In a world of new technologies, synthetic alternatives, hip hop, the internet and cell phones, there still lies the "old world" classics with their almost ritualistic familiarity, passionate following, history, nostalgia and life beyond anything new we might try to create. The same holds true for Bocce Ball and the historic ritual of our construction in the "Old World Tradition."

Yes, there are many reasons to consider some of the new technologies. Wind, location, cost, use and many other determining factors should be considerations. In this section, however, we will concentrate on the construction process in its most organic form.

I will first take you through some critical elements when making the choice to be part of the Old World tradition-- the site considerations and proper preparation, soil excavation, drainage, the original concrete and timber border installation, an alternative (and less expensive) timber only border installation and finally, the Natural Oyster Shell surface installation. Each of these systems has a similar finished surface - either our Turtle, Rabbit or Cheetah Bocce Blends and maintains all the characteristics of an "Old World" installation.

Lets first start with a summary view of Old World construction process which will be followed up in detail under the specific construction headings as shown. Our New World system is detailed in another section.

As I discussed briefly, the Old World Bocce Ball construction system is organic in nature and uses only natural elements from the earth. First, we excavate to a proper depth - about 16"-18" down is best (or a combination of grading down and raising the sidewalls will also work). Next, depending on the size of the court, we trench another 2-3 lines for our perforated french drain system and install a drywell or the lines can be connected to an existing drain system. Since the bocce court needs to be level, it's critical that we get the water permeating through the surface at a reasonable rate. Without the drainage, water would continue to build up as the oyster flour and other fine particles tend to compact over time and restrict the proper drainage of the court. Even with the best preparation, you still need to excavate the top Oyster Blend every 2-3 years to open up or aerate the surface so drainage continues to function as intended - we'll talk more about this later.

After the drains are installed, we typically form and pour the perimeter border at the correct finished elevation allowing for the remainder of the drain system, base and finished surface. Usually we end up with a 16"-18" wall perimeter. After the forms are stripped, we start the installation of the drain tile, fabric, base and bocce blend system. Also during this time, all the 2" x 6" boards are mounted to the concrete surface at the correct height allowing for the various layers of material to be placed. Once the final bocce surface is installed, it is saturated and rolled a number of times to achieve the best initial compaction. A final dusting of oyster flour is applied, lines are painted on the side walls and voila - it's bocce time!

The inside or “guts” will generally stay the same in this construction system. A couple of alternatives for installing the border is to use railroad ties or 6" x 8" timbers or the post and plank system. These are typically cheaper, but in the core tradition of the sport, the concrete border and mounted board system will win you the admiration of your peers!

Ok, that's the quick version of our Old World Construction, which will be detailed more on the following pages.