Are Petanque And Bocce The Same Game?
With COVID enabling (forcing?) people to spend more time at home for the foreseeable future, many people are actively searching for new activities to keep them busy. We’ve already discussed classic and modern video games, pool tables, shuffleboard tables, ice hockey and more. But these are all indoor games that you can set up in your game room or basement. How about some outdoor options that we can either play on our own property if you have the space or somewhere in public?
Petanque and Bocce are similar games played with heavy balls but each have their own specific characteristics. Petanque is a French game that uses hollow metal balls called boules similar in size to a baseball. Competition boules can be 70.5 mm – 80 mm (2.78″ – 3.15″) in diameter and weigh 650 g – 800 g (23 oz – 28 oz). You stand stationary and throw the boules at a smaller ball called a jack. The player closest to the jack wins. Bocce is an Italian game that involves bowling the ball towards the jack. A regulation bocce ball is solid and weighs 920 grams (32 ounces) and is 107 mm (4.2″) in diameter. In both games, players take turns throwing the jack to provide the target and to begin the match.
While there are other differences between the games in terms of team size, ball design and playing field, the main difference is how the ball is projected towards the jack: The ball is thrown in boules and bowled in petanque. Let’s take a closer look at both.
Petanque
Boules is the French word for balls but also refers to the overarching group of ball games that includes both bocce and petanque. And petanque uses boules to play with!
Petanque typically involves 2 teams and each one can have 1-3 players. You can play singles or doubles.
Petanque is played with hollow metal boules (regulation) although boules you purchase for personal use could be filled with sand. They are not colorful like bocce balls. Competition boules are allowed to fall within a size and weight range: 70.5 mm – 80 mm (2.78″ – 3.15″) in diameter and weighing 650 g – 800 g (23 oz – 28 oz).
Petanque doesn’t have a set playing surface to play on. You can play anywhere outside and the surface doesn’t have to be flat, it can be among trees and other tricky aspects that make the game more challenging. Or you could choose a small sand pit or just the grass in your backyard if you like. The great thing about petanque is since you toss the ball, the ground surface you’re playing on isn’t as important as it is with bocce.
Having said that, a competition petanque court is 4m (13′) wide and 15m (49′) long.
Important: In petanque, if you toss your boule and hit the jack, you automatically lose that game. You are trying to get your boule as close to the jack as possible without actually making contact with the jack.
Bocce
Bocce uses colorful balls that can be made of different materials. While a more expensive competition style bocce ball is made from wood or resin, a cheaper bocce ball may be made from hard plastic at a lower price. A regulation bocce ball is solid, and not hollow like a petanque boule. Bocce balls weigh 920 grams (32 ounces) and are 107 mm (4.2″) in diameter so they are larger than the ones used in petanque. Unlike petanque, bocce balls are a specific size and weight.
Bocce can be played with 2 teams of up to 4 players on each team, for 8 total players maximum.
Unlike petanque, bocce does specify details regarding the terrain of the playing surface. Because bocce involves bowling the ball, you need a nice flat, clear surface to play on so that the ball can easily roll. A bocce court is 4m (13′) wide and 28m (92′) long.
Important: Unlike petanque, you are allowed to hit the jack during bocce play. Bocce can be played on a petanque court but you can’t play petanque on a bocce field because the heavy steel petanque ball may damage the ground.
Summary
How should you choose between buying a petanque set or bocce set? If you have to choose between the two and could only pick one, ask yourself:
- Do I prefer throwing a ball (petanque) or bowling a ball (bocce)?
- Do I have an area to play in that is either even or uneven (petanque can be played on both surfaces) or do I have a nice, flat surface that enables a ball to roll (required for bocce)?
Both petanque and bocce are fun, low impact outdoor games that you can play in your backyard or a flat sand pit if you have one. Alternatively you can find a local pit in a park or other public area to play in. In that regard, you only need to buy the boules and jack to play either game. It’s a fun game without many rules and it’s a great excuse to get outdoors especially during this era of COVID where people tend to be cooped up inside.
And even if we all are able to go back to “normal” and get out again in public without regard to COVID, what’s wrong with spending more time outdoors playing a fun, low impact game that everyone can take part in regardless of age or athletic level?