Croquet Sets Information

Looking to buy croquet equipment but don't know what to look for? You're not alone.

Croquet sets can differ quite a bit in price and quality.

With so many different producers of equipment, its challenging to get the best "bang for your buck."


If you're a recreational player, check out this list of manufactures making recreational sets with summaries and reviews posted by visitors to this site as well as links to great deals for buying their product online..

If you're more of a competitive player, check out this list of manufactures making tournament level sets with all the same information.

A game of croquet played with 4 people will require the following items for a complete croquet set:

- 4 mallets

- 4 croquet balls

- 6 or 9 wickets (formally called "hoops") depending on what rules you're playing with.

- 1 center stake

- 4 clips (required for tournament play only)

- 4 corner flags (optional)

- 8 corner pegs (optional)

To familiarize yourself with how the equipment is used or how a croquet court is laid out, check out croquet rules. Three main levels of quality exist for croquet sets.

- Children's croquet sets tend to be the lowest quality. They are usually smaller and more light weight than other sets. They are also the cheapest ranging anywhere between $25-$100 and can be picked up at many local discount stores. They usually include 6 mallets, 6 balls, 9 wickets, and 2 stakes.

- Backyard adult croquet sets are larger and generally more heavy duty than children's sets, but often don't meet requirements necessary for tournament play. They're more expensive usually costing anywhere between $60-$300 per set. They usually include 4 mallets, 4 balls, 9 wickets, and 2 stakes.

- The 3rd level is competitive or tournament quality croquet sets. Many times this equipment is sold as separate items rather than in a complete set and can become quite expensive depending on the quality of equipment you're looking for. A complete 4 person set can cost as much as $1,000-$4,000.

Tournament croquet sets have come a long way since the 1st croquet manufacturing company was founded in England in the late 1800's. Many years of technology and innovation have lifted the ability of this equipment to new heights.

The following information will be focused primarily on tournament level croquet sets.

Mallets

Official croquet rules aren't very strict on the material or specifications for mallets. They state material, size, and weight of the mallet does not matter as long as it doesn't grant a player a "significant advantage" over others. The rules don't define "significant advantage."

Rules also state a mallet must be symmetrical, ie. there should be no difference between which side of the head you use to hit the ball.

Shopping for a croquet mallet can be similar to shopping for golf clubs (specifically putters). Size, weight, flexibility, shape, "sweet spot" size, all become important factors when selecting a mallet for yourself.

A common croquet mallet weighs around 3lbs. The shaft should be as light as possible, focusing the vast majority of the weight into the head. Within the head, its ideal to have the weight balanced closer to the faces and less in the center. Shafts can be any length, but a common starting point is 36" long. Heads can also be any length or width. They range between 9-12" long and 2-2.5" wide.

* The Head

Original mallet heads were round shaped & remained round for many decades. Today, a square shaped head is a predominant favorite among avid players. Heads now almost always contain a strait line marked on the top of the head called a "sightline" to act as a visual indicator to the striker they're swinging strait (similar to putters).

Heads can be made from any material, though wood is by far the most common. Most heads have a wooden body with hard plastic or metal plates mounted to the faces. Plastic faces are more common than metal. Faces usually have a small bevel on their edge to prevent breaking of the edge or a ball from a miss-hit. Many also have groves milled into the face to help prevent slipping during contact.

Types of wood used vary a lot. Some custom manufacturers may offer choices of up to 20 different selections- from common oak to more exotic types like bocote or satine. Hard, dense woods tend to be more popular. Choice of wood depends largely on weight and durability, but aesthetics also plays a major role for some. "Truffling" is the act of bumping around balls with the side of your mallet (while not in play). Truffling can wear out the side of your mallet if its made from a lighter, softer wood.

As stated above, weight and size play a major role in the choice of your head. A large, heavy head is ideal for long, hard shots. The heavier weight creates more momentum for the hit and also absorbs much of the shock from the impact resulting in longer, straighter roll shots.

A lighter head is more ideal for short shots or "stop shots" (where you want to hit the ball a specified distance & have it stop on its own). The lighter head is easier to handle and does not absorb as much shock from the impact giving the striker more "feel" and control.

Having the weight in a head focused more toward the faces will help to keep the head more strait during a stroke thanks to the principals of inertia. I won't begin to try to explain inertia here as I'm not a physics professor, but as long as you understand weight focused more toward the faces will help you shoot straighter, you'll be OK.

The longer the head & the more weight that is focused into the faces, the straighter your shot will be (assuming you can handle the extra weight). Many tournament players are now using 12" long heads weighing closer to 3lbs than 2lbs. However, keep in mind, the larger and heavier your go, the more difficult it will be to make accurate stop shots. 3lb., 12" long heads are also very large and heavy for a beginner to start with.

Many heads now exist that have adjustable weighting. They're designed in such a way, weights or hardware can be added or removed to achieve desirable weighting.

Head or face width is usually between 2-2.5". The wider the face, the larger the "sweet spot" to hit the ball. However, wider faces can also lead to problems associated with trying to hit a ball in tight spots between other balls or wickets. Smaller faces are great for this, but your chances of a miss-hit will also increase.

Larger faces also increase the chance of your face digging into the ground when taking a big swing. To counter-act this, some manufacturers are offering heads with a curved bottom, so when a mallet is sitting strait up resting on the ground, the bottom of the faces are 1/4" or so off the ground.

