L. site, because of the toxic chemicals, pesticides and fungicides, that have been sprayed over the turf over many, many years," McCandless said.

 "We would have had to spend about $20,000 on environmental consultancy fees and the thick end of $100,000 to dispose of the soil."

Te Anau Bowling Club members try out their new green. Photo: Southland App

However the club was finally granted permission to dispose of the topsoil in a nearby Southland District Council waste storage area, which put the project back on track.

McCandless said the new Tiger Turf carpet offered significiant benefits over the traditional grass surface.

"The bowling season which was about five to six months long, [will now be] 12 months long."

"We can play all winter if the weather is half decent and that has a huge impact on the social aspect of what this club is all about."

"Elderly people need to maintain good strong social networks, not six months of the year, but 12 months, and his will contribute towards that."

The club would now also be running Sunday team tournaments throughout the winter to compliment their already popular tradies and farmers' twiglight bowling sessions.

McCandless thanked the project's sponsors including Community Trust South, Meridian, Pub Charities, local businesses and the community for all their support.

The new carpet green, one of only 3 in Southland, has a guaranteed life of eight years but if managed properly could last up to 15 years, McCandless said.

He said the club had already started saving to replace the carpet, which was expected to cost around half the price of the initial outlay.