How to Play Golf Croquet
Jaques of London codified and popularised croquet in the 1850s.
Golf Croquet is a straightforward lawn game for two to four players in which each hoop is contested independently and won outright by whichever ball passes through it first. There are no complex continuation turns, no taking off from other balls, and no croquet shots: every player simply strikes their own ball toward the current hoop, making the game quick to learn and genuinely competitive from the very first round.
It is usually played on a full-size croquet lawn of approximately 32 by 25 metres, though it adapts well to smaller garden lawns. Jaques of London codified and popularised croquet in the 1850s, and the Golf Croquet format has since become the most widely played form of the game at both club and garden level because a full game can be completed in under an hour without prior skill.
A little history
The precise origins of Golf Croquet as a distinct format are unclear, but it appears to have developed as an informal simplification of Association Croquet during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, played by club members who wanted a faster, more social game. The World Croquet Federation formally adopted standardised rules for it in the 1990s, and it has grown steadily since then into an internationally recognised competitive discipline with its own world championship.
Setting up
- Lay out the lawn in the standard croquet configuration: six hoops and one centre peg. Hoop 1 sits in the south-west quadrant, hoop 2 in the north-west, hoop 3 at the north boundary centre, hoop 4 in the north-east quadrant, hoop 5 in the south-east quadrant, and hoop 6 at the south boundary centre. The peg stands in the middle.
- For singles (1 v 1), one player takes blue and black; the other takes red and yellow. Each player will play both their balls alternately.
- For doubles (2 v 2), partners share a colour pair. Blue and black are one side; red and yellow are the other. Partners stand at opposite ends of the lawn and each plays one ball throughout.
- Decide who goes first by coin toss or mutual agreement. The striking order throughout the game is blue, red, black, yellow, repeating in that sequence regardless of who won the previous hoop.
- All balls start from within one yard of hoop 1 before play begins.
How to play
- Players strike in the fixed order blue, red, black, yellow on every turn. Each turn consists of one mallet stroke only.
- All players contest the same hoop at the same time. The target hoop is hoop 1 to start; every player aims their ball at it on their turn.
- A ball runs a hoop correctly when it enters from the correct playing side (the south side for hoop 1) and exits fully from the other side in a single stroke or as a result of the momentum from that stroke.
- The first ball to run the current hoop scores that hoop for its side. The hoop is immediately awarded; no further balls can score it.
- Play moves on to the next hoop in sequence immediately. All balls, wherever they lie, remain in position on the lawn and continue from there for the next hoop.
- A player may strike any ball on the lawn, including an opponent's ball, to promote or reposition balls strategically, provided they are striking their own ball with the mallet face.
- A ball may not be driven through a hoop in the wrong direction. If it passes through from the wrong side it does not score and simply comes to rest wherever it stops.
- If a ball runs the next hoop in sequence while players are contesting the current hoop, that run does not count. Balls may only score the hoop currently being contested.
- After hoop 6, play continues to hoop 1 again in the same direction for a second circuit if the game has not been decided. The seventh and deciding hoop in a standard 7-point game is hoop 3 (referred to as the penultimate), played from the north end.
- A stroke is faulted if the player pushes or shepherds the ball rather than striking it cleanly, strikes the ball twice in one swing, or causes the mallet head to touch another ball during the swing. A faulted stroke is replayed by the opponent from the ball's original position.
Winning and scoring
In a standard single-game format, the first side to win seven hoops wins the match, since there are thirteen hoops in a full circuit and the seventh hoop is the majority. Scorelines are expressed as hoops won, for example 7 to 4. In competitive play, matches are often played as the best of three games, each game to seven points. A side wins the moment it reaches seven hoops, even mid-circuit, and there is no need to play out remaining hoops.
The fine points
The most common dispute concerns whether a ball has fully run the hoop. The rule is clear: the ball must have entered from the playing side and its entire circumference must have passed beyond the non-playing side of the hoop. If any part of the ball remains within the jaws or on the playing side of the uprights, the hoop is not yet run. A referee's judgement, or in informal play a neutral party's view from ground level, is final. A ball that comes to rest partly through the hoop is said to be in position and may be knocked the rest of the way through in a subsequent turn.
