How to Build Bocce Ball Courts

Though bocce can be played on uneven surfaces, a level court provides the best results.

Bocce is an outdoor bowling-style sport that was developed in Italy. While some bocce ball sets are sold to be played in the grass of your backyard, the game officially is played in a 10-by-76-foot bare court. Building such a court is a fairly simple project. You need to lay down layers of various materials to form a solid playing surface.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel or excavator
• 4-by-4-by-6-foot wood posts
• 2-inch treated lumber boards
• Pea gravel
• Crushed limestone
• Tennis clay or crushed oyster shells
• Garden hose
• Rolling device

Instructions

1. Excavate the playing area to a depth of 9 inches. A standard bocce court is always 76 feet long, but the width can vary between 10 and 13 feet. Variants of the game can require a court anywhere from 60 to 91 feet long, so you might want to make your court longer than standard.

2. Sink posts to support the sideboards and backboards around the perimeter of the court, with no more than a 4-foot space between any two adjacent posts. Pour concrete around the base of each post for added stability. Cut 2-inch boards in 18-inch widths for the sideboards and backboards themselves. Install them around the edge of the excavated area, screwing them to the supporting posts.

3. Pour a layer of pea gravel into the playing area, to a depth of 3 inches. Follow with a 3-inch layer of crushed limestone. Top it off with a final 3 inches of tennis clay or crushed oyster shells. Make sure the surface is perfectly level.

4. Water the court to make the clay settle and let it dry. Cracks will form. Fill these in with more clay or shells, flattening them with a roller. Repeat the watering and filling process until the cracks cease to appear.

References

• Bocce Standards Association: Court Standards
• Bocce Ball Sets: Build a Bocce Court
• Boccemon: How to Build a Bocce Court