Replace it with a bocce court and you have a party. David Brewer, a San Rafael, California landscaper, has installed more than thirty bocce courts in backyards, parks and wineries over the past three years. He's turned a lot of lawns into parties since the day he discovered bocce in a friend's backyard five years ago.
Bocce is a game in which players roll large colored balls down a flat, rectangular course.
Players master strategy and touch to get their four balls as close as possible to the target ball or pallino. It sounds simple, but mastery of the game is elusive, resulting in camaraderie and endless competition for bragging rights. A court can be installed in nearly any yard. Brewer started with a weed-choked patch of land in his own back yard. Installation costs run between ten and twelve dollars per square foot.