QDC’s been based at the Queenstown Bowling Club, in the Gardens, for the past six and a-half years, but they baulked at changes made by a couple who’ve been contracted to manage the club since September.
Taking aim at the new regime, committee member Jonny Yates says a jug of beer went from $10, which he admits was cheap, to $18.
He also claims the social sub players had to pay to use the bowls club went from $40 to $60, though club co-manager Geoff Short says this had gone up before they came onboard.
Yates says club members also felt put out when their darts was cancelled one Tuesday night as the club had an event on.
"We just got the impression we weren’t kind of welcome there, so we phoned Arrowtown [Bowling Club] and after a quick meeting they said, ‘yeah, we would love to have you’."
He says playing numbers have already risen from the 20s and 30s to about 45 a week.
"It was getting a little bit too hard to get in and out of town, and club nights were starting to dwindle off with members," Yates states.
"And it’s a little bit more of a community out there, Arrowtown, it’s a bit more of a vibe, and quite a lot of our members are Arrowtown residents, anyway."
The move also makes sense, he adds, as there’s also a popular winter league based in Arrowtown.
Short says the club taking their leave "doesn’t affect us significantly".
"They made the decision [Arrowtown] was going to be a better home for them.
"Where people could come in and use the facilities without having staff here, those days have changed — obviously, now we’re fully operating seven days a week, it’s a little different.
"I mean the difference when you’ve got volunteer staff versus having paid staff, it does make a different business model."
Short adds $10 for a jug was "way too cheap, basically".
"And we’ve no longer got $5 or $6 beers, we’re now $8 beers, and if that doesn’t suit them, that’s OK from our point of view.
"But if you come and look at our prices, we’re still 30% cheaper than anybody is in town."
