When we first started playing croquet, we set up the court to fit in our backyard. But I wanted to know more about the official size of a croquet court, and how I could scale that to fit in the space we had. So after hours of research, this is what I’ve come up with.
The international rules of association croquet state that the court must be 105′ long by 84′ wide. No wicket may be within 21′ of the outside boundaries of the court. Six wickets will be used in total, two set 21′ feet from the center stake, and the others 21 feet from either edge in the corners of the court.
That’s a little confusing to just read it that way, so I’ve made some charts and diagrams to show the exact layout. There are also a lot better ways to play croquet than using the international court layout, which I’ll show you next.
You can group most forms and variants of croquet into two categories, six wicket and nine wicket croquet. American croquet, association croquet, and golf croquet all use six wickets and have similar court layouts, but use different rules and standards for game-play.
Nine wicket croquet is the most popular for backyard games with families or groups just enjoying the game as a recreational activity.
You’ll need a decent Croquet set like this Baden Deluxe Series Croquet Set (link to Amazon) that we use, or check out the comparisons we did against the most popular croquet sets here, Croquet Set Costs and Compare to find one that will fit your needs.
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9-Wicket Croquet Court Layout
I recommend playing 9-Wicket croquet for most people just playing for fun in their backyards. 6-Wicket croquet is more for professional croquet players that compete in clubs or internationally around the world. I’ll show the 6-Wicket croquet court later on, but for now, let’s focus on the most popular play style in North America, 9-Wicket croquet.
A 9-Wicket croquet court can be used to play the official 9-Wicket croquet, or the more laid back family style croquet, which allows some flexibility to the court.
The 9-Wicket croquet court is sometimes to referred to as the double diamond court, you’ll see why once we get to setting it up. This form of croquet is the most popular in the US, because it’s more of a social game for gatherings and fun.
Official 9-Wicket Croquet Court
The official 9-Wicket croquet court has more stipulations than a family 9-Wicket croquet court. This court isn’t typically used by backyard recreational players.
100′ by 50′ rectangle
Short maintained grass
9 Wickets
2 Stakes
Up to 6 players
Boundaries marked by flags or chalk
This set up needs exact measurements and is used in tournament games. Most people use the family style croquet dimensions below.
Family 9-Wicket Croquet Court
The family 9-Wicket croquet is a more relaxed and enjoyable court meant for social gatherings and recreational play. The grass doesn’t need to be maintained, and the court dimensions are flexible.
Sometimes referred to as extreme croquet because the court will be set up around trees, bushes, and other obstacles. In our backyard we took the official 9-Wicket croquet court, and halved all the measurements so it would fit in our space.
Here’s the layout we use:
Here’s a printable version of this diagram without the green background, hopefully that will save you some money on printer ink.
Feel free to print that out and use it as a guide when setting up your court. Don’t forget, you can have obstacles on your court if you need to. Everyone will face the same obstacles so it won’t give an unfair advantage to any one player.
Steps To Measure and Set Up A 9-Wicket Court
Start by laying out the wickets and stakes near where you think they’ll end up, it makes the set up easier. You’ll want to double these measurements below if you plan on making an official, full-size, 9-Wicket croquet court.
Here’s a quick video walk through of the court set up we do in our backyard.
Double diamond, 9-Wicket court set up:
Measure 3 feet from the center of the short side boundary and place a stake
Measure 3 feet from the stake and place your first wicket (in line with the stake, at center court)
Measure 3 feet from the first wicket and place your second wicket (in line with the stake, at center court)
Measure 16 feet from your second wicket and place the third wicket (this will be the end of the first diamond wicket)
Get directly in between the second and third wicket (8 feet from 2nd wicket) and measure towards the sides of the court 9 feet and place a wicket on both sides
That has created the first diamond of the double diamond 9-Wicket croquet court, now mirror what has already been done
Measure 16 feet from the end of the first diamond and place a 6th wicket (in line with the stake, at center court)
Measure 8 feet from the end of the first diamond, then 9 feet to either side, and place another wicket on either side
Measure 3 feet from the 6th wicket and place your last wicket (in line with the stake, at center court)
Measure 3 feet from your last wicket (9th wicket) and place the other stake (in line with the first stake, at center court)
9-Wicket croquet court complete
It’s recommended that you put flags on the corners or around the perimeter of the court to mark the boundaries. There are rules about hitting a ball past the boundaries. We’ll sometimes play without boundaries to make the game less technical and just enjoy the fun of it.
