Setting up Garden Croquet with 6 Hoops
Set up 6 hoop croquet on any lawn. While croquet can be played on any lawn, the balls will travel faster and more smoothly over short grass. If possible, find a flat lawn without many slopes, patches of uneven ground, or other obstructions. This croquet setup is popular all around the world, and is used for tournaments in the U.K. and Commonwealth.
Measure the short side of your croquet boundary. If you are playing with adults on a large, flat lawn, measure 14 meters (46 feet) using a tape measure. If your lawn is smaller, has high or uneven grass, or if you are playing with children, try 10m (33 ft), 7m (23 ft), or any measurement that fits.
Make a boundary at either end of the line. If you have extra stakes or flags, place one on each side of this line to demonstrate the boundary of the court. You may also use a stick, rock, or any other noticeable object. For a more precise boundary, tie a length of string between them.
Create a rectangle by measuring out a side 1.25 times as long. The croquet playing field is rectangular, with the long side 1.25 times as long as the short side. Starting from one boundary marker, walk at a right angle to the first line while measuring with the tape measure. Once you reach a distance 1.25 times as long as the short side, stop. If you are using a full size garden croquet field, your field's measurements will be 14m x 17.5m. Other possible sizes include 10m x 12.5m (33ft x 41.25ft) or 7m x 8.75m (23ft x 28.75ft).
Place another boundary marker at the end of this line. As before, use a flag, stick or other object to mark the corner of this boundary. If you have a string, stretch it between this marker and the last one you put down.
Complete the rectangle to finish your field. From the end of the long line, turn at a right angle and create another short side parallel to the first one. Place the fourth boundary marker to create the last corner. Stretch a string between this boundary marker and the two nearest markers. If the rectangle doesn't look even, you may move one of the boundary markers to make the sides parallel.
Stake the center point of the rectangle. Stretch a long length of string across opposite diagonal corners of the rectangle. Do the same between the other two corners. The point where the strings cross is the center of the field. Put down a stake or stick to mark this point. Do not use a hoop in this position. Alternatively, use a tape measure to find and mark the center of one long side, and the center of one short side. Have two people walk in a straight line from these two points, into the field. The point where their paths cross is the center of the field.
Find the position of the first hoop (wicket). From any corner, walk along the short side of the field until you have walked across roughly 1/4 of the field's shorter length, counting your paces. Turn at a right angle and walk into the field the same number of paces. You may use a tape measure instead if you would like to be more precise.
Write down the number of paces you used. It is important to remember how many paces you walked. If you used a tape measure, write down the distance measured instead, which should be 1/4 the length of the shorter side.
Place the first hoop at this point, with the opening facing the shorter sides. Some croquet sets have one hoop (wicket) with a blue top to mark it as the first one; if your hoops are unmarked, use any one of them. Place the two prongs of the hoop firmly into the lawn so the hoop stays upright. The prongs should be placed parallel to the shorter sides, so you can look through the hoop if you stand on the shorter side. Use a croquet mallet to tap the hoop into the ground if it won't stay up on its own.
Place three more hoops the same way, starting at each other corner. Place three more hoops using the same method, but starting at the remaining three corners. Walk the same number of paces (or measure the same distance of 1/4 the short side) as you did when you placed the first hoop. Every hoop should be placed with its opening facing the short sides.
Make adjustments if necessary. Ideally, the hoops should form four corners of a rectangle, with the center stake at its center. Move one or two hoops if necessary to achieve a better approximation of this situation. On many lawns with uneven ground, slopes, or vegetation, the setup will not be possible to achieve. Fortunately, the field doesn't need to be perfectly set up for a casual game.
Starting at the center stake, walk the same distance toward a short side. Stand at the center stake, then walk in a straight line toward one of the short sides (parallel to the long sides). Once you've walked the same number of paces or distance you noted down earlier (approximately 1/4 the length of a short side), place a hoop in the ground. Keep the opening facing the short sides of the field, as you did with the other hoops.
Place the last hoop on the opposite side of the center stake. Return to the center stake and measure an equal distance or number of paces in the other direction. Place a hoop here. The opening should be in a line with the last hoop you put down, and this line should be parallel to the longer sides of the field.
