Bocce Rules

Court Reservation

Please reserve the court before use. If you have a change in plans, please cancel the reservation so that others may use the court.

Game Equipment

Members are encouraged to bring their own bocce ball set(s). However, SCHOA plans to provide a lock box with an entry-level set of bocce balls to start.

How to Play

Objective: Get your team's bocce balls closer to the pallino, than the balls of the other team(s). Play frames from each end of the court and count points. First to 11 (or 13, 15, 21 - you decide) points wins.

Important: Please get a feel for the amount of force with which to (underhand) roll or lob the pallino or bocce balls gently to . Watch this quick video:



Teams: Green vs. Red
Teams typically have one, two or four players per side, BUT bocce IS a social game and one can agree on teams and ball turns.

Taking Turns

1. Who has the First Turn?
Win a coin toss, or mark a center line and roll a ball to get closest to it.
2. Team with the First Turn:
Roll the pallino. Roll or lob one bocce ball. Yield to the other team.
3. Team with the Next Turn:
If you still have balls on your end, roll or lob your bocce ball; otherwise, yield to the next team. Is at least one of your team's balls closer to the pallino than any other team's balls? If No, go again. If Yes, yield to the next team. Remember: "If IN, step OUT; if OUT, step IN"
4. How to count Points?
When none of the teams has balls left, the frame ends and it is time to count points. The team with its ball closest to the the pallino gets a point. The same team counts additional points for each of its balls that is closer to the pallino than the best/closest ball from any other team. A ball kissing the pallino gets an additional point.If balls from two or more teams are the closest, then the frame is a draw and no points are awarded.

Suggestions on Teams

• If there are only three players, play as three teams with one color+pattern ball - green circles, green stripes, red circles.
• In all other cases, split up into two teams. If there are nine or more players in total, split into two teams, and split each team into players at opposite ends of the court. Rotate who gets an extra turn if there are 3 players on one end of the court.
• It's not complicated, but if there are a lot of players, it is definitely easier to bring your own bocce ball set and get another game going on grass.