Lamorinda Pétanque Club

The Lamorinda Pétanque Club started in 1992 in Pascal Gravier's backyard. The club is now located at 480 St. Mary's Road in Lafayette, CA. The club members come from the surrounding areas and they are a mix of longtime players to new and inexperieced players.

The club meets twice a week at the Lafayette Community Center Pétanque Field, 480 St. Mary's Road in Lafayette. All are welcome to come. It is fun for the children also.

Fridays  at 6:30 pm
Sundays  at 3:00 pm during Daylight Saving Time
at 1:00 pm durning the rest of the year
What is Pétanque?

The word pétanque comes from pés tanqué, which means feet together. This is the required stance when playing pétanque. The game of pétanque is a variation of boules and is perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts.


Pétanque is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt or gravel surface. The object of the game is to throw your balls, usually with a somewhat of an arched back-spin, so that they land closer to the small object ball (cochonnet or jack) than those of your opponent. To achive this you may try to land yours closest to the object ball, called pointing, or try to knock the opponents ball away, called shooting. You can also try to knock the object ball so that it is away from the opponents balls or closer to yours. Usually, a team will consist of at least one pointer and one shooter. The first team to reach 13 points wins the game.