Bocce court
Build it layer by layer: fabric, drainage, compacted base, borders, the playing surface, and the oyster flour that keeps it groomable.
Size your court then add each layer below and watch the cross-section build. Your running total stays at the bottom of the screen.
Inside measurements of the playing area. A regulation court is 13 by 91 feet; most backyards build 10 by 60 or smaller, and the game plays the same as long as the court stays long and narrow.
A bocce court is a stack, not a surface. Water has to get out from under it, the base has to be compacted so the surface never settles, and the top has to stay groomable. Courts are surfaced with plain decomposed granite, a DG and oyster shell blend, or pure shell; oyster flour on top is optional. Add each layer below; the drawing on the right fills in as you go, and every quantity is figured for the size you entered.
Fabric on the subgrade
Goes on the dug-out floor and up the sides before any rock. It keeps the base from working down into the soil and keeps soil from pumping up into the drainage layer. Rolls are figured with 15% overlap; staples pin it while you spread rock.
+ Soil Staples 6" (100 Pack), $20.00 per pack, one pack per roll
Drainage layer
Clean 3/4 inch drain rock lets water leave from under the court instead of sitting in the base. Skip it only on a site that already drains fast; a court with standing water under it heaves and softens.
Compacted base
Class II road base, spread in two lifts and compacted with a plate compactor or tamp to a hard, level plane. This is the layer that decides whether the court still rolls true in five years. Four inches is standard; go to six on soft or clay ground.
Court border
The frame holds the surface in and gives the balls something to bank off. Most courts use pressure-treated lumber, set on the base and rising 4 to 8 inches above the finished surface, with taller backboards at each end. We do not sell lumber; the linear feet you need are figured below. Steel edging works for a low-profile court with no bank shots.
Playing surface
The Pearl blends are 1/4 inch minus decomposed granite with crushed oyster shell already mixed in: the shell keeps the DG from setting up into a slab you cannot groom, and the DG gives the surface body and speed that pure shell cannot. Pure shell is the traditional method and takes months of rolling to compact. Plenty of courts are plain 1/4 inch minus DG with no shell at all; if that is your court, pick any DG and figure it at the same depth with the coverage calculator. Lay 1.5 inches, water, roll, and groom.
Oyster flour top dressing
Optional, and mostly used on shell courts. Applied after the surface is down, not instead of it: a quarter to a half pound per square foot, broomed in. It keeps the top groomable and is what you sweep back in after play; courts that use it get a fresh application every year. Untick it if your court does not.
Tools and the balls
Tick what you do not already own. The tamp and rake do the base; the roller and a push broom do the surface, and you will use them every season.
How to build it
- Stake out the court, then excavate 8 to 10 inches across the whole footprint and slope the floor 1/8 inch per foot toward the low side so water has somewhere to go.
- Lay the fabric on the floor and up the sides, overlapping seams 6 inches, and staple it.
- Spread 3 inches of drain rock and rake it level.
- Spread the road base in two 2-inch lifts, wetting and compacting each one until a plate compactor leaves no mark. Check level along the length with a long straightedge.
- Set the border boards on the compacted base, square and level, braced or staked every 4 feet, with the taller backboards at each end.
- Spread the surface blend 1.5 inches deep, wet it, roll it, let it dry, and roll again. Repeat until the roller leaves no track.
- Broadcast the oyster flour at 1/4 to 1/2 pound per square foot and broom it in. Groom with a push broom after each session and top up the flour every year.
Questions
How much material does a bocce court need?
A 10 by 60 foot court with 3 inches of drain rock, 4 inches of base and 1.5 inches of surface takes roughly 8 tons of drain rock, 10 tons of road base and 4 tons of surface blend, plus about 225 pounds of oyster flour. Enter your size above and the page figures the exact amounts, with 10% extra on the bulk items.
What is the best surface for a bocce court?
A blend of 1/4 inch minus decomposed granite and crushed oyster shell. The shell keeps the DG from binding into a hard slab so the surface stays groomable, and the DG gives the ball speed and body that pure shell cannot. Pure oyster shell is the traditional surface and takes months of watering and rolling to compact.
Do I need oyster shell flour?
Not strictly, but every court that plays well has it. Flour goes on after the surface at a quarter to a half pound per square foot; it is what keeps the top from setting up hard and what you broom back in after play. Plan on a fresh application each year.
What goes under a bocce court?
From the bottom: fabric on the subgrade, 3 inches of clean drain rock, 4 to 6 inches of compacted Class II road base, then the 1.5 inch playing surface inside the border. The base is the layer that decides whether the court stays true; do not skimp on compaction.
Can you deliver a whole court?
Yes. A court is more than one truck of material, so use the quote button with your ZIP and we price the delivery by hand from our Rosamond or Visalia yards. Bags, tools and samples ship on their own.