Bocce Ball Sets
Let’s get something clear from the outset: Bocce (commonly pronounced “botchy”) is not just a game for chianti-sipping old Italian guys. These days it’s being played by urban hipsters in places such as the Wicker Park Bocce Club in Chicago, Union Hall in Brooklyn, and inside Vendetta’s bar in Washington, DC.
Bocce also happens to be a great lawn game if you want to have some fun outdoors with family and friends. This article (and product review) is geared to recreational players, not top competitors (for whom there are leagues, tournaments, and even a world championship).
Bocce is one of the oldest and most popular games on earth because it’s easy to learn, requires minimal equipment, has flexible rules, and can be played by people of all ages (that is, even Grandma can compete against 5-year-olds!). What’s more, it gets people out in the sunshine and fresh air, which is desperately needed in this age of addictive indoor electronics. As a social game (often played in teams), bocce brings people together and gets them laughing, creating memories, and having some good clean fun.
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If you’re thinking about buying a bocce ball set, our recommendations below fall into three categories:
- inexpensive starter sets that are perfectly adequate for children and families (90mm balls are easier for children to grip).
- better quality sets that sell for roughly twice the price, and
- top quality sets for people who are serious about bocce or serious about fine craftsmanship.
And then there’s wildly fun glow-in-the-dark bocce, a novelty game in a category of its own.
In good-better-best order, here are our picks:
Here’s a good budget choice for family play. These balls are 90mm, making them easier for younger players to grip, and come in four fun colors. They are made of a very dense resin material, so they’ll roll well on grass, clay or crushed stone. (GoSports also sells sets with balls made with soft rubber rather than resin.) This starter set offers you good value for the money.
HARVIL also makes good economical bocce ball sets with your choice of smaller balls (more appropriate for kids) or larger balls (more appropriate for adults), both made of poly-resin. The smaller balls are 90mm in diameter and each weighs 1.6 pounds. The larger balls are 100mm in diameter and each weighs 2.3 pounds. The Harvil set includes, in addition to the eight poly-resin balls, a pallino (smaller target ball), measuring rope, instructions for playing and scoring, and a nylon zip-up carrying case with handles and a sturdy base. The product comes with a 90-day warranty, and your satisfaction is guaranteed.
If you’re more serious about the game, you’ll want a better quality bocce set, such as this one by Champion Sports. These beautifully finished bocce balls are made with tough phenolic resin (as you’d find on billiard balls) and come in rich dark shades of red and green. They are also heavy, solid, durable, and well-balanced, so they’ll roll true (straight). They measure 3.5” in diameter, or 90mm. The white pallino (target) has a 1.5” diameter. This set comes with a heavy duty nylon carrying bag and rules of the game.
>>Click here to see the CHAMPION SPORTS bocce set at Amazon.
ST PIERRE SPORTS Professional Bocce Set
(also better quality)
St Pierre Sports is another good choice for a quality set made with precision roundness and balance.
Their balls are the official size (107mm) and weight (roughly 2 pounds), and are solid all-resin, making them appropriate for either casual or more serious players. The pallino (target ball) is yellow, rather than the usual white, and the set also includes game rules and a sturdy 10” x 10” x 10” carrying bag. The entire set weighs 20 pounds.
>>Click here to see the ST PIERRE SPORTS bocce set at Amazon.
PERFETTA CLUB Pro Bocce Ball Set
(the high quality choice)
This is our choice for more serious bocce players who can afford better quality, who appreciate fine craftsmanship, and who would take pride in owning a quality set Made in Italy.
Perfetta is the Italian word for “perfect,” and that pretty much says it all. They have been the official supplier to the world bocce champs for more than 20 years, and their beautifully designed, tournament quality, regulation size balls (107mm) are often used in league play. They offer a 10-year warranty against ball breakage (the best warranty in the industry), their products will likely last a lifetime, and they consistently get excellent customer reviews.
Here’s what the Perfetta set includes: Eight 107mm balls (4 red and 4 green) and one 50mm white pallino (target ball). Also included is a basic nylon carrying bag.
