Play petanque at Royal North Devon GC

The wonderful sport of pétanque is thriving at the Westward Ho! Petanque Club and new players are invited to come along and give it a try.

The club plays pétanque all-year round at the Royal North Devon Golf Club, where they have six playing lanes, called 'pistes'.

The club is set up to play for social and recreational reasons, rather than for competitions, although some members do play in competitions outside normal club playing times, which are Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, from 10.30 until around 12.15, when they adjourn to the Golf Club lounge for coffee and conversation.

John Ager from Westward Ho! Petanque Club said: “All of our members need to join the Golf Club as Petanque members, which also includes social membership of the G.C. with discount prices on drinks and restaurant food.  There are no further charges and members can play at any time. The pistes are free, as well as in our club sessions.

“Our six pistes are in excellent order, maintained by the Golf Club, and have been described by visiting players as 'the best in the South West'. 

“Currently, we have five large benches for members to rest and relax between plays and we have a further two small benches on order, for players to rest during a lengthy game. Our other facilities include scoreboards, boule racks and equipment shed, all funded by our club, as well as the benches.

“We have around 50 members, of whom 35 + play frequently, so our club is quite busy. However, there is huge spare capacity, outside of our playing times and we would welcome additional groups or teams who might wish to play then.

“We also offer three free introductory sessions for prospective new players.”

For more information on Westward Ho! Petanque Club and to apply for an introductory session, contact John on johnager.devon@gmail.com. Petanque is immense fun and requires skill and strategy as your game improves – come and give it a try.