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Turner Club will co-host this years annual Texas Ten Pin Tournament with the host club Highlands Social Club.
The tournament will run for thirteen (13) weekends begining March 5th weekend and ending with June 25th weekend. there will be 4 weekends that we will not bowl they are: April 16/17, and 23/24th weekend with May 7/8 and 28/29th weekend. The singles and doubles will be bowled at Turner Club on Saturdays and the team event will be bowled at Highlands Social Club on Sundays.
The squad times for the Doubles and Singles are: 8:30 am registration and check-in for the 9:00 am squad and 3:00 pm registration and check-in for the 3:30 pm squad. The team events times are: 8:00 am registration and check-in for the 8:30 squad, 11:30 am registration and check-in for the 12:00 pm squad and 3:00 pm registration for the 3:30 pm squad.
We will be posting the schedule shortly as several of the teams were not registered yet and we will also post the top scores on a weekly basis. So check in regularly for the updates.
Turner Club website has just been revamped and is still being worked on so excuse us for the interuptions in advance. the following article is taken from the Texas Ten Pin Bowling Association Magazine that has been published every 10 years, this article is from the 75th Anniversary of the Tournament held at Galveston Elks Club. The title is “From Pinochle Table to Tenpin Pinnacle”.
The Texas Ten Pin Tournament is one of the oldest, largest and most unusual tournaments in the southwest. It was organized in November of 1914. The following is a recollection of the Texas Ten Pin History from the late A. D. “Abe” Schmid who was a pin boy at the 3rd Texas Ten Pin Tournament in 1917 at Brenham and president of the TTBA (Texas Ten Pin Bowling Association) in 1949.
“In November of 1914, Charlie Lemm of Brenham was in Houston on one of his monthly trips and went to the Houston Turn Verein Club at 1320 Praire, which later was the site of the Arabia Temple, to play pinochle and to meet some of his old friends.
“On the trip, he got together with W. C. “Dad” Richey, and they began to talk about bowling tenpins. At this time, the Turn Verein had six maple alleys on the first floor, where they bowled cocktet (three-pins) and tenpins.
“These two men decided it would be a good idea to have a bowling tournament the following February 21 and 22, 1915, on the four maple lanes at the Brenham Germania Club, and to invite the La Grange Social Club, which had two alleys, to also compete.
“Each club was to enter two teams, and bowl Team, Doubles, and Singles and to award trophies to the winners. The Germania Club was to provide a large open-pit barbecue, and free keg beer in large steins.
” On the lat night (Sunday), after all the bowling was finished, the Brenham Germania Club was to set up long tables in the ballroom for a banquet for the bowlers and their wives or sweehearts. Trophies were to be awarded to the winners, and officers elected and a site for the following year’s tournament selected. Then the tables would be moved against the walls, and a dance held until midnight.
“Thus was born the Texas Ten Pin–over a pinochle table in a club room on the second floor of Houston Turn Verein.
“At the first tournament in February 1915 at Brenham, the Brenham Germania No.1 Team won the Class A trophy with a 2591 score. The team was led by Charlie Lemm, with a score of 607. Lemm aslo won the singles with 530. Brenham’s W. E. Ehlert and Ed Schmid topped the Doubles.
“Brenham’s team, led by T. B. Botts with 529, also won honors in Class B with 2307. Botts captured the Singles with 490, and Brenham’s W. R. Bernd and F. L. Amsler took the Doubles with 871.
“The pins for the first tournament were set by hand on all four alleys at Brenham. Neil Amsler was the pinboy on Lane No.1. The second TExas Ten Pin Tournament was held at the Houston Turn Verein in February 1916, the third back at Brenham, and the fourth at Houston in 1918. The san Antonio Turners came into the league in 1918.
“Co-founder Dad Richey was the first president, in 1914-1916, with W. E. Bernd serving as vice-president. The other founder, Charlie Lemm, became the second president in 1917. W.I. Lighthouse of Houston was the secretary-treasurer (and tournament manager) from 1914 through 1935.”