If you can afford a high quality bocce set, go with Perfetta.
>>Click here to see the Perfetta Club Pro Bocce Ball Set at Amazon.
What’s more fun than Bocce Ball? Glow in the dark bocce ball! The Playaboule Lighted Bocce Ball Set is a great choice for nighttime backyard parties, at the beach, camping trips -- even indoor play in a carpeted basement. The LEDs are very bright and extremely visible, providing a big WOW factor. Children find these glowing orbs to be especially fascinating and magical.
We guarantee that you can’t play this impressive novelty game in a public place without passersby approaching you to ask, “Where the heck did you get that?”
This kit includes:
- 8 regulation size balls (107mm diameter, or 4.2”), but they are lighter than regulation balls (each balls weighs 1.3 pounds, and the whole set weighs 11 pounds)
- a white target ball, also regulation size (50mm, or 2” diameter); and
- a set of batteries
The balls are lightly textured (for easy grip), made of dense and durable plastic, and they are sand-, grit- and water-proof (but are not designed for water play). The design is patented, and it is the only lighted bocce set that meets US Bocce Federation standards (107mm diameter).
Here’s how the lighting mechanism works:
- each bocce ball takes 3 small (alkaline) disk batteries
- batteries are included with the set, but are not pre-installed in each ball
- to install the batteries, you simple unscrew a plug on the ball – no tools are required
- turn on the lights just by pressing a button (you have the choice of steady or flashing lights)
- lights last for 20 hours of play (purchase extra batteries if you anticipate lots of play)
- of course, you can use these bocce balls with or without the lights
Playaboule has a reputation for fast and excellent customer service, so if you have any problems, they’ll take good care of you in a hurry.
>>Click here to see the Playaboule Glow in the Dark Bocce Set at Amazon.
OUR BOCCE BALL RECOMMENDATIONS, IN A NUTSHELL:
If you’re on a tight budget and just need a bocce set to amuse the kids, GoSports and Harvil both sell highly rated, economical starter sets that are perfectly adequate for casual play. Remember: these sets are meant to be used on SOFT SURFACES (in the backyard or at the beach). Balls coated with hard resin could chip or crack if you toss them near your paved driveway or any other hard surface.
For an even better quality bocce ball set, the one made by Champion Sports is an excellent choice. St Pierre brand is similarly good and highly rated – go with them if you want the larger 107mm balls.
If you can afford a top-of-the-line set, go with genuine Italian-made Perfetta. You might regret going cheap, but you’ll never regret investing in a high-quality set that will likely last a lifetime. Perfetta’s bocce set is classy, handsome, and has the impressive “Made in Italy” laser etching on each ball.
The glow-in-the-dark bocce set by Playaboule is our choice for use after dark, especially if you’re looking for a fun party game.
The most important buying consideration will likely be the size and weight of the balls, and that will depend on who is playing.
- 100mm is a good size for recreational backyard play (and is the minimum for tournament play).
- 90mm is good for children (and perhaps arthritic older folks), but it’s too small for most adults.
- 107mm (920 grams, or roughly 2 pounds) is the size and weight for official play
- The smaller white target ball (pallino or “jack”) is commonly 50mm
The following Question & Answer section will hopefully answer any lingering questions you may have about bocce.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN A BOCCE BALL KIT?
A typical kit contains eight balls in at least two different colors, one smaller target ball (the “pallino”), a carrying bag or case, and play instructions. Also helpful are scoring pads and some measuring tape.
Some bocce bags seem too flimsy for heavy balls. The ideal storage bags have some rigidity to them and dividers for ball storage. Here’s a tip: Keep the cardboard box the balls come in to give your carrying case some extra rigidity. Also note that Amazon sells canvas bags specifically for bocce.
WHAT ARE BOCCE BALLS TYPICALLY MADE OF?
Originally they were made of stone, then wood, then metal. These days they are mostly made of hard resin like that used for billiard balls. (The better ones are solid resin. The cheaper ones have an outer shell made of resin, and filler materials inside. ) A variation of the game called bocce volo still uses a metal ball. GoSports sells bocce sets with your choice of hard resin or soft rubber balls.
