Croquet as a sport has a fascinating history dating back several centuries. It’s thought of as an elegant lawn game that developed in Victorian England and is played in whites like tennis used to be played. Croquet appears to have evolved from a French peasant game called “paille-maille” (pall-mall) played in Languedoc in the 13th century. Players used mallets to hit wooden balls through hoops made of willow branches. By the 17th century, a similar game was popular in Ireland and was introduced to England during the 1850s. The game quickly gained popularity in England, particularly among women, as it was one of the first outdoor sports that men and women could play together. The 1860s saw a croquet craze sweep through England. Several factors contributed to this including that the game was accessible to both sexes, it allowed for social interaction in a proper setting (I guess bar pick-ups were harder then), it was suitable for all ages, and the equipment was relatively affordable. All of those reasons still apply today with a few added elements. We certainly like the idea of a game that can be played by men and women together, and we want something that the kids will enjoy and still be played by us increasingly decrepit oldsters. But for me, there is also the history that my attempt to turn an artificial turf dog run into a kids games area with mini-golf and bocci and other games. As we all know, my failure to level that playing field resulted in a pretty useless games area that was nice to look at, but hell to play on since the balls all rolled east and south.
With the leveling of the playing field with the help of 7 1/2 yd.³ of decomposed granite fill, I’ve managed to create a level 60’ x 15’ playing surface and decided that the next evolution for the games area will be a croquet pitch. It’s not an official tournament size Plainfield, so I haven’t tried to make this an official tournament size croquet field, but it does follow the general pattern of a regulation croquet pitch. At either end I have placed a 5 foot high metal saguaro cactus with a standard colored croquet post in front of it with two wickets lined up in front of that. I have one wicked in the middle of the field in the middle of the course and then four wickets placed somewhat irregularly based on my existing playing field with two on either side, not unlike a regulation croquet field. What I’ve created is it pretty close assemblance to a proper croquet pitch, but with the sort of added features like metal sculptures, and pots that I think have interest.
The first set of standardized rules for croquet were published in 1856 by Isaac Spratt. In 1868, the All England Croquet Club was formed at Wimbledon, though it would later shift its focus to tennis. Croquet arrived in America around 1865 and quickly became popular here as well. By the 1870s, croquet sets were being manufactured in the United States. The game became so popular that many considered it a social menace due to the gambling and drinking that sometimes accompanied matches. The game evolved over time and in 1900 the United States National Croquet Association was formed. The game had a revival of interest in the USA in the 1950s and then in 1977 the United States Croquet Association was established to promote six-wicket croquet (note that I have set up a more traditional 9-wicket course). In 1986 the World Croquet Federation was formed to govern the sport internationally, so clearly things are tied up to go big in the world of croquet. Today, several variations of croquet are played around the world, including Association Croquet, Garden Croquet, Golf Croquet, and American Six-Wicket Croquet. We can now add Moonstruck Madness croquet to the growing list.
Croquet is a relatively niche sport in the United States today, though it does have dedicated players and organizations supporting it. The United States Croquet Association (USCA) remains the main governing body for the sport and has approximately 200 member clubs across the country with several thousand registered players. While this represents a dedicated community, it’s quite small compared to mainstream American sports. Croquet experienced its peak popularity in America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it was a fashionable leisure activity among the upper classes. However, its popularity declined significantly over time as other sports like tennis and golf gained wider appeal. Today, the older set are far more invested in Pickleball than croquet. Today, croquet in the US exists primarily in the context of a casual backyard game played at gatherings and picnics. Through organized clubs that play more competitive versions of the sport, including at certain colleges and universities where it has maintained a tradition, as well as at upscale resorts and country clubs as a recreational offering.
My old cycling, buddy Arthur Einstein tells me that he plays croquet near his home in Florida on a regular basis. Since Arthur is a trendsetter and certainly a few years ahead of me in age, this is caused me to make a prediction. Given what I’m hearing about all of the sports injuries connected to Pickleball, particularly among the older set of players who are trying to reclaim their lost youth and our injuring joints and ligaments on the court, I believe that there is need for a new sport for this aging baby boomer population. I think croquet may be just what the orthopedist ordered. If you play Pickleball, you know that they already split the court time into competitive and social. Kim and I have already agreed that we will only play social Pickleball because neither one of us wants to stretch for a shot and end up with an injury. Injuries just take too long to heal at this age. I cannot imagine anyone injuring themselves flying croquet other than to perhaps trip over a wicket, and even then falling onto a relatively soft grassy surface. The implements of the mallet and the ball are both inexpensive, but also very similar to a putter and/or a Bocci ball.
I didn’t really build this croquet pitch to be a trendsetter. I built it in order to refurbish the play area into something more usable by kids and adults. In the course of that renovation, I’ve come to believe the croquet maybe the next big thing in the senior adult recreation space. We’ll see how that prediction pans out. In the meantime, we will inaugurate our new croquet pitch with a croquet picnic this Friday for a few of our neighbors. We’ll start slowly and see if we can build this into a trend.