Check for a hoop with a red mark on top. Some croquet sets have a single hoop with a red mark on top. This is the last hoop in the sequence. Out of the last two hoops you placed, on either side of the center stake, it should be the one farthest from the starting hoop (the blue one, or the first one you put down). If you used the red hoop somewhere else, you may want to switch it with the hoop in this final position.
Setting up Garden Croquet with 9 Hoops
Create a field for 9 hoop croquet on any lawn. A flat lawn with short grass is best for croquet, but if none is available, you may play croquet on any lawn. Vegetation or high grass may stop the croquet balls and make the game harder to play. While there are many variations of croquet played all around the world, this version is more commonly played in the United States.
Measure the short side of your playing field with a tape measure. If you have a large, flat lawn with short, evenly mowed grass, you could measure a full size American (9 hoop) court with the short side equal to 50 feet (15.2m). However, for inexperienced players or less than perfect lawns, a smaller size is recommended. Try 30 ft. (9.1m), 25 ft. (7.6m), or any other measurement that fits. Not that the long side will be twice as long as this measurement. You may want to pick a smaller size in order to fit the playing field on your lawn.
Make a boundary at either end of this line. Place a rock, stake, or flag on either end of this line. If you have string, tie it between the two markers or lay it on the ground to create a boundary.
Measure a second side twice as long as the first. The croquet playing field is rectangular, and in the nine hoop version the long side is twice as long as the short side. Starting from one boundary marker, walk at a right angle to the first line while measuring with the tape measure. Once you reach a distance twice as long as the short side, stop. For a full size 9-hoop garden croquet lawn, your final measurements will be 50 ft x 100 ft (15.2m x 30.4m). Other possible measurements include 30 ft x 60 ft (9.1m x 18.2m), or 25 ft x 50 ft (7.6m x 15.2m).
Create another corner with a boundary marker. As before, use a flag, stick or other object to mark the corner of this boundary at the end of the line you just measured. If you have a string, stretch it between this marker and the last one you put down.
Complete your field with one more boundary marker. From the end of the long line, turn at a right angle and create another short side parallel to the first one. Place the fourth boundary marker to create the last corner. Stretch a string between this boundary marker and the two nearest markers. If the rectangle doesn't look even, you may move one of the boundary markers to make the sides parallel.
Drive a hoop (wicket) into the ground at the exact center of the field. One way to locate the center of the field is to stretch two strings across the field diagonally, each one between opposite diagonal corners. At the location where the strings cross, drive the two prongs of the hoop firmly into the ground to create an arch. The opening should face toward the short ends of the field. Alternatively, measure the center points of one short side and one long side, then have two people walk at right angles from each point. The point where their paths cross is the center of the field.
Decide which ends are "north" and "south". One of the shorter sides of the field will be called the "north" end, and the opposite short side will be called the "south" end. It does not matter where actual compass north is; this is just terminology to make the court easy to describe. The longer sides are the "west" and "east" sides, as if you were looking at a map with the "north" end of the field at the top. The players will be starting on the "south" side of the court. However, the players move back and forth across the entire court, so even if the ground is sloped it won't make much difference which end is which.
Walk from the center hoop toward the north end of the field. If you are using a full size field (50ft x 100ft, or 15.2m x 30.4m) and want to use precise measurements, measure out 32 ft (9.75m) with a tape measure. Otherwise, scale down this measurement to the same proportion as your field's side, or simply walk approximately 3/5 of the distance to the north end while counting your paces. Walk in a straight line, parallel with the long sides of the field. The 9 hoop game has several variant setups with the hoops at different distances from the center hoop. The general shape of the setup is more important than the exact numbers involved.
Place a hoop at this location. Once you've measured the correct distance, or walked approximately 3/5 of the way between the center and the north side, put a hoop down. As with all the hoops you'll be putting down, the opening should be facing the "north" and "south" ends of the field.
Find the next hoop's location by walking an equal distance between the center and the south end. The next hoop will be exactly opposite the last one. Return to the center hoop and walk an equal distance south, approximately 3/5 of the way to the south side of the field. If you are counting your paces instead of using a tape measure, use the same number of paces you did to locate the previous hoop.
Place another hoop slightly farther in the same direction. Continue walking south 6 feet (1.8m) for a full size field, 3 ft (0.9m) for a half size field, or simply estimate a reasonable distance by walking four paces. Place the hoop here, with the opening of the arch facing the shorter ends of the field as always.
