Bocce is a popular ball game that can be played among family and friends in your home backyard, lawn, driveway, or even when you’re out on the beach or picnicking. The game dates back to the Roman empire and has since developed in Italy, now growing in popularity in America. It’s a great pastime for those with a good amount of free space in their yard or lawn.
You can build your own bocce ball court with a few tools and materials or you can hire a contractor to complete the task. While bocce can be played on almost any surface that’s flat and relatively smooth, professionals recommend using a blend of materials that allow the balls to roll fast and straight without bouncing.
Traditionally bocce ball courts are built with materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay, decomposed granite, artificial turf or grass, and crushed oyster shell flour, or a blend of a few of these materials to top the playing surface. Below we’ll talk about how oyster shell can be used in building your own bocce court at home.
Why Do Bocce Courts Use Oyster Shell?
When building a bocce court in your property, it’s important that you choose long-lasting and low-maintenance materials. In particular, the surface of your court should offer a smooth roll and minimal bounce of the ball. It should also have excellent drainage; otherwise, it can flood when it rains, leaving you with a pool instead.
The surface of a home bocce court typically consists of three layers and it’s important to choose the best material for the top layer as it’s the one that is most exposed. For this, crushed oyster shell is the best top coat for bocce courts. This is because oyster shells are made of 98% calcium carbonate. Compared to sand, clay, grass, and other blended material, crushed oyster shells provide a tougher, compact surface due to the recalcification process. Recalcification allows the oyster shell powder to fuse together after some time, forming a hard yet porous surface similar to coral reefs.
Measuring Your Bocce Court Area
When building a bocce court in your own backyard, the first thing you need to do is plot the area depending on the size of the court you want. A regulation bocce court is 90 feet long by 13 feet wide. Residential courts can be adjusted to any size to accommodate your available space, typically about 60 feet long and 10 feet wide.
Even if you have a smaller area, you can build a bocce court as small as 22 feet long and 6 feet wide. You should also consider the measurements for the court’s border walls as this will add about a foot each to the length and width.
First, measure your desired length of the court starting in one corner and push a stake into the ground to mark this corner. Tie a string on this side to make sure you plot a straight line. Again measure lengthwise up to the other corner and place another marker here. Measure the width from either corners using the string and place the final markers on each side. Make sure your measurements are right and the lines are straight.
Building Your Bocce Court
Once you have the measurements figured out and your play area plotted on the ground, you may need to excavate the ground to place the court’s borders and level out your play area. If your available area isn’t already level, you may need to use a bulldozer or bobcat.
To start, you may need to excavate about 2 to 6 inches from the ground and dig trenches in the location for the court’s borders. Use a garden rake to flatten out the area you dug out, or use a laser level or any other device that can help you make sure that the surface is even. When built, your bocce court should be slightly above ground to allow proper drainage.
Now, to install the court’s borders, you will need to fit some lumber into your desired dimensions for the court. Most sideboards rise 6 to 12 inches from the surface and are at least 2 inches thick. Sideboards must be backed with 4×4 posts and supported with hard plastic or rubber that the balls can bounce off of.
As mentioned, there are three layers to your bocce court surface, but first, you must install a drain around the court. Make sure to face the holes in the drain downwards to allow any standing water to carry through the pipe below.
The bottom layer of the playing surface is about 2-4 inches thick of coarse stone. This layer helps drain water and prevent flooding in the court. The next layer on top is crushed stone gravel about 1to 2 inches deep or half as thick as the bottom layer. When laying out these layers, make sure to compact the stone to even out the surface. The amount of materials you need depends on square foot coverage of the court you’re building.
The final layer or top coat of your bocce court can be a blend of different materials, but crushed oyster shells (or oyster shell flour) works best for this. This layer should be the thinnest, at about ½ to 1 inch. Again, make sure to level out the surface.
If you do decide to build your own court, you should account the materials and transport costs as well as the tools and equipment you will need. Oyster shell flour sellers typically employ trucks to deliver the materials sold. If you don’t want to go through all this trouble, you can simply hire a contractor.
Alternatives for Oyster Shell Flour
Although oyster shell is overall the best choice, there are also a few other good options you can use to top your DIY bocce court.
One cheap alternative option is sand or pea gravel. Typically you’ll have to use a mix of sand with other materials such as crushed rock and oyster shell flour. The problem with sand is if it’s too soft or loose, the surface will not be as smooth. It will also require more maintenance, particularly, raking the surface after every use.
Artificial turf or grass is also another choice for your bocce court surface. Unlike other options, this is longer lasting and easier to maintain. The color also gives the area a more inviting appearance. The only problem is it often requires a great investment, especially if you want the best quality artificial grass. Learn more on how to build a bocce court with artificial turf.
Clay surface is also another good choice as it helps facilitate smooth play and offers minimal bounce. However, installation can be expensive. It’s also the least weather-resistant material.
Finally, oyster blend and crushed stone is most recommended by professional players. The surface stays flat and allows the ball to roll fast while also helping with water drainage.
Watch the following video of a bocce court built with Bocce Court Pro Oyster Shell Flour:
Bocce Court Oyster Shell Spread
Building a bocce court with oyster shell:
Bocce Court Building, The Oyster Shell Mix Installation
Maintaining Your Bocce Court
Whatever the surface of your bocce court, it requires little maintenance or additional expense after installation. Naturally, the court’s surface will lose material over time due to rain, wind, and of course, your play time.
Normal maintenance typically only involves grooming the play area with a push broom to level out the surface at least every week or so depending on how often you play. A top coat of bocce court oyster shell flour may also be added as needed. Learn more about oyster shell bocce court maintenance.