How to Build Bocce Ball Courts

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
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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.