6-Wicket Croquet Court Layout
A 6-Wicket croquet court is mostly used for professional games or tournaments, but there are variations of 6-Wicket croquet that are fun to play in the backyard. The version we play is a lot less rigid on direction of play, but the court layout is the same.
Association Croquet Court
This is the official croquet court used in Association Croquet games, usually to decide the winner of a championship or who will go on to international competitions.
105′ by 84′
Short grass (1/4″ thick)
Large flat playing area
6 Wickets
1 Stake
2 Teams (played as singles or doubles)
There are always only two teams that can play Association Croquet, when playing doubles, two people on each team get their own ball. When playing singles, one player will play two balls. Typically, it would be blue and black balls vs red and yellow.
The court is measured out in units, one unit being 21 feet on an official size 6-Wicket croquet court. Meaning the court is 5 units (105′) long and 4 units (84′) wide.
Here’s a printable version of this diagram without the green background, hopefully that will save you some money on printer ink.
6 Wicket Croquet Court DiagramDownload
These are the dimensions used by the United States Croquet Association (USCA) for tournament matches.
When we set this court up in our backyard we adjust a unit to be only 10 feet. That gives us a 40′ by 50′ court which is much more manageable in our backyard. Plus, we think the game is more fun that way, none of us are professional croquet players, so the shorter distances make for a funner game.
Golf Croquet Court
A golf croquet court is set up the same way that an Association Croquet court is set up. The only difference are the rules and direction of play in a tie game. Simply use the diagram above for setting up a Golf Croquet court.
Steps To Measure and Set Up A 6-Wicket Court
Start by laying out the wickets and stake near where they will end up, this makes the set up process easier. If you want to play on an official, full-size, Association Croquet court, you’ll want to use 21 feet as your unit, we use 10 feet on our court.
Place a stake at exactly center of the court (2 units from the short side and 2.5 units from the long side of the court)
Measure 10 feet (or 1 unit) from the stake towards the short side of the court and place a wicket with the open end facing the stake
Measure 1 unit in from the from the short side and 1 unit in from the long side of the court, and place a wicket
You can also measure a half unit down from your first wicket, then 1 unit to either side, and place a wicket on either side of your first wicket
All wickets should be facing the same direction (open end towards the short side of the court)
Now simply mirror the wicket placements on the other side of the court
Measure 10 feet (1 unit) from the stake and place a wicket
Measure 1/2 unit from that wicket, then 1 unit to either side, and place a wicket
Your 6-Wicket croquet court is complete
It’s recommended to put flags on each corner or along the perimeter of the court. The official Association Croquet courts actually require flags or chalk to mark the boundaries of the play area. We don’t typically play with boundaries, the more relaxed we can make the game, the funner it is for us.
The official full-size court is a rectangle 100 feet long by 50 feet wide, but court size and shape can be adjusted to fit available space with distances between wickets and stakes scaled down in proportion. | Page 2 Players 2-6: Players choose a matching color mallet and ball. All players begin at the starting stake.
(1) take 2 continuation stokes from where the striker's ball came to rest or, (2) place the striker's ball up to 1 mallet length away from the roqueted ball, in any direction and take 2 continuation strokes or, (3) place the striker's ball in contact with the roqueted ball and take 2 strokes or, (4) follow the last ...
The standard court measures 100 feet by 50 feet and the wickets are placed in a double diamond pattern as shown in the diagram. The size may be reduced to fit available space, but the distance between the Starting/Turning stake and the adjacent wickets should be not less than 6 feet.
The official full-size court is a rectangle 100 feet long by 50 feet wide, but court size and shape can be adjusted to fit available space with distances between wickets and stakes scaled down in proportion. | Page 2 Players 2-6: Players choose a matching color mallet and ball. All players begin at the starting stake.
A croquet set should contain, as a minimum, two croquet mallets (most have four or more), six hoops, one centre peg and four balls (blue, red, black and yellow).