Continue on the same short distance and place the south stake. Walk an additional four paces, 6 ft. (1.8m), or whichever measurement you used in the last step. Place a stake here, not a hoop. If your croquet set did not come with stakes, use a large, noticeable stick or flag planted upright in the ground.
Mirror this setup on the north side. Return to the stake closest to the north end of the field. Place a second hoop and then a stake a few paces further north of it, in a line with the center hoop and with the southern line of hoops and stakes. Use the same distance between hoops and stakes that you did on the southern end of the field. Walking from the north end of the field southward, you should cross a stake, two hoops, a long distance, the center hoop, a long distance, two hoops, and a stake.
Return to the center hoop and walk diagonally "southeast" to locate the next hoop. At the center stake, face the line of two hoops and a stake you just put down, then turn 45º to the left and walk toward the long "east" side of the field. Stop when the center stake and the nearest southern hoop are at equal distances from you, and you are a few paces from the eastern edge of the field. Place a new hoop at this location. On a full size field, this hoop will be 6 feet (1.8m) from the eastern edge of the field.
Place the last three hoops by walking in the other diagonal directions. Return to the center hoop and find the location of the final three hoops by walking southwest, northwest, and northeast at a 45º angle. Try to walk at the same angle and for the same distance each time. You should end up with four hoops in a square pattern, each corner near a western or eastern side of the field.
Learning Basic Croquet
Divide into teams or play individually. Croquet balls are usually color coded so you can tell whose is whose. Divide into two teams, so that each team has two or three balls, or have each player use their own ball. Usually, one team plays with the blue and black balls (and green if available), while the other team plays with red and yellow balls (and orange).
Place the first ball halfway a few paces from the starting hoop. In 9 hoop croquet, place it halfway between the southern stake and the nearest hoop. In 6 hoop croquet, place the ball a few paces between the southwestern hoop and the southern side. This is where each ball will be placed in turn, one at a time. Do not place the next ball until the previous one has been hit. It doesn't matter if you've forgotten which end is south. Pick one stake and decide to call it the south stake.
Take turns hitting the balls with a mallet. Use the flat side of the wooden mallet to hit the ball firmly, sending it rolling across the grass. The balls are hit in this order: blue, red, black, yellow, green, orange. You normally only get one hit on your turn (but see below), and you do not get to hit a ball with the mallet if it doesn't belong to your team, so the players should rotate as well, alternating between the two teams. Note that you may choose who goes first with a coin flip or an aiming contest hitting the balls toward a target. If, for example, the green player goes first, play continues in the order listed above: green, orange, blue, red, black, yellow, then back to green.
Try to hit the ball through the hoops in order. The goal of the game is to get your team's balls through the hoops in a particular order, and in the right direction through that hoop. You might want to use colored clothespins or clips that match the balls' colors to keep track of which hoop you are aiming for next. In 6 hoop croquet, the order is: northward through the two western hoops, southward through the two eastern hoops, northward through the two center hoops. In 9 hoop croquet, the order is: northward through the two southern hoops, then in a northern zigzag through the eastern and center hoops, northward through the two northern hoops, hit the northern stake, then work your way in the same pattern southward. Use the western hoops instead of the eastern when going back southward. End by hitting the southern stake.
Earn an extra shot by making it through a hoop (optional). This rule is optional, and may not be fun if some players are much better than the others. Every time you hit a ball through a wicket in the correct direction, you may take an extra shot. There is no limit to how many additional shots you may take in a turn.
Earn two extra shots by hitting your opponents' balls (optional). The players should decide whether they want a game that involves more interference and direct competition, in which case they should use this rule. If you manage to hit an opponent's ball with your own, you get to take two additional shots. Note that you cannot hit your opponents' balls with your mallet, only by aiming your own balls toward them.
Look up additional rules and variations if you decide to play more. For a casual game, this is all the information you need to play. If someone makes a mistake, try to put the balls back the way they were and continue to play. There are many more rules and variations in croquet, from official tournament penalties for different errors, to special balls with the ability to remove opponents' balls from the game. Look these up or find an official guide for your regional tournament if you get excited about the game and want to learn more!
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