Bocce, Anyone? Toss Some Popular Games Into Your Yard Plans
Score points for entertaining with a yard set up for lawn bowling, croquet, chess and more
Get the family away from the electronic devices and into spending quality time together outdoors, inspired by these green spaces dedicated to favorite lawn games.
A backyard that showcase a nice, long rectangular patch of well-manicured lawn is the ideal playing field for a game of bocce, croquet, horseshoes or lawn bowling.
A plot the size and proportions of a driveway is perfect for a bocce court: 10 to 13 feet wide and 60 to 90 feet long.
Due to its long and lean dimensions, a flat side yard is a good place for games that don't interfere with your daily outdoor living. Setting games up near the garden allows different members of the family to interact or just be near one another while engaging in activities that interest them.
Artificial turf provides a superior surface for lawn bowling or bocce due to its consistency, durability and low maintenance year round. It also helps to conserve water and eliminates the need for weed-killing chemicals.
To avoid a Brady Bunch backyard look, landscape with actual local greenery around the lawn's gaming area. Use Bender Boards to define the separation between turf and real plants.
Installing padding underneath the artificial grass will provide the ultimate game area by eliminating uneven surfaces.
To avoid a Brady Bunch backyard look, landscape with actual local greenery around the lawn's gaming area. Use Bender Boards to define the separation between turf and real plants.
Installing padding underneath the artificial grass will provide the ultimate game area by eliminating uneven surfaces.
If artificial turf isn't your style, but you want a surface you don't need to water, look for a ground material that will provide minimal bounce. Decomposed granite, sand or crushed oyster shells are all options that do not require water. These are especially appropriate for arid climates and for re-creating an authentic Italian villa feel.
An all-gravel landscape works well with minimalist modern architecture, giving it the air of a Zen garden. Proper drainage is necessary to avoid the pooling of water in the court. Crushed gravel below the court's surface material will help.
A perimeter curb will keep balls in play. One that is built 6 to 18 inches high out of cast concrete, bricks or blocks will do.
The structure adjacent to this playing area offers a luxurious spot for resting between games, turning this backyard into an oasis.
The structure adjacent to this playing area offers a luxurious spot for resting between games, turning this backyard into an oasis.
A fire pit near your lawn patch will allow summer parties to last well into the night.
How to Make a Stacked-Stone Fire Pit
How to Make a Stacked-Stone Fire Pit
If lawn bowling and bocce aren't for you, try a round green for putting. This one is big enough for Frisbee tossing and croquet.
If you are gifted at landscaping — or can hire someone who is — try your hand at growing a giant chess board. Your guests will be delighted.
You can also apply this idea to pavement. Alternate concrete or slate square tiles in the driveway so you can play when the mood strikes without committing to a precision lawnmower.
See more oversize chess sets
See more oversize chess sets
Even kids' energy sags after hours in the sun. Erecting a simple tepee is an easy, quick and engaging lawn activity. Let children decorate the fabric, line the tepee with quilts and pillows, and step back as they relax and retreat into more hours of quiet, imaginative play.