SHOULD I GET A TWO-COLOR OR A FOUR-COLOR SET?
It depends on how many are playing and whether you are playing as individuals or teams. Each player or team will need a distinct color or pattern. We love the looks of the higher quality bocce balls that come in the traditional Italian colors (perhaps because they remind us of marinara, pesto, and mozzarella!).
WHO CAN PLAY BOCCE?
Ages 4 and up, which makes it a great inter-generational family game. It is recommended for 2 to 8 players, either individual players or perhaps two teams of two, three or four people. It can even be played by the disabled.
For backyard bocce, no court needs to be constructed, and no boundaries need to be drawn. All you need is an even lawn surface or artificial turf. Just don’t play near concrete or hard surfaces, since that could cause the resin-coated balls to crack or chip.
Bocce courts -- for the more serious players – are typically 90’ long and 8-13’ wide. They are traditionally made of natural soil, clay, or even crushed oyster shells. They have low side walls, and balls can be angled off of the sideboards, as in billiards.
If you feel so inclined, you can make your own backyard “court” with brightly colored plastic tape, some tent stakes, and small flags for the foul lines.
HOW DO YOU PLAY BOCCE?
The basic idea is that players take turns tossing the larger balls as close as possible to the target ball, and points are awarded for the closest balls. The game continues until a player or team reaches 7 points, 13 points, or whatever you decide.
Players use an underhand toss. To better control their shot on a soft lawn, they might lob it with a backspin so that it won’t roll too far when it lands.
Check out the brief videos below to see how the game is played and scored:
This 11-minute video includes some rules and lessons.
HOW does bocce ball compare with bocci, lawn bowling and petanque?
They are all sports in the boules family played with heavy balls. Bocce balls are spherical with no inbuilt bias, unlike the balls in lawn bowling which are slightly asymmetrical. Petanque is the version they play in France. Bocci and boccie are just spelling variations of bocce.
WHEN AND WHERE DID BOCCE ORIGINATE?
It is quite possibly the oldest sport on earth, as evidenced by its depiction on a 7,000-year-old Egyptian tomb painting. (Back then it was likely played with polished rocks.) From there it made its way to ancient Greece and Rome, and soldiers spread it along with the Roman Empire. It developed into its present form in Italy, and Italian immigrants have spread its popularity worldwide.
IS BOCCE AN OLYMPIC SPORT?
No, but a version of the game (boccia) is played at the Paralympics by people with disabilities. Boccia is a shorter-range game played indoors with leather balls on a smooth surface.
FINAL NOTE: IF THERE’S A DRINK ASSOCIATED WITH BOCCE, it would surely be something Italian such as a nice chianti. If adults are playing, they may want to try a Bocce Ball Bomb Shot: Orange juice in a pint glass topped with a shot of amaretto. Another version of the drink includes vodka, splash of soda water, and an orange slice garnish.
LEARN THE LINGO
Bocce = “bowls” (originally, rounded rocks were thrown at bowls)
Pallino (‘bullet’): the smaller target ball, usually white
Jack: another name for the target ball
Boccino (‘little bocce’): another name for the target ball
Punto (‘point’): throw aimed at the pallino
Volo: a long hard aerial throw (not advised, and possibly damaging for the balls or court)
Raffa (spocking, shooting, bombing): a hard underhand throw intended to hit and move an opponent’s ball or the pallino
Baci (‘kiss’): when a ball nestles up against the pallino
A FEW FUN FACTS ABOUT BOCCE
The legendary Umberto Granaglia (an Italian bartender), was considered the greatest boccista of the 20th Century. He won 46 Italian national championships and 13 world championships.
Martinez, California, claims to be bocce capital of the U.S., with 15 courts and over 2000 members. (Visit www.martinezboccefederation.org)
Despite our casual usage above, the proper name of the sport is “bocce,” not bocce ball.
Divertiti giocando a bocce!