The shaft can be made from any material, but the most common are: wood, metal, fiber glass, and carbon fiber.

As stated above, the majority of the weight in a mallet should be focused on the head, so the shaft should be as light as possible. The challenge for designers is to create a shaft that's light, yet strong. A typical shaft weight is 14 ounces.

Ideal length and flexibility of a shaft depends primarily on a player's preference. Length depends not only on a players size, but their stance and how they hold the shaft. A common length is 36", but this is by no means a standard.

When it comes to material, metal and wood tend to be more rigid than fiber material. Hard, dense woods like ash or hickory are commonly used. Rigid aluminum or aluminum alloys are a common metal used thanks to their light properties.

Carbon fiber is a very common material used. Its strong and durable, and also contains more flexible properties. More flexible materials tend to absorb shock better, however shock can be minimized with rigid materials through different methods of attaching the shaft to the head.

Hybrid shafts (eg. half metal, half fiber) also exist and are often used.

Most shafts now come standard with a grip and a roll grip. A common grip diameter is 1 1/16". 1 7/16" is more ideal for someone with large hands. There's not much more to say about grips except they should be durable, and firmly attached to the shaft.

* Croquet Mallet Summary

A decent tournament mallet will usually cost around $175-$200, but can cost over $500. Bottom line, there's a lot of things to consider when purchasing an expensive mallet for your croquet set. Before purchasing you may want to "test drive" a couple models to get a feel for what fits you.

Though mallets may be spendy, they're usually very well built and come with a good warranty. Many good models will probably last you the rest of your life.

Croquet Balls

Many balls included in backyard croquet sets don't meet these specifications. They're usually smaller and lighter, which works well in backyards (where they're usually played with) where grass is a lot taller. The lighter balls roll better across the top of the taller grass & also don't sit as far down after they stop, making them easier to find.

Tournament balls have "milling" around the outside of the ball, while backyard balls generally have a smooth finish. The milling (shown in picture below) provides texture which helps prevent any slipping when contacting the mallet or other balls.

Each game of croquet consists of 4 balls, usually colored: blue, red, black, and yellow. Official rules don't specify these colors have to be used, however, they are predominantly the most common colors used across the world.

A standard set of 4 tournament style croquet balls will usually cost around $150-$200 to add to your croquet set.

Hoops or "Wickets"

If you've played croquet with backyard croquet sets, you more than likely played with wire wickets stuck into the ground. Tournament style wickets are much more "beefy".

They consist of 2 "uprights" sticking out of the ground attached at right angles to the "crown" attaching them together.

Rules specify the material making up the wicket must be 5/8" thick (much thicker than wire). They must stand 12" tall out of the ground and have 3 3/4"- 4" of space between the uprights (usually around 1/8" wider than the ball).

The entire wicket must be painted white, or not painted at all. The 1st wicket will have its crown only painted blue, and the last wicket will have its crown only painted red.

Most tournament wickets are made from cast iron (where the uprights are welded to the crown), but some are made from aluminum.

A set of 6 decent tournament style wickets will cost anywhere around $200 to add to your croquet set.

Croqet Sets Accessories

* Clips

Official rules require the use of clips during play. Players are required to attach clips the same color of their ball to the next wicket they need to pass through after they're turn is complete. While its their turn, they do not need to worry about moving the clip to the next wicket. The whole purpose is to keep players from loosing track of which balls need to go through which hoops.

The only specification existing for clips is they must be the same color as their ball. Painted clothes pins would be adequate.

Manufactured models are generally made from plastic or metal. Both styles are generally pretty cheap, but metal clips tend to last a little longer.

* Center Stake

A stake is located in the center of the court & must be struck by a ball in order to complete the game. The stake must have a diameter of 1.5" and stick 18" above the ground. It must be painted white up to 6" above the ground. Though not required, most stakes have strips of blue, red, black, & yellow painted above the white.

On top of the stake is a 1/2" wide plastic peg that sticks 6" up past the top of the stake. This is a location to locate clips when not in use.

* Corner Flags

Though not required, corner flags colored blue, red, black, & yellow are commonly placed in the corners of the croquet court.

They generally stand 12" tall. They must not be located in, or lean over the playing area of the croquet court.

If in use, these flags can be removed at any time by the striker is they're in his/her way.

* Corner Pegs

Also not required but commonly used, Corner pegs are small white posts sticking 4" out of the ground located 1yd away from and on each side of each flag, in line with the other flage.

When used, a total of 8 corner pegs are necessary and can also be removed at any time by the striker if they're in his/her way.

* Deadness Board

This is a tool not required, but commonly used to keep track of which balls a particular ball is either "alive on" or "dead on".

Quite handy in competitive games.

Congratulations, you're now an expert in what to look for when purchasing croquet sets!

Most of the top manufacturers of croquet sets are located in England where the game as we know it today was developed in the 1800's.

The 1st business to manufacture croquet sets, and who also played a major role in the game's invention is Jaques of London. They still exist and remain a major player in the croquet business today.

Because of the game's high popularity in America, many strong American croquet sets manufacturers are giving the English businesses a run for their money.

To learn other great information about croquet, like rules and how the game originated, head to the croquet overview page.

Check out other great outdoor games. Return to my outdoor games homepage.

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