The regulations for hoops say that they should have uprights which are 5/8" diameter, a gap which is between 4" and 3¾" wide, and the crown of the hoop should be 12" above the ground.
While croquet can feasibly be played on any reasonably flat surface, officially croquet should be played on a well-manicured, completely level lawn with grass mown to a length of 5mm.
The normal size court for Garden Croquet is 17.5 metres by 14 metres. However, you can play on other size lawns to fit the particular characteristics of your garden. The longer the grass and the rougher the surface, the smaller the court should be.
Features Sturdy 7 Gauge (3/16" Thick) Steel for Durability. Powder-Coated to Prevent Rusting. Croquet Arches are 11" High and Have a 5.5" Wide Opening. Set of 9 Wickets for a Complete 9-Wicket Croquet Course.
There are nine wickets, two stakes, and four (or six) balls. Each player needs a mallet, although these can be shared. Croquet sets can be purchased cheaply at many department and toy stores, but most such sets are sized for children.
A standard mallet has a head length of 9 to 9.5", and this is recommended for beginners. Expert players may use longer head lengths up to 12", as this is thought to make aiming more accurate and makes it harder to accidentally twist the mallet during the stroke.
A poison ball is one that has scored all the wickets but hasn't hit the finishing stake. A poison ball may hit any opponent ball and have it removed from the game. Conversely, if an opponent ball hits a poison ball, the poison ball is removed from the game.
The wickets shall be of round iron, 5/8-inch diameter and of uniform thickness. They shall be 12 inches in height above the ground, measured from the ground to the top of the crown of the wicket, vertical and firmly fixed.
It is important that they should be as straight as possible. The playing area of a Short Croquet Court is 24 yards by 16 yards, but the practice in most croquet clubs is to bisect a full court with a string line so giving two short courts each 17½ yards by 14 yards.
All the codes of croquet, with the exception of Gateball, are played on a level, flat lawn, the dimensions of which, for a full sized lawn, are 35 yards (32 metres) by 28 yards (26.6 metres). Smaller lawns can be used but the ratio of the longer to the shorter side should be 5:4.
Croquet requires a fairly large open area to play - you will need at least 3,000 square feet of level space. Croquet is easiest to play on a well-manicured lawn similar to a putting green. This space could serve double duty as an area for pets and kids to run around, or as a place to play catch or kick a soccer ball.
A standard nine-wicket croquet game is set up using what is referred to as the "double diamond" pattern. Two stakes are placed at either end of the field of play, with two wickets set up directly in front of each stake.
The term used to describe a ball after it has been hit by the striker's ball and before the croquet stroke has been played. Once the stroke is played, the roqueted ball is called the croqueted ball. Rover ball. A ball that has run all twelve hoops and can be pegged out. Rover hoop.
Mallets of 33” – 35” are popular at club level. Many players find that if they start with a 36” mallet, it's relatively easy to shorten if required depending on their style and preferences.
(An official full-size croquet pitch is 28 yards wide by 35 yards long, but most casual players make up their own size depending on lawn space.) Players take turns: the player, or team, with the blue ball goes first, followed by the player with the red ball, then black, and finally yellow.
They should be perfectly spherical. The correct size is a circumference of 10 inches ; or, if the wood be heavy, still less. Larger than this, the ball becomes an unmanageable affair. The best wood for a croquet ball is that which is lightest and at the same time least likely to split.
Croquet essentially involves hitting your ball through a series of hoops that forms a 'course', it is easy to have a fun game on almost any size and shape of lawn, and to adapt the course to suit the available area. Most people play very happily on a normal patch of grass.
The hoop mallet, or wicket mallet, is a short, usually rubber hammer used to pound the wickets and stakes into the ground. Hoop mallets are usually included in every croquet set.
Croquet (UK: /ˈkroʊkeɪ, -ki/ or US: /kroʊˈkeɪ/; French: croquet) is a sport that involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with a mallet through hoops (often called "wickets" in the United States) embedded in a grass playing court.
The mallet heads are made from Indian Sheesham wood selected for its beautiful grain and rich colour. It's also extremely hard, dense and stable. The timber is kiln dried timber and has an inlaid sighting line and 'Tufnol' end plates fitted.
