Bocce ball is an outdoor game that often gets lumped into the same category as petanque or boules. I already wrote an article about the differences between petanque and bocce. In a nutshell, boules is a French word that means balls and refers to ball games like petanque (which also uses boules to play with!) and bocce as well. In France you’ll hear the game referred to as boules. Outside France you’ll hear petanque. And we can thank Italy for bocce.
A regulation bocce ball court measures about 13′ in width and 87′ in length with some flexibility depending on the authorizing body. You can also see courts up to 15′ in width and up to 88′ in length. Bocce balls tend to be colorful and are made from wood, resin or hard plastic, weigh 920 grams (32 ounces) and are 107 mm (4.2″) in diameter. Bocce balls are also solid inside so there is some travel to them when they are bowled.
Bocce vs Petanque
Unlike petanque which involves tossing a ball at the jack (the smaller ball that you’re trying to get your ball close to), bocce involves rolling your ball towards the jack. So while petanque doesn’t require a specific court, bocce requires a flat, unencumbered field where a bocce ball can be rolled along the ground without restriction.
In bocce you are allowed to hit the jack with your bocce ball but in petanque you immediately lose the game if you touch the jack with your ball.
Bocce Ball Court Regulations
The United States Bocce Federation (USBF) in conjunction with Punto Raffa Volo has defined the regulation bocce court size, dimensions and specifics as follows:
The game of bocce must be played on a flat and perfectly leveled surface subdivided into courts enclosed by wooden planks or other non-metallic sides, 25 cm high with a tolerance of plus or minus 2 cm.
USBF
b) The courts must be 26.50 meters long and between 4.00 and 4.50 meters wide. Courts between 24.50 and 27.00 meters long may be accepted only by previous approval from the C.T.A.I.
These sizes equate to about 87 feet in length and between 13′ and 15′ (rounded) in width. Courts between 80′ and 88′ (rounded) long may be accepted only by previous approval from the C.T.A.I.
Backyard Bocce Ball Court
A decent sized home bocce ball court should measure about 10′ x 60′ give or take to give you an idea of how much room you will need for an adequate playing surface. As far as cost, expect to pay between $7 and $14 per square foot depending on materials used and your personal situation including where you live. So for a 10′ x 60′ court, the expected cost could be between $4,200 – $8,400.
For your backyard or personal use, you can of course have your own dimensions depending on your needs, cost and space. In other words, you can build a bocce ball court in any size you like.
Bocce can be played on a tournament-grade petanque court but you cannot play petanque on a bocce court because the heavy steel petanque balls may damage or dent the ground every time they are tossed.
Bocce Ball Court Materials
The official bocce rules don’t mention specifics except that both natural or synthetic materials can be used and that they must suit the requirements of the game and not hinder or harm players or referee in the case of a tournament.
A bocce ball court can be built with different materials depending on your preference. The court must be completely flat and enclosed with wood but non-metallic planks. The headboards of the court may be rubber or similar material. The ground is typically made with a material that won’t cause the ball to bounce and doesn’t require water such as decomposed granite, sand, or crushed oyster shell. For your home bocce court, you could also choose to go with tennis clay, turf, or sand.
Again, for your home-based bocce ball court requirements you can of course choose whatever makes sense for you and meets both your needs and budget.
Conclusion
Building a bocce ball court in your backyard or on your property can be done on your own if you’re handy. Alternatively you can contract a company who specializes in the work to get it done for you.
Depending on your personal situation – your budget, the space you have in your backyard, etc – you can choose a court size that works for you and fits your needs.
If you find that building your own bocce ball court doesn’t work for whatever reason, you have several choices. Of course you can find a local place to play publicly if such a facility exists. You secondarily might consider a different ball game, namely petanque, since it can be played on a smaller court, doesn’t require a flat surface and can be played in your backyard, in a sand pit or any other grassy area you have access to.