Bocce Ball Court Size and Dimensions

January 24, 2023June 4, 2023 by Egle Goleckyte

The official bocce ball courts should be 28 meters or 91 feet long and 4 meters or 13 feet wide. A normal backyard bocce ball court measures 18.3 meters or 60 feet long and 3.6 meters or 12 feet wide. The flat surface where the game of bocce is played is called a bocce ball court. A bocce ball court surface can either be made of stone dust, grass, clay, dirt, or artificial surface as long as the ground is level and without obstructions. The presence of obstructions in the field hinders the ball’s movement from any direction. The variations in grade or terrain consistency are not obstructions (skip straight to the bocce ball court size chart).

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Bocce ball courts with side and backboards allow more tactical play since the ball can bank or rebound off the walls. Any material can be used to make the side and backboards of the court, as long as they are rigid and don’t move during play.

In conformity with the United States Bocce Federation, the official bocce ball courts should be 28 meters or 91 feet long and 4 meters or 13 feet wide. Unofficial courts are a bit smaller.

The United States Bocce Federation regulations on court size don’t apply to backyard courts for casual play. You can make a small-sized court or even play the game of bocce with no court. A backyard bocce ball court measures 18.3 meters or 60 feet long and 3.6 meters or 12 feet wide.

Playing on a bocce ball court of the wrong size compromises your game, especially if you wish to participate in competitive games. To master your skills, you need to play on a good-sized bocce ball court.

Jump right into the Frequently Asked Questions

Related Court dimensions:

Bocce Ball Court Size Table of Contents

Bocce ball court size chart
How to choose the right bocce ball court size
Building a bocce ball court
Frequently asked questions

Bocce ball court size chart

Related: Bocce Ball Size Chart

Court Type	Length	Width
Official bocce court	91 feet 28 meters	13 feet 4 meters
Casual bocce court	60 feet 18.3 meters	12 feet 3.6 meters

How to choose the right bocce ball court size

The size of a bocce ball court depends entirely on the level of play and the purpose of use. For instance, if the court is intended for professional play, its dimensions will differ from those intended for casual play.

In the game of bocce ball, you don’t require an official bocce ball court to play for fun. However, some homeowners prefer to have official sporting activities thus they will go for official bocce ball courts.

In this guide, we will explore the differences between the backyard and official bocce ball court sizes, and also how to make a bocce ball court.

Backyard bocce ball courts

As we said earlier, you don’t have to follow the bocce ball court regulation size rules specified by the United States Bocce Federation to create a backyard bocce ball court. As long as the bocce court’s ratio of width to length is 1:5 and 1:7, you are good to go.

You have two options when it comes to having a bocce court in your backyard. You can have a simplified court, or have no court at all!

1. Play without court

This is the easiest solution. All you have to do is purchase a bocce ball set in a sports balls retail shop or online. Next, select a flat area with grass or concrete, and start playing right away.

In this case, you don’t have to stress about setting boundaries. However, you need to ensure that you have a flat surface so that the balls roll accordingly.

2. Simplified court

When building a simplified backyard court for the bocce game, make sure you keep it shorter and a little wide than the regulation bocce courts. The recommended measurements for a backyard court are 8.3 meters or 60 feet long and 3.6 meters or 12 feet wide.

The lines in backyard courts can be dissimilar or even separated from the ones in official courts.

If your backyard space isn’t big enough to accommodate a 60-foot-long court, you can go for a smaller court. You just have to make sure that the center and foul lines are set out and marked.

Official bocce ball courts

In conformity with the United States Bocce Federation, the court must be 91 feet long and 13 feet wide. This court design needs to be observed for all professional matches.

Building a bocce ball court

While you can spend hundreds of dollars to install a bocce ball court, you can build one yourself. All you need is the necessary tools for the job.

We have prepared simple steps you can follow to build your perfect court. Let’s take a look.

1. Site selection and preparation

Before you begin the construction process, there are a few things to be considered. You need to determine the location of your court as well as its size. We recommend you go for an area in your yard that you don’t use much. In addition, the area should have proper drainage.

In conformity with the specifications of the United States Bocce Federation, a regulation-sized bocce court measures 13 ft by 91 ft. However, unless you plan on constructing a regular-size bocce court, you can make a court of any size. You can even make a court in a space as small as 5 ft by 20 ft (1.5 m by 6 m).

2. Plotting the court dimensions

After you determine the size of your court, you can proceed to plotting or mapping. Determine the entire length and width of your bocce court on the selected site. This is done by using a measuring tape.

While doing this, you should not forget that you need to add to your entire width and length, the proportions of the backing material. Therefore, if you are utilizing frames of 4×4 boards, you will have to add 20 cm (8 inches) to your width and length proportions.

For instance, if you are constructing a regulation bocce ball court, you are required to determine the outer measurements of the court to be 91 ft 8 inches long and 13 ft 8 inches wide.

After measuring out the length and width of your bocce court, take your hammer and drive a stake into the flooring at one and all corners. The stakes act as markers to show the size of the court. In addition, they designate the area to be excavated.

3. Creating the court

Excavating the ground

In this step, you need to level your bocce court area. The best way to do this is by excavating the ground about 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm) deep. This makes it easy for you to break up any clumps of soil or rocks that would obstruct the surface of the court.

