How to Play: Rules, Coaching, Handicapping, Ranking, Refereeing

What is croquet all about - and why should you give it a try?

Croquet: six hoops, four balls, two mallets and a patch of grass.

Sounds easy enough.

Croquet is a game of skill and strategy, angles, tactics, and guile. A bit like snooker on grass. Will your balls get through the hoops and peg out before your opponent's? It is played on equal terms by men and women and between young and old.

Croquet offers sport, friendships, fun, competition and a whole lot more.

To see what we mean, please watch the adjacent short video.

With over 200 croquet clubs nationwide to choose from, look up your nearest club to find out more about the outdoor sport that keeps you physically and mentally fit, providing a competitive yet sociable environment. Clubs belong to regional Federations.

Croquet is played on a 35 x 28 yards completely flat and closely-mown fine grass court.

Six cast-iron hoops and a peg set firmly into the ground, four balls weighing one pound (in top-class competition ¹/₃₂" smaller than a hoop), and mallets weighing around three pounds are used to play at club to international level.

Golf Croquet and Association Croquet are the two main variants of the game played in the UK:

Golf Croquet - one stroke per turn and when a hoop is scored all players move on to the next
Association Croquet - score many hoop points in a single turn by playing breaks
- Short Croquet - a handicap version of Association Croquet played on half-size lawns
- Garden Croquet - simplified Association Croquet suitable for playing in the garden
Just-for-fun games you can play on a croquet lawn
For background, see the introduction to croquet

The Coaching section will get you started through to international champion.

The Refereeing section tells you how to become or be a better referee.

The Handicapping system allows competitive games between players of different abilities.

The Ranking System ranks all croquet players in the world.

The Tournaments section tells you all about the competitive scene.

The Technical section tells everything else!

Coming Up

Availability closes soon for GC First Eight (The Ricki Savage Memorial), GC Second Eight (The Kate Jones Memorial), and GC Third Eight (The Suzanne Roberts Memorial) >>

Where are the top players?

June

27-28: Ashby The National Forest Golf Croquet Championship (Open Series) (GC)
25-28: Carrickmines The ERC Women's European Golf Croquet Championship (GC)
26-28: Nottingham The Championship of the East Midlands (AC) (AC)
23-28: Budleigh The Golf Croquet Open Championships (GC)

July

4-12: Cheltenham The Association Croquet Open Championships (AC)

What's on?

June

24: Cheltenham Golf Croquet B-Level (DG<1700) Series Tournament (GC)
25: Surbiton Surbiton Level Play Day (GC 0+) : Singles (GC)
27: East Dorset Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament (GC)
27: Hunstanton Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament (GC)
27: Newport (Essex) Ladies' 4+ GC Handicap Singles (GC)
27-28: Ramsgate Ladies' GC Open (GC)
27-28: Watford Golf Croquet A-Level (DG<2000) Series Tournament (GC)
28: Hunstanton Golf Croquet B-Level (DG<1700) Series Tournament (GC)
28: Surbiton Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament (GC)
23-24: Wrest Park June Advanced (AC) Tournament (AC)
24-25: Colchester Midweek Handicap (AC) Tournament (AC)
27-28: Cheltenham B-Level (0+) Advanced (AC) Tournament (AC)
30: Camerton & Peasedown Golf Croquet D-Level (10+) Series Tournament (GC)

July

1-2: Crake Valley Golf Croquet A-Level (DG<2000) Series Tournament (GC)
2: Bath Golf Croquet B-Level (DG<1700) Series Tournament (GC)
3: Swindon Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament (GC)
4: Chester Northern Stars One-Day GC Open Qualifying Heat (GC)
4: Compton (Eastbourne) Golf Croquet B-Level (DG<1700) Series Tournament (GC)
4: Swindon Golf Croquet D-Level (10+) Series Tournament (GC)
4-5: Colchester Colchester Ladies' Open GC Singles Tournament (GC)
4-5: Nailsea Golf Croquet A-Level (DG<2000) Series Tournament (GC)
4-5: Sidmouth Golf Croquet Open Series Tournament (GC)
5: Compton (Eastbourne) Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament (GC)

June

30: Hamptworth Short Croquet One-Day Midweek (SC) Tournament (AC)
30-1: Bowdon B-Level Advanced (AC) Midweek (AC)

July

1-2: Letchworth July Midweek Tournament B-Level Advanced (AC) (AC)
4-5: Guildford B-Level Advanced (AC) Weekend (AC)
4-5: Nottingham C-Level Singles Weekend (AC) (AC)
4-5: Roehampton B-Level Advanced (0+) (AC)
7: Nottingham Golf Croquet D-Level (10+) Series Tournament (GC)
8: Guildford GGCC 0+ GC Level One-Day Tournament (GC)
8: Nottingham Golf Croquet C-Level (7+) Series Tournament (GC)
9: Nottingham Golf Croquet B-Level (DG<1700) Series Tournament (GC)
9: Watford Golf Croquet D-Level (10+) Series Tournament (GC)
9: Surbiton Surbiton Level Play Day (GC 0+) : Doubles (GC)
7-10: Pendle & Craven Midweek Tournament (AC) (AC)
8-9: Phyllis Court High Wycombe AC C-Level (7+) Advanced Tournament (AC)