This page lists some useful resources, mainly for the members of the club.

RULES. 

We will be changing the rules we use to better align with the official rules of golf croquet, but without being too fussy about things, in keeping with our club ethos. The main thing to remember in all of this, is that the best way to resolve any confusion about the rules is by having a discussion and coming to an amicable agreement. Situations where no agreement can be made should be very rare, and in those cases, without a referee, the decision of the person who took the shot is generally considered final.

The rules around the following areas are a little confusing. We have some useful videos and articles that will hopefully help clear things up.

DOUBLE TAPS

In the rules of croquet you are only allowed to hit the ball once on each shot. Inadvertently striking the ball twice, is called a double tap, and is a foul shot. Most times a double tap is not something intentional. Its not very common, but its good to know what it is and under what circumstances it can happen. This video will show you what a double tap is and how it can happen. It also shows how striking at an angle affects the chance of a double tap.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUmr6UnTDWA

This second video is more technical, but is interesting in terms of showing the effects when the balls are very close together, and what happens as the balls get a bit further apart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZa1VQFXAIs

Croquet England has some rules including tables with shots at different angles and separations, if that is your sort of thing.

CLUB GUIDANCE: If you think your opponent is about to play a shot that will result in a double tap, you should tell them. They should then take this on board and have a discussion. If they still decide they want to play it, then they can, and everyone should move on with their lives. Without a referee there isn't much else we can do. If your opponent  warns you that you are going to play a double tap, consider changing your shot, its better than falling out. 

Crush Shots

A crush shot is when the mallet, ball and hoop/peg are all in contact at the same time, and is a foul. In practice what does this mean? The most likely situation when you are going to encounter this is when a ball is very close to/touching a hoop and you are playing it through. This video gives a decent explanation of the crush when touching the hoop: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smhHV70aPNk 

The main thing to watch out for is hitting the ball along a line that forces it into the hoop when you hit it.

CLUB GUIDANCE: If you think your opponent is about to play a shot that will result in a crush, you should tell them, and perhaps advise them of the angle they need to play at to avoid the crush. They should then take this on board and you should have a discussion. If they still decide they want to play it, then they can, and everyone should move on with their lives. Without a referee there isn't much else we can do. If your opponent  warns you that you are going to play a crush shot, consider changing your shot, its better than falling out. 

Playing from the edge

Our rules for playing from the edge are going to change. Currently if the ball goes out at the edge and into the gully, we bring it on a mallets length from the edge so that we can play safely. This is going to change. We will be changing the rules so that in certain circumstances things are a bit fairer when playing the ball from the edge of the pitch. The main rule change will be:

When your ball is too close to the edge to play safely, you may 'take relief'. The main goal when taking relief is the the person taking relief is neither advantaged or disadvantaged by taking relief. The official rules can be found at 9.4 in the official rules here.

In summary, when taking relief you move your ball only as far as you need along the line of the shot you want to play. So you will not move the ball in on a line perpendicular to the edge, you will first decide what shot you want to play, then move the ball along a the line your are going to hit it, until you can safely play your shot. 

This video shows this in action. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80fiV3dJ7ZE

This video is slightly longer and explains why our current rules can lead to some unfair situations, both for the person taking relief and for the opposition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFSy7-lodlI

When is the ball out of play? Along the edge with a gully, the ball is out of play when it touches the longer rough grass before the gully, not when it falls into the gully. When a ball goes out of play, immediately bring the ball back onto the edge of the pitch, in the rough, just touching the mowed lawn surface. The ball is 'dead' whilst in this position and if it gets hit again and moved it should be replaced. Leave it there until its is your shot and then take what relief is needed to play your stroke, along the line of your intended shot as described above. 

OFFSIDE

The purpose of the offside rule is to prevent someone playing their ball very close to the next hoop before the current hoop has been run, and getting an unfair advantage. The ball is offside if it has gone more than halfway to the next hoop before the current hoop has been run. Where halfway is will vary depending upon the two hoops. We will be placing coloured markers on the lawn edge to help identify these lines. This diagram shows where the halfway lines are. 

This table shows which line from the diagram above to use for each pair of hoops:

between hoop 1 & 2: DE
between hoop 2 & 3: BG
between hoop 3 & 4: DE
between hoop 4 & 5: CH
between hoop 5 & 6: DE
between hoop 6 & 7: AF
between hoop 7 & 8: DE
between hoop 8 & 9: BG
between hoop 9 & 10: DE
between hoop 10 & 11: CH
between hoop 11 & 12: DE
and if you are playing a 'golden hoop'
between hoop 12 & '13' (3 on diagram above): DE

MAINTENANCE

There are a few jobs that need doing, to ensure the lawn is in pristine condition.

WHIPPING

Whipping is needed to remove the work casts that form on the surface of the lawn. We should always whip before we play and try not to tread the worm casts in to the lawn. The whips are stored on hooks above your head in the shed. This video shows how to use the whips to clear the work casts: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YeGDEhJPVko

Weeding

Occasionally we have maintenance sessions where we try and remove the weeds. If you see any weeds and fancy removing them you can, but make sure you try not to damage the lawn. There are weeding tools in the shed. This video explains how to use the weeding tool: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J8uLxTMTEAo

WATERING

We have a watering schedule for the lawn, which uses a semi automated watering system. This uses a timer and 4 attached sprinklers. This video explains how to use the automated watering timer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R5EBkRJogc

The sprinklers are used to water the edges of the pitch as well as the main area of the lawn. They can be adjusted to water over any angle. See this video for how that works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWKPJXI7mN8

General

Sometimes the lock for the shed can be a bit tricky. This video shows how to lock and unlock it. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2kvOLgF_Gpo