Bowling in Invercargill: Ten-Pin and Lawn Bowls Guide

Bowling in Invercargill covers two very different sports: indoor ten-pin bowling, where you roll a drilled ball down a wooden lane at ten pins, and outdoor lawn bowls, where you roll weighted, curving bowls across a grass green towards a small target ball. New Zealand’s southernmost city has one dedicated ten-pin centre and a cluster of long-established lawn bowls clubs. This guide explains where to play each, what to expect, and how to get started.

Ten-Pin Bowling in Invercargill

Invercargill’s only dedicated ten-pin venue is Retrobowl, at 105 Kelvin Street in the city centre. The centre opened on 27 November 1987 and traded for decades as “Superbowl” — billed as New Zealand’s southernmost ten-pin bowling centre — before rebranding to Retrobowl. If you still see it listed online as Superbowl, it is the same venue on the corner of Leet and Kelvin Streets.

What Retrobowl offers

Retrobowl is built around eight bowling lanes with automatic bumpers and touch-screen scoring consoles, which makes it friendly for children and complete beginners. Alongside the lanes it runs a 37-game arcade (you load credit onto a card and redeem points for prizes), a retro-styled karaoke room, and a fully licensed cafe and bar serving meals, snacks and drinks. The building has free parking, wheelchair access, baby-change facilities and an upstairs space used for children’s parties and group functions.

Hours, prices and booking

Opening hours are demand-based and can change, but the venue’s published times are Monday to Thursday 12pm–9pm, Friday 12pm–10pm, Saturday 10am–10pm and Sunday 10am–8pm. The centre recommends reservations because lanes fill up at peak times. You can book online, phone (03) 214 4944, or email [email protected]. Prices are not published on the venue’s site, so confirm current lane and game-of-bowls rates when you book.

Good to know before you go

Ten-pin bowling is a walk-up activity — no membership or experience is needed. Shoes with flat, non-marking soles are required on the approach, and the centre supplies hire shoes and house balls, so you can turn up and play. If you are new to the lanes, it helps to read up on the ten-pin bowling rules and how scoring works first, and to follow basic bowling alley etiquette such as letting the bowler on your right go first when you are both ready.

Lawn Bowls in Invercargill

Invercargill is a strong lawn bowls city, with roughly eight clubs inside the city and several more on the outskirts. Lawn bowls is a different game from ten-pin: you deliver biased (weighted) bowls along a flat grass green towards a small white ball called the jack, and the bowls curve as they slow. The clubs are affiliated to Bowls Southland, the regional governing body, which is the best first point of contact if you are unsure which club to join. Most clubs welcome newcomers for coaching and casual “come and try” sessions over the summer season, which runs roughly from spring to early autumn.

Invercargill Bowling Club

The Invercargill Bowling Club, at 148 Beaumont Street in Appleby just south of the CBD, was established in 1909 and is now the city’s oldest club following the earlier closure of the Southland Bowling Club. It plays on a full-size natural grass green and offers playing and casual memberships plus coaching for beginners. Contact the club on (03) 218 6421 or at [email protected].

Waihopai Bowling Club

Waihopai Bowling Club, at 63 Park Street, is one of the city’s larger and most active clubs and is well regarded for the quality of its greens. It offers a range of playing and casual memberships. Reach the club on (03) 218 6276 or at [email protected], or through its Facebook page.

Waikiwi Bowling Club

Waikiwi Bowling Club is based at 28 Fraser Street, in the Waikiwi Domain in the north of the city, and celebrated its centenary in 2023. It has recently renovated clubrooms and one natural green, with around 60 members. Phone or email the club through its Bowls New Zealand listing for current opening hours and membership details.

Georgetown Bowling Club

Georgetown Bowling Club, at 37 John Street in Strathern, plays on one natural green and offers a variety of playing and casual memberships. You can contact the club on (03) 216 8138 or at [email protected].

Other clubs around the city

Beyond the four above, the city also has the Waverley, Northend, Te Rangi and Kew clubs, while Otatara, Bluff and Woodlands serve the wider district. Club lists and contact details change from season to season, so check the Bowls New Zealand club directory or Bowls Southland for the current line-up before you turn up. If lawn bowls is new to you, our guides to how to play lawn bowls and the flat-soled shoes and dress code explain what happens on the green and what to wear.

