Backyard Croquet Rules & Regulations
As a competitive sport, recreational hobby, or just a pleasant way to pass a sunny afternoon, croquet offers a combination of casual play and careful strategy that is unique among outdoor games. All one needs is some croquet equipment, a few friends, a level stretch of grass, and an acceptable set of rules.
Since catching the public consciousness in the 19th century, croquet has become one of the world's most popular lawn games. It's also spawned many variations on the traditional game, such as golf croquet and eXtreme croquet. But the two most common forms of croquet remain six-wicket croquet and nine-wicket croquet, known respectively as American croquet and backyard croquet. It's these two forms that we examine in our overview of croquet rules and regulations.
Rules of Nine-Wicket Croquet
If you have a good-sized lawn with a reasonably even plane and short grass, then all you'll need is a good croquet set to enjoy this fun and highly competitive outdoor sport. Nine-wicket croquet is one of the most popular forms of croquet in the U.S. It's also the only sport in which the sentence "Blue ran backwards yelling "Godzilla, oi!'" will make the rules clearer. Confused? Don't be. Our Rules of Nine-Wicket Croquet article will explain everything.
Croquet Mallets
It may seem ironic that a game as elegant as croquet uses a hammer to initiate gameplay. Yet croquet mallets are often very elegant themselves, with attractive and tactile materials such as leather and wood. The durability and power of fiberglass has also made it a popular material choice among our croquet mallet shoppers at Croquet.com. This article offers a few specifications and tips that will enable you to choose the right croquet mallet or set.
Croquet Glossary
Croquet, like any strategy game that's been around for well over a century, has developed its own lexicon of terms for describing everything from croquet equipment to the rare and commonplace circumstances of game play. Pegging out, breaking, croquetting and roquetting: knowing the definitions of these and other terms may not make you a world-class croquet player, but it will help you to hold a proper conversation with your fellow croquetters from all around the world.
Croquet Equipment
Croquet is a very picturesque game, as artists such as Manet and Winslow Homer have noticed, and its equipment is an essential part of the game's visual charm. A green lawn with neatly positioned white hoops and the interspersed color of croquet balls says "summer" as emphatically as lemonade and lawn chairs. In our croquet equipment article, we list some of the basic items you'll need to create this picture-perfect scene in your own backyard. (Impressionist painters not included.)
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