Another frequent dispute involves a ball knocked through the current hoop by an opponent's ball: this counts as a valid run. The hoop is awarded to the side whose ball passed through first, regardless of what caused it to move. Equally, if two balls from opposing sides pass through the hoop in the same stroke, the ball whose leading edge crossed the far wire first is deemed to have run the hoop; if this cannot be determined, the stroke is replayed with both balls replaced to their positions before the stroke.
How to win more often
- Position over power: a well-placed ball sitting in front of the hoop on your next turn is worth more than a wild long-range attempt. Leave yourself a short, straightforward shot.
- Block the hoop face. Parking your ball directly in front of the hoop on the non-playing side forces opponents to knock it out of the way before they can score, which often wastes their turn.
- In doubles, coordinate with your partner so that one of you attacks the hoop while the other plays a defensive or blocking position. Splitting your roles each hoop is more effective than both charging at the same target.
- Watch the striking order. Knowing which opponent hits just before you allows you to anticipate where their ball will be and plan whether to roquet it away from the hoop or focus on your own run.
- Do not ignore a ball that is already in a winning position near the hoop. Knocking a threatening opponent ball away with your own shot is a legitimate tactic, even if it means sacrificing your own approach angle.
Variations
Extended Golf Croquet (13-point game)
Instead of ending at seven hoops, both sides play a full circuit of all thirteen hoops (hoops 1 through 6 twice, then hoop 3 as the thirteenth). The side winning the most hoops out of thirteen wins. This format is used in many competitive club matches and produces a more complete test of skill and consistency.
Handicap Golf Croquet
Players are allocated handicap bisques based on their club or association rating. A bisque is a free extra turn that a player may take immediately after any of their regular turns. Bisques are declared before the stroke they will follow and may not be taken retrospectively. This levels the field between players of significantly different ability.
Garden (Shortened) Format
On a small domestic lawn where the standard six-hoop layout is not possible, players use four hoops only and play to a first-to-five format. The order of play and all other rules remain identical to the standard game. This is the most common format for informal family play and suits a lawn of any reasonable size.
Team Golf Croquet
Teams of three or more players can contest Golf Croquet by rotating the striking order so that each team member plays once before any player repeats. Hoops are still awarded to the team whose ball passes through first, and the side that wins the majority of hoops wins. This variant works well for larger garden parties and requires no additional equipment.
Golf Croquet: frequently asked questions
Can a player hit an opponent's ball deliberately?
Yes. You may strike your own ball into any other ball on the lawn, whether it belongs to your side or your opponent's. This is a legal and often tactically useful stroke. You do not take any special shot as a result, as you would in Association Croquet; it is simply a normal turn.
What happens if my ball goes off the lawn?
A ball that leaves the boundary is replaced on the boundary line at the point where it crossed, or at the nearest point on the boundary if it left at a corner. It is then in play from that position. No penalty is incurred.
Can two balls score the same hoop?
No. Only the first ball to run the current hoop scores it. Once a hoop is won, it is done, and all remaining balls move on with everyone to the next hoop regardless of their position.
Is Golf Croquet suitable for children?
Yes, generally from age seven upwards with adult supervision. The rules are simple enough for older children to grasp quickly, and shorter mallets are available for younger players. A reduced four-hoop layout on a small lawn keeps the game moving at a pace that holds children's attention.
What is the difference between Golf Croquet and Association Croquet?
In Association Croquet, running a hoop or hitting another ball earns you additional strokes, and strategy involves complex multi-ball breaks. In Golf Croquet, each player has exactly one stroke per turn, all players contest the same hoop simultaneously, and there are no continuation shots. Golf Croquet is significantly faster and easier to learn.
Does it matter which side of the hoop the ball enters from?
Yes, it matters completely. Each hoop must be run from the correct playing side, which is determined by the direction of play for that hoop in the circuit. A ball that enters from the wrong side and exits does not score; it simply sits wherever it stops.
Can you play Golf Croquet with just two players?
Yes. In singles each player controls two balls, playing them alternately within the fixed blue, red, black, yellow striking order. So player one plays blue and black, player two plays red and yellow, and they continue in that rotation throughout the entire game.
What happens if nobody can run the hoop and play is stuck?
In practice, stalemate is rare because players may always strike their ball in any direction, including away from the hoop to reposition for a better angle or to move a blocking ball. If an absolute deadlock is agreed by both sides, the laws allow the referee to direct that all balls be cleared and the hoop replayed from the starting positions, though this situation almost never arises in standard play.