Bocce coexists with golf at Palmetto Pine

Mar 10, 2011 2 min read

A couple of weeks ago, I walked onto the bocce courts at Palmetto Pine Country Club for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect.

I had never played bocce, except for a brief training session that involved some basic rules and strategy provided by members of the club.

There were about 100 people to play the first coed league game of a 13-week season and most of them were novices. Over the past three years the bocce league has grown from several members playing on a makeshift court just off the ninth green to about 110 members who enjoy a once-a-week soiree into competitive bocce on 10 grass courts.

I know some of the men and women players. Others I have only seen around the club, but don’t know much about them. As the weeks have gone by, I have gotten to know them better. Bocce is a very social game.

I am part of a team of four playing against another foursome. Each team divides two members at each end of the court. This puts me with different people each week, affording me the opportunity to meet new people and create new friendships.

The object of the game is to get your team’s balls closer to the target ball than your opponent. You can do this several ways. One is to roll your bocce ball closer to the pallino (target ball). Another is to knock your opponent’s ball farther away from the target. Three games make up a match.

Afterwards, players meet in club’s grill room to celebrate victories, anniversaries and birthdays.

Already I am looking forward to next week’s friendly competition and socializing afterwards.

Certainly, golfers have enjoyed all that Palmetto-Pine has to offer. Now, non-golfers can have just as much fun!