Want to give your friends, family, or customers something fun to do? Create a sports turf bocce court for years of endless fun.
Artificial turf has many uses, from enhancing the look of a landscaping project, giving pets a safe and clean area to play and providing you with your very own putting green in your own backyard. Artificial turf can also be used to add a little variety to your backyard by serving as the foundation for a bocce ball court. Bocce ball is a simple game the whole family can enjoy, and artificial turf will provide a clean, classic look with easy upkeep and maintenance.
What is Bocce Ball?
Bocce ball is a popular game in Italy, though it is quickly growing popular in North America as well. Better known as “lawn bowling,” the game is as ancient as it is ideal for backyard fun. Historically, it’s been around for centuries. Cave paintings in places like Egypt depict people playing a game similar to Bocce ball. Likewise, it became popular in the Roman and Greek empires. The Romans spread the game throughout their vast empire, from present-day Britain to Spain, France, and all the way to present-day Iran.
A Bocce Ball Court
Your Bocce ball court doesn’t have to be regulated for enjoyable backyard play, but it should meet a few requirements to be most effective. You’ll need a level, rectangular area – official courts are usually 76 feet long and 10 feet wide, but you can also scale down these measurements for your own backyard as needed. The most important factor in playing Bocce ball is that the ground is level, or you could be handing yourself a disadvantage when it comes to playing the game!
How to Play
You’ll need a few essential materials in order to play the game, all of which can be found in a Bocce ball kit:
- Eight large Bocce balls of four different colors or patterns (preferably two of each color)
- A smaller target ball, which is called the jack
- A tape measure (it’s handy for settling disputes during the game)
First, the jack is thrown to an area central to the rest of the court. Essentially, the object of the game is to throw your Bocce ball so it lands closer to the jack than the rest of the players’ Bocce balls. Each team (or individual) takes turns throwing their Bocce ball to get closer to the jack during a round, which is determined by a set time frame.
After this time is up, score the field. Only one team can earn points per round. One point is earned for each Bocce ball closest to the jack, and two points are earned if a ball is touching the jack. It’s a simple game that is flexible enough for you to determine how long the round should be and how many rounds you will play to get to a predetermined amount of points.
Artificial Turf for Your Court
Artificial Grass is an excellent choice if you’re considering adding the fun and relaxation of Bocce ball to your backyard. Artificial turf will provide you with a beautiful green playing space all year long, and it will be much more aesthetically pleasing than using simply dirt or crushed rock for your playing court, as is popular. It will, in fact, look more like a landscaping and design choice rather than a ball court. Further, using artificial turf will not cause you to spend more time maintaining the court than you spend playing on it, as it requires minimal care and maintenance.
There are, however, a few key elements you’ll want to keep in mind when selecting the type of grass you will install for a Bocce ball court and they are:
- Short pile height: You want a grass that has a short pile height or, a short distance between the backing and the top of the blade of artificial grass. This will provide you with a more even surface on which to play, and your game won’t be inhibited by tall blades of grass that could slow down the Bocce ball during gameplay.
- Good drainage: It is important that the artificial turf you select can handle fluids well. Your court will already be level, but in the event that your court is subject to rainfall—whether frequent or rare—you’ll want it to be able to drain the water quickly so you can get back to playing.
- Think putting green-style grass: The ideal Bocce ball court grass is similar to that used on a putting green because the end goals are the same. You want a low profile grass that allows the ball to roll evenly, without interruption or impediment.
How to Build Your Own Bocce Ball Court
Installing your own Bocce ball court is actually quite simple if you follow a few key steps:
- Remove all sod, debris, and rock from the area in which you’d like your court to be placed.
- Ensure the area is completely flat. An uneven surface will greatly inhibit the quality of your Bocce ball court.
- Create a wood frame by cutting pieces of plywood to match the shape you’d like for your court; then secure this frame into the ground using 1-foot stakes.
- Place landscaping fabric across the area to prevent the incursion of weeds. At this point, you should recheck the surface to ensure it is level, and then install your artificial turf over a thin layer of sand or shock absorbent material.
Easy Care and Maintenance
Your Bocce ball court is not only fun and pleasing to the eye, but artificial turf makes it easy to maintain. You do not need to worry about weeding or mowing. A few considerations for upkeep are to ensure that the area is free from any leaves, twigs, or debris that could be crushed into the turf and, if you live in a dusty area, rinse your turf with cool water to remove dust and dirt.
To Conclude
A Bocce ball court is a unique concept for bringing a family-friendly, yet classic, game to the backyard. Ensuring you have a level surface on which to install your turf will improve the quality of your Bocce ball court. Ultimately, artificial turf will make the experience altogether more enjoyable because of the consistently high-quality appearance.
