The latest addition to our yard is a regulation-size pétanque court, which we broke in last weekend when E and his children were down for the weekend.
For some reason, pétanque is not as well known in the US as bocce. Maybe the Italians just have a better press than the French! Basically, it is the same game with a few important exceptions. Bocce is usually played on a lawn and not on a court; pétanque, on the other hand, is played on a court 15 meters x 5 meters. The second exception is that the pétanque ball is much easier for a child to hold than the bulky bocce ball. The pétanque ball (made out of metal, not wood) is about the size of an American baseball. Our 6 and 7 year old grandchildren were handling the balls like real pros (and winning games) after a few trial tosses. Finally, bocce is more a game of bowling, whereas pétanque is a game of precise throwing.
Here is a website that gives additional information:
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Sports/DF_boules.shtml
Developing the court took several months because of the boulder field in our backyard. Gradually, the boulders were removed and the tree-shaded allée became a pretty impressive playing field. The pictures show the progression from a wasteland to a great place to play.
For some reason, pétanque is not as well known in the US as bocce. Maybe the Italians just have a better press than the French! Basically, it is the same game with a few important exceptions. Bocce is usually played on a lawn and not on a court; pétanque, on the other hand, is played on a court 15 meters x 5 meters. The second exception is that the pétanque ball is much easier for a child to hold than the bulky bocce ball. The pétanque ball (made out of metal, not wood) is about the size of an American baseball. Our 6 and 7 year old grandchildren were handling the balls like real pros (and winning games) after a few trial tosses. Finally, bocce is more a game of bowling, whereas pétanque is a game of precise throwing.
Here is a website that gives additional information:
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Sports/DF_boules.shtml
Developing the court took several months because of the boulder field in our backyard. Gradually, the boulders were removed and the tree-shaded allée became a pretty impressive playing field. The pictures show the progression from a wasteland to a great place to play.
2 comments:
The owner of the fitness center wants to put in a bocce area. How do you pronounce Petanque - the French way like paytank?
You got it--pay' tonk. There will be a lot of "boules" thrown tomorrow on Mother's Day!
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