Q.  Where does the club play?
A.  All our club nights are held at The Waterfront Leisure Centre, Greenock.

Q.  How long does a curling game last?
A.  All club games last for 8-ends or 2 hours.  

Q.  When does the club normally meet?
A.  We normally meet most Wednesday evenings at 8:00pm during the curling season, which runs from mid/end September to the end of March.  However, due to ice availability we may occasionally meet on other evenings. 

Q.  Do I have to play every week during the season?
A.  No.  We ask you for your availability over a given period, i.e. the next few weeks, and we allocate the rinks and fixtures based on our members availability.  You may not be allocated a week you have said you are free, but you may still be invited to play as a substitute on those nights if someone else withdraws.

Q.  Does Dumbarton have any restrictions on membership?
A.  There are no restrictions on membership.  Dumbarton Curling Club is an Equal Opportunities club, and membership is open to male and female curlers of all ages and physical abilities.
The only caveat to our membership policy is if a member is under 16 years of age, where we ask that a parent or guardian is present at the club while they are there.

Q.  What curling experience do you need to join Dumbarton Curling Club?
A.  No experience is required.  If you have never curled before we can provide a quick introduction to curling before you play your first game, but the time will be restricted.  We therefore encourage and advise that you book at least one try curling session at any rink running try curling or beginners sessions for a more intense and longer introduction to the sport.  These can be booked directly from the www.trycurling.com website.

Q.  Is coaching provided by the club?
A.  The club have fully qualified coaches.  All coaches must have a valid “Protecting Vulnerable Groups” (PVG) certificate, and have attended a Child Wellbeing and Protection in Sport (CWPS) course at least every 3 years.  These certificates are a mandatory requirement to be registered with Scottish Curling.
We occassionally run formal coaching sessions on a club night, and during normal game nights the coaches are always on hand to give advice, particularly if you are new to the sport.

Q.  What curling equipment do I need in order to play?
A.  All you need is a pair of clean training shoes and warm loose clothing.  All other curling equipment is provided.

Q.  How much does it cost?
A.  The ice-fees are currently set at £20.00 per 2-hour session at The Waterfront.  Ice-fees may differ for external competitions depending on where the matches are played.

Q.  Are there any annual membership fees?
A.  The annual membership fee for Dumbarton Curling Club is £35.  For new members in the first year with the club this is reduced to £15.
There is an additional annual fee of £34 due to Scottish Curling.  The annual fees are due when you join the club, and thereafter by 31st July each year to allow us to pay Scottish Curling.

Q.  Do you run any competitions during the season?
A.  We normally run an opening bonspiel in September, a Christmas bonspiel in December, and our closing Bonspiel in March.  When numbers allow we run other competitions based on a round-robin league basis.

Q.  Can I play in every club competition?
A.  Yes.  There is no restriction on the number of club competitions you can play in. 

Q.  Will I be able to play in any position?
A.  In your first year with the club you will generally play at lead or second irrespective of your experience.  Where we are having a normal game night we rotate the positions.  This allows everyone, especially new players, to gain experience playing different positions, and a wider range of shots to play.

Q.  Does the club compete against other curling clubs?
A.  Yes.  Dumbarton enters all competitions run by Dunbartonshire 10th Province.  We also represent the Province at Inter-Province competitions such as the Waldie Griffiths (a national competition run by Scottish Curling), the Gilmour Trophy (against Renfrewshire Province) and the Clive Thompson Quaich (against Glasgow Province).
We also compete in the District Medal, a competition run by Scottish Curling, the Waterfront Super League, and the Clyde Coast League.

The club also organises 2 other competitions.  The Lennox Cup, which is a competition between the curling clubs from the Lennox District, namely Helensburgh, Cardross and Dumbarton.  We also play an annual challenge match against Cardross for the Brownlie Shield.

Q.  Will I be able to play in external competitions?
A.  Yes.  The 2 major Province competitions are the Allan Cup and Allan Medal, and we usually field or more experienced players as the standard is a lot higher.  However that does not necessarily prevent you from playing in those competitions.  The Clyde Coast League if a friendly competition between several clubs at The Waterfront, which we prefer to field new players to ensure they play competitive games.

Q.  Doe the club hold any social events?
A.  We have an end of season dinner – Annual General Meeting (AGM), and Prize giving.

Q.  Is Dumbarton Curling Club affiliated to the sport’s National Governing Body?
A.  Yes.  Dumbarton Curling Club is fully affiliated to the Royal Caledonian Curling Club (RCCC).  The RCCC's trading name is Scottish Curling.

Should you require any further information then please feel free to Contact Us.