Born into a family of bowls players and greenkeepers, the 91-year-old former NZ open doubles champion (of 1997), and 60-year veteran of both outdoor and indoor variants, didn't really have a chance.
For a long-standing devotee of the sport, her progress on to the green was surprisingly slow.
Her grandfather helped lay the original green at Millers Flat, up the road in Central Otago, and later her father Frank MacDonald became greenkeeper at the club.
Her mother, Gladys "Glad" MacDonald - herself a NZ singles champion in 1968 - was a stalwart of the club, and perhaps it was during those formative days for a young Phyllis that the bowls seed was sown.
"When we shifted to Hillend, Mum couldn't drive. Well I could, so it was a case of sit there and watch when I took her to bowls at Stirling, or join in."
About 10 years later, Mick and two of her three children persuaded her to take up the indoor variant too, and a 50-year membership of the local Hillend Club was born.
"It's a family sport. If you can stand up and move your arms, you can play, so almost anyone can take part and enjoy themselves."
Bemused, like many, by the apparent modern craze of "change for change's sake", Mrs Peek said she disapproved of many of the tweaks and innovations applied to bowls equipment and rules over the decades.
Her own 1984 set of woods bears testament to her views.
"The bowls today have less and less bias on them, which has changed the game. You used to be able to get in behind with a wide arc, but not any more. I'll stick with these, thank you."
Early bowling enthusiast Sir Francis Drake would "turn in his grave" at the unnecessary meddling, she said.
What had not changed was the potential for companionship and enjoyment in the sport.
She lost her husband, mother and father in quick succession in the late 1970s and bowls, among other hobbies, has been a mainstay for Mrs Peek.
"It's sociable, it's exercise and it's as competitive as you want it to be. I always joke it's a great way to relieve stress because I forget my troubles and listen to someone else's."
For those who play both variants, near year-round practice is possible, as indoor bowls - played with smaller, lighter balls on mats - is a winter sport.
"There's definitely a home advantage knowing the bumps and slopes in your own hall. Visitors soon learn, though."
Although forced to step back from lawn bowls for the first time this past summer, due to encroaching arthritis, she remained a keen indoor player for her club of some 50 years, Hillend.
Not one to rest on her laurels, Mrs Peek also helped organise regular games of 500 to grace her and her friends' non-bowling days.
Barely a day went past without a social or other engagement, and neither pacemaker nor artificial knee would slow her down, she stated.
Her secret was simple: straightforward positivity.
"Like anything in life, if you enjoy it, you'll keep at it. Life's a gamble, so don't waste your time sitting around."
