Bocce’s Dirty Little Secret

Getting the down low on how to build a bocce ball court isn’t as simple as you’d think. Sure, there are some instructions and plans on the internet. But on closer inspection, they’re as basic as:

1. dig a hole
2. fill hole with gravel and crushed rock
3. top off with clay, oyster shell or astroturf

When you start to ask about specific, it gets fuzzy pretty fast. I’ve had some good luck – finding rescued highway guardrail timbers on craigslist, and more detailed plans from the American Italian Club. But asking where to buy clay, oystershell, or astroturf is like asking for national security secrets. No one knows – or at least isn’t telling.

After playing on the courts at the American Italian Club, I’ve opted for clay. But they don’t know where they got the clay to build their courts, and no materials yard seems to have it.

Regardless, we move ahead on construction. We’ve dug our hole, filled it with drainage gravel and set the timbers for the border. It actually looks like something more than a trench. Once we top it with the sand and pack it, I’ll need to solve bocce’s dirty little secret and find that clay…

Related Posts:

• Finished…. For Now
• The Art of the Bocce

Tags: bocce