Hoyt Nelson
Soon it will be Bocce Ball weather. There is a great venue next to Lake Almaden in San Jose with bathrooms, water fountains and 4 very nice courts. Haven’t played before? No problem. The first bocce ball event for this year is scheduled for May 12 at 10am.
Basically, you roll your colored ball as close as possible toward a small target ball (called a pallino) for points. Your ball must cross the mid-court marker and not touch the end of court wall, but touching the sidewalls is OK, and sometimes useful. The rest, you can easily pick up with OJT (“on the job training”).
The courts are free (first come, first served). Ideally, there is a team of 1, 2 or 4 people at each end of the court and the teams alternate rolling a total of 8 balls (4 for the green team and 4 for the red team).
Balls are not supplied, but I have 2 sets and there are others owned by some members. We usually go out for drinks and/or dinner after playing, but there is no alcohol at the park. Lake Almaden Park is free and open every day except Mondays. If you are interested, contact me at bocce@niseiskiclub.org. Hope to see you there soon.
Directions to Lake Almaden Bocce Ball Court
- From Hwy. 85 in S San Jose, you go S on Almaden Expwy. for about a mile
- Turn L onto Coleman Av.
- Take the first R toward the Lake and park near the end of the road near a
Stop sign. - The courts are on the R of a small entrance shack about 100 ft. from the road.
Link to bocce ball flyer: Bocce Ball Flyer
Resources
Wikihow – How to play bocce ball
Youtube – video on how to play bocce ball
