Croquet is one of the world's most elegant and stately outdoor games, so you'll want croquet equipment that's top of the line, particularly if you're entering competitions. At croquet.com, we can direct you to a nice selection of mallets, balls, stakes, wickets, and flags. Following is some basic information about croquet equipment, along with regulation sizes and colors:
A standard croquet mallet (contemporary mallets are mostly square-headed with plastic faces) weighs 3 pounds with a 36-inch shaft and a 9-11 inch head length. The shaft of the mallet should be extremely lightweight, with most of the weight concentrated in the head. The faces of today's mallets are typically made of a hard plastic composite or metal. Mallet shafts are typically wood, fiberglass, and carbon fiber.
Blue, red, black, and yellow are the primary colors for croquet balls. For more informal garden play, croquet balls tend to weigh less than 16 ounces. Balls for competition must be 1 pound in weight (plus or minus a quarter of an ounce) and 3 5/8 inches in diameter. |  |
The peg, or stake, should have a height above the ground of 18 inches, and a uniform diameter of 1.5 inches above the ground.
Only cast or welded metal hoops, or wickets, are accepted for competitive croquet. A hoop must be 12 inches above the ground (measured to the top of the crown). Because wickets take many hits from balls, they need to be sturdily secured into the ground. Wickets should always remain straight and secure.
Other pieces of complete croquet sets include flags (typically in blue, black, red, and yellow), consisting of linen on a stake. You might also choose to incorporate corner markers, which are cylinders with a tapered end or with a central metal spike. Clips are also used in croquet, to mark which hoop is the next to be made by a particular color of ball. The clips should match the colors of the balls, and are made of plastic or metal.
You'll find a great selection of croquet equipment here, to suit whatever type of croquet player you might be.