Mallets come with both square and round heads. Most clubs, professionals and serious players use square headed mallets but there is not a lot of difference between the two. The main reason why square headed mallets are used is that it can be easier to play difficult shots when in play.
Most players use the Standard grip and it is advised that this be the grip to begin with. The Standard Grip: The shaft is grasped near the top with knuckles of hand pointing forward and the thumb up. The lower hand supports the back of the shaft with knuckles pointing backwards and thumb down.
A regulation croquet ball must be 35/8" diameter, and weigh 16 ounces, within specified tolerances. There are also regulations specifying the bounce height of the balls, and how much these parameters may differ within a set.
The Association (sometimes known as 'International Rules) game is played on a court of identical size and configuration as the USCA game (or vise versa). For the most part, these two versions share many characteristics and rules.
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The first step in creating and maintaining a croquet lawn is scarification. Scarifying is a key way to ensuring your lawn is healthy and gloriously green and weed-free. The Allett scarifier cartridge gently removes moss and thatch, whilst also reducing weeds and preventing problems in the future.
A full-size croquet court is much larger than people expect; 35 yards by 28 (32 x 25.6 m) - twice the size of a tennis court. Croquet however can be enjoyed on any size lawn, just scale the dimensions. The sides of the court are in the ratio of 5 : 4 with the unit of length being seven yards.
In gardens croquet is usually played with six hoops and one central peg. You need a flat area of lawn or short mown grass; ideally around 35 yards x 28 yards for six hoops, although this can be scaled down for smaller spaces.
The normal size court for Garden Croquet is 17.5 metres by 14 metres. However, you can play on other size lawns to fit the particular characteristics of your garden. The longer the grass and the rougher the surface, the smaller the court should be.
For croquet zealots willing to pay a little more initially to avoid the ongoing high costs of grass-court maintenance, artificial turf could be a godsend. Expect to pay between $25,000 and $35,000 for a completed full-sized court, including the base.
A tournament quality croquet lawn is cut at 3/8″ to 1/4” when conditions are good. A bowling green is cut at 3/16” to 5/32” for match days. As this is the extreme end of mowing to allow a ball to roll fast and true you should consider this as very low mowing indeed.
There are many croquet set manufacturers with prices ranging from $30 up to $400. An average croquet set for a typical family will cost between $75 and $150 depending on the size and quality of the set. The materials used, and amount of mallets included, directly affect the price of the set.
The wickets shall be of round iron, 5/8-inch diameter and of uniform thickness. They shall be 12 inches in height above the ground, measured from the ground to the top of the crown of the wicket, vertical and firmly fixed.
There are six hoops, one peg, and four balls. Each player needs a mallet, although these can be shared. It is possible to play on an ordinary lawn and with an inexpensive croquet set such as can be found at department stores.
For most beginners, a wooden shafted mallet will be perfectly adequate, provided that it is made from a reasonable quality wood such as Ash, Hickory, or New Zealand Tawa.
A poison ball is one that has scored all the wickets but hasn't hit the finishing stake. A poison ball may hit any opponent ball and have it removed from the game. Conversely, if an opponent ball hits a poison ball, the poison ball is removed from the game.
Mallets of 33” – 35” are popular at club level. Many players find that if they start with a 36” mallet, it's relatively easy to shorten if required depending on their style and preferences. Apart from the height of a player, the ideal height of a mallet depends on what style of grip the player uses and their stance.
Features Sturdy 7 Gauge (3/16" Thick) Steel for Durability. Powder-Coated to Prevent Rusting. Croquet Arches are 11" High and Have a 5.5" Wide Opening. Set of 9 Wickets for a Complete 9-Wicket Croquet Course.
The best wood for a croquet ball is that which is lightest and at the same time least likely to split. Any of the hard woods, as oak, ash, elm, or beech, will do provided they be turned under a circumference of 10 inches.
Croquet essentially involves hitting your ball through a series of hoops that forms a 'course', it is easy to have a fun game on almost any size and shape of lawn, and to adapt the course to suit the available area. Most people play very happily on a normal patch of grass.
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Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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