If you’re not familiar with either game, you might confuse bocce for croquet and vice versa. Understanding what makes bocce ball vs croquet similar and different can help you pick which game would work best for you.
Bocce ball is a hand-throwing game. The goal is to get your team’s bocce balls closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s closest bocce ball. Croquet, on the other hand, uses mallets and balls with matching colors. The goal of the game is to get your ball through all the wickets in the correct order. The first player to do so is the winner.
Understanding the differences between these two games includes not only differentiating gameplay, but also the equipment, court, and players.
The Differences Between Bocce and Croquet
Bocce ball and croquet are both fun backyard games. They can facilitate fun and entertainment while also keeping the players’ competitive spirits up.
For untrained eyes, bocce and croquet may seem like a similar or even the same game. While they have several similarities on the surface, looking into each game will tell you all the ways they are different and unique.
Equipment
Bocce
Bocce ball sets comprise eight large balls and one smaller target ball called a pallino or jack. Many sets would also include a measuring tool (a measuring tape or simple string) to help determine winners in close-call games.
A typical bocce ball set usually has two colors to set teams apart, usually four green and four red balls. But you can also find sets with four colors for even more variations between teams and players.
The pallino is usually white, but some are yellow too.
Official regulation bocce balls weigh 920 grams and have a diameter of 107 mm. Some officially sanctioned games allow female players to use something slightly smaller and lighter with a weight of 900 grams and 106 mm in diameter.
Official pallino balls are about 40 mm to 60 mm in diameter, though there is no official weight.
Croquet
A croquet ball set includes six balls, six mallets, nine wickets (or hoops), and two stakes. Croquet balls typically come in six colors: red, blue, yellow, green, purple, and orange. Each ball color has a corresponding mallet with the same color.
The two stakes would have all six colors painted on them. The wickets or hoops are typically made from either steel or plastic.
Official croquet balls used for officially sanctioned games weigh 453 grams and 3 5/8 inches (92.075 mm) in diameter. Official balls are also tested for bounce. When dropped at a height of 60 inches, the balls must bounce 30 to 45 inches.
Are bocce balls and croquet balls the same?
For untrained eyes, the balls used in bocce and croquet games may seem like the same but the truth is, they’re not. Bocce balls and croquet balls are not the same, not even in the slightest.
With a diameter of only 92.075 mm, croquet balls are smaller than bocce balls which are 107 mm in diameter. This also makes croquet balls (453 grams) much lighter than bocce balls (920 grams).
And while croquet balls for official games are tested for bounce, bocce balls are not.
Because these balls are not the same in any sense, using one type of ball for a different type of game (bocce balls for croquet games or croquet balls for bocce games) will greatly affect your gameplay. You will not achieve the same playing experience.
Court
Bocce ball courts
According to the United States Bocce Federation (USBF), official bocce courts are 86.92 feet in length and 13.12 feet in width. Unofficial courts for casual play can be smaller, depending on the available space you have.
Typical court surfaces include packed dirt, crushed stone, oyster shells, clay, grass, synthetic turf, and poured liquid.
Croquet courts
According to the United States Croquet Association (USCA), official croquet courts are 105 feet by 84 feet. Short grass is often the preferred court surface by most players.
For unofficial casual games, an ordinary lawn area can be used as the court. The area can also be smaller, as long as it’s still big enough to space and spread out the wickets for the game.
Players
Bocce
Bocce games can easily accommodate two, four, or eight players divided into two teams of equal numbers.
Croquet
Croquet can be played by a minimum of two players to a maximum of six players. It’s typically an individual game.
Gameplay
Bocce
Bocce starts with a coin toss to determine which team throws the pallino into the court, across the center line. The same team throws the first bocce ball into play.
The two teams will make alternating throws until all eight bocce balls are on the court. All balls are thrown without going over the foul line, otherwise, it is declared a dead ball.
The goal of the game is to get your team’s bocce ball closer to the pallino than the closest ball of the opposing team.
After all the balls are thrown, the winner of the frame is determined. Only the team with the closest ball will earn any points for that frame and the opposing team fails to win any points for that round. They gain one point for each of their ball closer to the pallino than the opposing team’s closest ball.
The winner of the game is the first team to earn a pre-determined number of points.
Croquet
To set up the game, place the two stakes at each end of the court. Then, place one wicket in front (ahead) of each stake. Place one wicket at the center point of the field. The other four remaining wickets are arranged on the field in a double diamond.
The goal of the game is to be the first player to get your ball through all the wickets and stakes in the correct order. Each player picks a matching mallet and ball.
Players have only one shot per turn unless bonus shots are awarded. The order in which they play is the same order in which the colors appear on the stake, from top to bottom.
Each player gets one bonus shot every time they clear a wicket and two bonus shots if they clear two in one shot. A player can also earn two extra shots for hitting an opponent’s ball.
The first player to get through all the wickets is the winner.
Conclusion
Bocce and croquet are two popular and fun backyard games. For untrained eyes, these two games may seem similar or even the same game but the truth is, they’re not at all. Finding out the difference between bocce ball vs croquet can help you determine which games fit your interests best.
Bocce is a game where players try to get their team’s bocce ball closer to the pallino than the other team’s closest ball. The balls are thrown underhand. On the other hand, croquet uses matching mallets and balls. The goal of the game is to get your ball through the hoops before the other players.
Bocce and croquet are fun games in both the official and casual sense. Knowing how they’re similar and different is key to understanding either game.
