WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL BLOG for La Pétanque Marinière in San Rafael, California. LPM has been an active Marin pétanque club since 1972 and affiliated with the Fédération of Pétanque USA, since 1975. We welcome people of all abilities, ages and nationalities to come and enjoy pétanque with us.

The Pierre Joske Courts are located on Civic Center drive in San Rafael. (click for directions). Casual games are played every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from about 1 pm. Tournament play is usually held on the second Sunday of every month.

Please consult the links on the sidebar to the right for more information on clubs in the bay area, nationally and world wide.

If you would like to play but haven't any boules, please contact our President, Christine Cragg. They can bring some for you to use, as well as introduce you to the basic skills and techniques of pétanque. In addition, if you are looking to purchase boules but are unsure as to which size and weight are right for you, we have a range of different examples from which to choose.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Petanque club seeks funds for Zanesfield, Ohio project

Written by Nate Smith
Tuesday, 13 December 2011

The growing popularity of an obscure European lawn game has prompted a fundraiser to accommodate the increased number of people who wish to play.
Members of the Zanesfield Petanque Club seek donations to fund an expansion of the club’s lone existing petanque court at Hall-Fawcett Park.
“We’ve really outgrown the size that we have currently,” said Bo Johns, the club’s primary organizer. “We were getting 10, sometimes 20, people for our Wednesday night games and that can result in a lot of standing around for people.

For the complete article, click here

Monday, December 12, 2011

Palisades Park shuffle board courts now pétanque playground

PALISADES PARK — For a game that is far from familiar for most Santa Monicans, Mark Greenberg and his boules are starting to attract some attention.

It's Friday morning in Palisades Park and with the iconic Santa Monica Pier providing the perfect backdrop, pairs of tourists and locals in the middle of their workouts stop and stare as Geenberg crouches inside a small circle drawn in the sand. He pulls his arm back and lets fly a shiny metal boule (French for ball), sending it roughly 15 feet into the air. It lands in the dirt with a thud and rolls a foot toward a small, orange target.

Greenberg is pleased, not with the shot, but with the number of onlookers intrigued by the retired photographer's favorite pastime.

For the complete article, click here