Comparing Invercargill’s Bowling Venues

The table below sets Invercargill’s ten-pin centre alongside its main lawn bowls clubs so you can see at a glance which code and which venue suits you. Ten-pin is pay-and-play with no commitment; lawn bowls clubs are membership-based but almost all welcome casual visitors and beginners for a trial.

Which Type of Bowling Suits You?

Choose ten-pin at Retrobowl if you want a casual, all-weather outing you can book on the day. It suits families with children (automatic bumpers and light house balls make it easy), groups and birthday parties (arcade, karaoke and a licensed cafe-bar in one building), and visitors who want to play without joining anything.

Choose lawn bowls if you prefer an outdoor, lower-impact game and the social side of a club. It suits retirees and anyone wanting regular, gentle exercise, people keen to learn a skill-based sport, and newcomers to Invercargill looking to meet people, since clubs run social and competitive grades through the season. Many clubs also host “barefoot bowls” or open days where you can try the game with no gear and no membership.

Getting There and Practical Tips

Retrobowl’s central Kelvin Street location has free on-site parking and is an easy walk from the Invercargill CBD, making ten-pin a reliable wet-weather option in a city known for changeable southern weather. Lawn bowls greens are spread across the suburbs, so check the club’s street address and allow for travel; because bowls is played outdoors, sessions depend on the weather and the season.

A few practical pointers:

• Book ahead for ten-pin at weekends and school holidays, when lanes are busiest.
• Ring lawn bowls clubs first — many list “phone or email for opening hours” rather than fixed public hours.
• Bring flat-soled footwear for both codes; the lanes and the greens both require non-marking soles.
• Ask about beginner sessions. Ten-pin needs no lessons, but most bowls clubs offer free coaching to get you started.
• Travelling the lower South Island? If you are heading north afterwards, see our guide to bowling in Dunedin for options in the next main centre.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is confusing the two sports when planning an outing. “Bowling” at Retrobowl means indoor ten-pin with pins and a drilled ball; “bowls” at a club means outdoor lawn bowls with biased bowls and a jack — they are different games with different gear, and you cannot play one at the other’s venue.

Other easy slip-ups:

• Assuming the venue is still “Superbowl.” It is now Retrobowl at the same Kelvin Street address; old listings and the former name can mislead you on lane numbers and facilities.
• Turning up at a bowls club unannounced. Greens are often set up for members’ games or closed in poor weather; a quick call avoids a wasted trip.
• Treating lawn bowls as a one-off like ten-pin. You can try it casually, but regular play means joining a club and paying a seasonal subscription.
• Forgetting the weather. Lawn bowls is weather-dependent; keep ten-pin in mind as an indoor backup on a wet Invercargill day.
• Not checking prices. Neither ten-pin game rates nor club fees are always published online, so confirm costs before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can you go ten-pin bowling in Invercargill?

Retrobowl, at 105 Kelvin Street in the city centre, is Invercargill’s only dedicated ten-pin bowling centre. It has eight lanes with automatic bumpers and touch-screen scoring, plus an arcade, karaoke and a licensed cafe-bar. The venue traded for many years as “Superbowl” before rebranding to Retrobowl.

Do you need to book or join anything to bowl?

No. Ten-pin bowling at Retrobowl is pay-and-play with no membership, though booking a lane ahead is wise at busy times. Lawn bowls clubs are membership-based for regular play, but most run free coaching and casual “come and try” sessions for newcomers.

How many lawn bowls clubs are there in Invercargill?

Invercargill has about eight lawn bowls clubs within the city — including Invercargill, Waihopai, Waikiwi and Georgetown — plus more in the wider district such as Otatara, Bluff and Woodlands. All are affiliated to Bowls Southland, which can point you to the right club.

What is the difference between ten-pin bowling and lawn bowls?

Ten-pin bowling is played indoors: you roll a drilled ball down a wooden lane to knock down ten pins. Lawn bowls is played outdoors on a flat grass green: you roll weighted, curving bowls towards a small target ball called the jack. They use completely different equipment and venues.

Is Invercargill bowling suitable for children and beginners?

Yes. Retrobowl’s automatic bumpers, light house balls and hire shoes make ten-pin easy for children and first-timers. Lawn bowls clubs welcome beginners too, with coaching and casual sessions, and the game’s gentle pace suits most ages and fitness levels.