RULES OF THE GAME

Oakhurst Pétanque Club plays by the rules. The less formal the game, perhaps the more lenient players might be with certain rules, but we do have a Rules Committee Chairman, Mary Jane Campbell Mann, who occasionally drills us on rules. And we have an official FPUSA Referee, John Harris, who is available to solve friendly disputes (we don't have non-friendly disputes!) John also officiates in the bigger, important tournaments we have - particularly those between OPC and guest FPUSA-member clubs.

The rules we play by are those of Federation of Pétanque USA (FPUSA). Click HERE for their U.S. rules. All new members of Oakhurst Pétanque Club receive pocket sized rules as part of their membership.

PÉTANQUE EQUIPMENT & ACCESSORIES

Order from Petanqueamerica.com (Miami)

Boules are made in threes. They are various types of steel and metals, are marked with matching designs, the weight, the diameter and the maker's initials. Try other players' boules before buying your own, or use "party boules" until you get used to hefting them. Then you'll know whether you'd want a heavier or lighter, smaller or larger boule for yourself.

If you have boules, you'll want something to carry them in. There are lightweight and cheap nylon boule bags with a single handle that store boules "vertically" inside, or the horizontal branded bags with a carrying handle, wooden boxes that hold 3 or 6 boules, and extravagent "crocodile leatherette" and steel boule carriers.

Everyone needs cochonnets. They have a mind of their own and seem to disappear with alarming speed. If you buy a dozen, you'll be down to one in no time! They are the "expendible supply" of Pétanque. They just vaporize - into opponents' pockets, usually. Buy lots of them. Wood or the new Resin cochonnets are allowable in the sport.

A measuring device is a must-have in your equipment bag. Whether you choose a glamorous metric tape measure that's gold plated, or a cheap Stanley model from Home Depot, you're out to measure which boule is closest to the cochonnet. So you need something that can handle from a few feet down to a fraction of a semi-demi-hemi-inch.

A good scorekeeping device will last a lifetime with good care and the two screws tightened to the point you can just turn the wheels. Some rubber-band them to their wrists, others carry them in a pocket, but everyone uses them - never relying on anyone else to tell them the score. They come in Black or Red leather.

For the spinally-impaired among us, a magnetic boule picker-upper is a must have in the pocket. These magnets can easily lift two pounds of boule and can save a lot of bending over during a day's games. They also allow you to reach into the middle of a forest of legs to grab your boule out of the clutch quickly and efficiently.