Clay Bolus recalls the exact moment he decided to form a couples’ dart team. In his mind’s eye, he sees himself sitting at the table, planning how he’ll get things started.
Clay and his wife, Ann, continued to play darts with their buddies every week for eight years.
Clay is the head of the Eisenhower Regional Recreation Complex’s Darts for Couples introductory club, which meets every Monday night.
Members are divided into two-person teams, with husbands and spouses playing together. They sometimes mix things up by pitting lads against girls.
The game, according to Clay of the Village of Duval, is a terrific way for kids to be mentally and emotionally healthy.
“It’s a great game for your hand-eye coordination,” he said. “But it’s nice to cheer on your wife or husband when they get a good throw, or support them if they miss the mark.”
Diane Ball of the Village of Duval plays with her husband Frank.
“It’s a great game. You get to work on your hand-eye coordination and improve every week,” she said. “Having your brain perform those tasks is really good for you.”
The benefits of completing jobs that require hand-eye coordination, according to Diane, include improved brain function.
According to Clay, the gang isn’t as competitive as it once was. Initially, 12 couples attended each meeting, but after a gap during the pandemic, things have taken a long time to get back on track.
“We’ve got about half the amount of attendees compared to before,” Clay said. “But I’ve got a waitlist of a few dozen couples that I’ve been reaching out to let them know we’re back.”
After so many months apart, Clay said the group now plays a little more leisurely, simply enjoying the company of being inside playing their favorite game with buddies.
“We like that we can socialize with each other while others take their turns at the boards,” he said.
While the group is generally pleased with their gatherings at the moment, they do want more game boards.
“More boards means more friends to have fun with,” Clay said.