Learning a new sport

We took a Bocce Ball lesson last week...

I guess there are multiple ways in which Bocce Ball might be played -- we saw it played on the beach in Dominican Republic back in November 2022. At Venture Out, it is played on a flat smoothly-carpeted surface with side boards and part of the strategy of the game is playing off the side boards (like a pool table).

A frame is begun by rolling a small red ball called the palina. That then becomes the target for the other balls that are thrown. The palina and the other balls all have to hit the surface behind the white line -- no lofting of the balls down the court.

At the end of a frame, the color ball that is closest to the palina gains a point (looks like blue in this case, though we measured with a special device, because sometimes looks are deceiving). If there are additional blue balls closer to the palina than any of the white balls, then blue will get a point for each ball that they have closer than any white ball.

Each side throws 4 balls, so it is possible that one side might get as many as 4 points in a frame. The game is to 12 points.

We have since gone back and practiced, trying to get a feel for how hard to throw the palina and the balls and the impact of playing off of the side (what angle to use to get closest to the palina under different conditions). While it is possible to roll the ball directly toward the palina (not angling off a side), at least on our courts, the surface is not quite as level as it should be, so often the ball takes an odd curve due to curvature that is not obvious, at least to our eyes. That can happen when playing off the side, but doesn't seem to be as pronounced.

At any rate, we enjoyed learning the game, and may end up joining the Bocce Ball group and trying to play some games in the future.