Bocce Court

Bocce Standards Association

Bocce Court Dimensions / Construction

The information below is provided to help standardize the playing surface and dimensions of Bocce courts for building new courts or revising current courts. Court lengths can be found from 60 feet to 100 feet with a variety of playing surfaces. The standard dimensions encompass most existing courts; new courts should use the preferred dimensions. We recognize these standards differ from the International Standards which are seldom used to construct courts in the United States. The most important standard is the playing surface to make playing consistent from one court to another. Standardized courts will bring the game of bocce up to the level of all other major sports.

Future standards work may be needed for temporary indoor courts and portable courts.

COURT DIMENSIONS:

Standard Bocce Court Dimensions:

Length - 76'

Width - 10 - 13'

Pointing Foul Line (FL) - 6'

Spock / Hitting Foul Line (SL) - 10'

Center Line - 1/2 Length of the Court

STANDARD COURT MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION:

Sideboards & Backboards - Must extend 6 to 12 inches above the playing surface. Made with rigid treated lumber, minimum of 2 inches thick. Must be backed by concrete or 4x4 posts spaced a maximum 4 feet apart. The sideboards must be sufficiently supported or have a hard plastic/rubber bumper along sideboards so that a ball hitting the sideboards at an angle greater than 30 degrees will consistently bank off the sideboards.

Court Material - The court must be constructed similar to standard tennis courts with a minimum 3 inch base of crushed stone on a compacted sub-base and then covered with 2 inches minimum of clay type materials compacted for a hard, smooth, level surface. The top surface must be kept as level as possible and kept treated with a fine grade of loose topping clay that can be brushed to smooth the court. Clay courts must be wet down to keep the clay properly conditioned and compacted. A continuous watering system under the clay surface like
good tennis courts is preferred. Drain holes must be provided to prevent standing water on the court. Bocce court contractors are hard to find, however, tennis court contractors are more plentiful and can easily do excellent bocce courts.

Painting - The sideboards & backboards may be painted (preferable white). Easily visible vertical lines 2 inches wide must be painted on the sideboards to indicate the location of the foul lines and center line. Vertical lines 1 inch wide may be painted on the sideboards & backboards to indicate the 12 inch lines for the initial pallino throw.

Other Improvements - Other court improvements such as, scoreboards, protective court end walls, roofs, benches, ball racks, walkways, lighting, handicapped accommodations, etc. are the option of the club. However, no improvement shall interfere with the standard playing rules of bocce or bocce game play on the basic court defined above.

For more information, be sure to visit
www.boccestandardsassociation.org

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