However, if your lawn is rocky, digging it can be tough. This means that you will have to construct the court on the lawn surface.

The bocce court has to be constructed on a level surface, or else the playing surface will be irregular. In case you are worried that your court may accumulate water during wet seasons, excavate less than 4 inches (10 cm). Alternatively, you can construct French drains.

Installing wooden borders or frames

Installing sideboards and backboards depends on the type of soil in your lawn. While you can decide to apply any wooden border boards, it is recommended that you use 4×4 pressure-treated boards.

Set down the 4×4 boards along the borders of your dug-up bocce pit, placing them end to end. After placing them, pack soil around them, to hold them in place for framing. Ensure that all the boards are level with the ground while you pack soil around them. You can use a carpenter level to check the levels. Make sure you do this for all court sides.

Next, fasten all the 4×4 boards to the adjoining boards from outside. Use spikes of 10 inches (25 cm).

Laying a base

The base layer of your bocce court should consist of fairly large stones. The coarse stones allow water drainage and help establish a film surface for the court.

The layer should have a thickness of 1 inch (2.54 cm) if you hadn’t dug and 2 inches (5 cm) if you had dug the court area 4 inches deep. Use a shovel to place the large stone all over your court.

Laying the second layer

After you have laid the 1-inch or 2-inch base layer all around your bocce court, it’s time to add the second layer. This layer is made of smaller stones. Since there is no certain size regulation, you can use gravel.

Using a shovel, level the gravel throughout the bocce court. The layer should have a thickness of 1 to 2 inches. The gravel should be compacted properly so that the layer on the top will be level.

3. Laying the playing surface

Placing a top layer

If the type of court you are building is the regulation bocce court, you will have to top the court with a layer of ground oyster shell. This layer should have a thickness of about 0.25 inches (0.6 cm). Usually, this material is excellently fine-grained and is durable even with adverse weather conditions.

However, you can use clay or glass for the surface layer if you are making a casual bocce court. These materials are affordable and work well too. The only problem you can experience with using sand is constant raking to maintain a level surface.

Grass can also be problematic since you will need to trim it occasionally. However, no surface lines are necessary on the court when you use grass.

Finishing the court

If your top layer isn’t made of refined oyster shells or sand, you can use synthetic turf. Synthetic turf is cheap and simple to maintain. You can also sweep it easily.

Your bocce ball court is now ready to be played on!

Learn more about bocce ball court size and more (video)

_{Bocce Ball Court Design, Size and Rules by Garden Design}

Frequently asked questions

What is a good size for a backyard bocce ball court?

When building a backyard court for the bocce game, make sure you keep it shorter and a little wide than the regulation bocce courts. The recommended measurements for a backyard court are 8.3 meters or 60 feet long and 3.6 meters or 12 feet wide.

What is the smallest size for a bocce ball court?

You can make bocce courts as small as 5 ft by 20 ft (1.5 m by 6 m).

What is the best surface for a bocce ball court?

The surface of your bocce court can be made of refined oyster shells, sand, grass, or synthetic turf. Out of all these alternatives, synthetic turf is the best. Synthetic turf is cheap and simple to maintain. You can also sweep it easily.

What is the standard bocce size?

You should pick a bocce ball set depending on the balls’ diameter. As a beginner, you ought to use a ball with a 90mm or 100mm diameter. However, professionals should ensure that their balls meet the US Bocce Federation size of 107mm.

How do you build a backyard bocce court?

The first step when building a backyard bocce court is site selection as you determine the size you want your court to be. Then, determine the length and width of your court and mark the four corners using stakes.

Excavate the ground of the bocce court area about 2 to 4 inches deep and level the ground. Next, install sideboards and backboards.

After laying the borders, lay a base layer of your bocce court. It should consist of fairly large stones. The layer should have a thickness of 1 inch (2.54 cm) if you hadn’t dug and 2 inches (5 cm) if you had dug the court area 4 inches deep. Use a shovel to place the large stone all over your court.

After you have laid the 1-inch or 2-inch base layer all around your bocce court, it’s time to add the second layer. This layer is made of gravel. The layer should have a thickness of 1 to 2 inches.

You can use clay or glass for the surface layer. These materials are affordable and work well too. This layer should have a thickness of about 0.25 inches (0.6 cm). If your top layer isn’t made of grass or sand, you can use synthetic turf. Synthetic turf is cheap and simple to maintain. You can also sweep it easily.

Your bocce court is now ready to play!

How expensive is it to construct a bocce court?

Building a bocce ball court can cost you about $5 to $30 per square foot. Therefore, you should prepare to pay $3600 for the low-end and $35,490 for the high-end. The total cost varies, depending on the size of your court, the construction materials, and labor.

Conclusion

To wrap it up, the size of a bocce ball court depends on the purpose intended and the level of play. For instance, if the court is intended for professional play, its dimensions will be different from one intended for casual play.

In this guide, we have explored the differences between the backyard and official bocce ball court sizes, and also how to make a bocce ball court. After reading this guide, you can make the right bocce ball court size.

Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, kindly leave them in the comment section below.

Picture in this post is from TheSpruce.com