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Texas Longhorns football is the first response for most people to “Austin” when playing the word association game. Tesla or Dell have also become synonymous with Austin since the turn of the millennium. But Texas is best known for its sports; and leisure sports in Austin are no exception.
Austin FC has carved out its niche in the city since the team’s MLS debut in April 2021. The Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and the Austin Gilgronis of Major League Rugby also have their respective fan bases. But two lesser spoken about sports are growing rapidly in Austin – bocce ball and lawn bowling.
The United States Bocce Federation estimates that one million Americans play bocce ball, also simply known as bocce. Enthusiasts claim that bocce is the third-most popular sport in the world measured by individual participation.
Lawn bowling is also exploding in Austin. The two sports are similar, but have distinct differences. One of the similarities is that both sports are best played on flat surfaces. National Greens is facilitating the growth of both bocce ball and lawn bowling in Austin by providing professional installation and maintenance services for the respective playing surfaces.
Professional bocce courts are typically 13’ x 91’. Backyard versions can be the same size. But many National Greens clients shorten the length of their playing surfaces based on available space. Small businesses and large corporations alike install bocce courts for employee entertainment and friendly competition between potential partners and investors. National Greens is the premier bocce ball court installation provider in Austin.
Our competitors offer loose-fill bocce surfaces, such as oyster shells and pea gravel. The previous is both expensive and high-maintenance. The latter is less expensive, but requires constant maintenance, particularly with raking and bacteria mitigation. National Greens utilizes our signature artificial grass to create low maintenance bocce balls surfaces at reasonable prices. But that’s just the beginning of all the benefits of artificial grass bocce ball courts.
It is by far the most environmentally-friendly bocce surface available. Artificial turf never needs watering; and you reduce your carbon footprint by eliminating the need for mowers and other gas-powered equipment. Artificial grass is also aesthetically pleasing. Whether in the warm summer months or the rainy fall season, your artificial turf bocce court will look pristine and green. And speaking of rain, the National Greens state-of-the-art drainage system in all of our artificial sports turf installations prevents puddling and ensures your bocce court dries off quickly after rainy days.
The most important aspect of artificial turf bocce courts is playability. Bocce is a simple, yet fun game – roll your balls as close to the jack (the smaller white ball, aka the pallino) as possible. National Greens artificial sports turf does not impede or interfere in any way with the motion of the bocce balls. And best of all, there’s no raking or other maintenance required between games.
Lawn bowling, aka bowls, is approaching mainstream status. World Bowls, the sport’s official governing body, has 57 member nations and 59 total national authorities. India’s women’s fours team won the first ever gold medal in lawn bowling at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, U.K. The World Championships of Lawn Bowling are being held in Gold Coast, Australia (2023) and in Hong Kong (2025). But many casual and unfamiliar fans confuse bocce and lawn bowling, or believe they are the same sport.
Lawn bowls (balls) have a more elliptical shape, versus the spherical bocce balls. World Bowls outlawed adding weights to lawn bowling balls years ago. Thus the trajectory of the ball depends completely on the bowler’s ability. Bocce balls are typically delivered like an underhand softball pitch, while lawn bowls are rolled close to the ground, like a bowling ball. Lawn bowls are also slightly larger than standard bocce balls. Court size isn the other major difference between the two games. Lawn bowling rinks are typically 19’ by 120’, quite a bit larger than standard bocce ball courts.
Bocce can be traced back over 7,000 years to ancient Egypt. Lawn bowling, meanwhile, is a European variant of the game that was first documented in 12th century England. Most of the rules are the same between the two games. Bocce has no official regulations as it relates to the playing surface. But most national lawn bowling regulations require artificial turf or natural grass surfaces.
National Greens specializes in designing lawn bowling surfaces based on client preferences. Some prefer faster surfaces (shorter turf blades). Others want more challenging, slow surfaces (taller blades). And then there are those who want a combination of both.
Whether it’s putting greens, soccer fields, or bocce and lawn bowling surfaces, National Greens is the one-stop shop in Austin. Our designers and installers have decades of experience, and have earned the reputation of providing world-class customer service. We understand that every project is unique to the client. All of our work is backed by lifetime guarantees.
Contact National Greens today and speak to one of our Austin professionals about designing and installing your bocce and/or lawn bowling court.
National Greens has been operating for over 20 years. We specialize in the installation of artificial grass around homes and businesses for leisure and sports.
