San Luis Obispo Petanque Club (SLOPC)
San Luis Obispo County, California
Petanque Talk!
Petanque Camp
The San Luis Obispo Petanque club membership is open to anyone living in SLO county - or outside the county for that matter!
The San Luis Obispo Petanque Club is in its formative stages at this point. Members meet at member homes or at area wineries to play on their bocce courts, or walkways. Or anywhere that we can find a nice decomposed granite surface, or a bit of smooth dirt.
Petanque is a game very well suited to the SLO area. The casual nature of the game is consistent with the sorts of folks that settle in SLO county (pronounced Slow county). And the fact that petanque terrain (playing areas) are unplanted means that backyard pistes (playing courts) are water efficient - they require no water! So unlike a croquet court, or lawn bowling (unless played on artificial turf) playing petanque makes you a good citizen of the earth in these times of global warming and careful water use!
Petanque is also an incredibly democratic game - anyone that can swing one of their arms can play! Even people confined to wheelchairs can participate and the rules provide for wheelchair access to the piste. Young and old, male and female, large and small, athletic and not athletic, everyone is welcome to play and can play very very well! Because petanque is a game of finesse and not strength or height or weight or gender. So no matter who you are, grab some boules and lets play petanque!
If you would like to join the SLO Petanque Club please contact me! bouleman@gmail.com
North County Chapter
It may be that we may find it easier to have a North County Chapter for those players living north of the Grade. Players living in Atascadero, and Paso Robles can meet at some of the wineries and use their bocce courts for play. The park in downtown Paso Robles has an open area that has made for good petanque playing as well.
There are numerous places to play petanque in the North County. Several wineries have bocce courts that they are happy to allow petanque to be played on. Some of the city parks have areas that are suitable for petanque play as well.
In Atascadero, there an area of dirt behind the basketball courts at the new Community Center on Traffic Way that is used for petanque, and on which a petanque class will be taught through the Community Center during the summer of 2008. There is also a good area to play near the maintenance garage, baseball field and picnic area at Paloma Park on the south end of Atascadero.
Wineries that I know have bocce courts in the Paso Robles, Templeton area include Donati Family Vineyard tasting room at the corner of Vineyard and Highway 46 (west of Paso Robles), and Eberly Winery tasting room on Highway 46 (east of Paso Robles). I have done petanque demonstrations at the Donati tasting room and they are glad to have us use their courts. There are picnic tables nearby and plenty of parking and shade. The pine trees might drop sticky stuff sometimes so you might want to rake the court before starting play - there is usually a rake nearby.
There is an area in Paso Robles downtown park near the restrooms that is perfect for petanque! Unfortunately during the summer of 2008 this area is being used to stage construction materials and equipment for the renovation of their historic library building.
Many of the North County Parks also have baseball/softball diamonds with dirt infields that can be used for petanque as long as no one is using them.
Paloma Creek Park Atascadero
11665 Viejo Camino, turn onto Viejo Camino from El Caminon on the south part of downtown Atascadero.
Larger Map
South County Chapter
The SLO South County has its share of wineries, as well as Cal Poly and is certain to attract petanque players from all over the area. At this point, no one to my knowledge has started organizing anything but it is just a matter of time!