Croquet Rules
- Players
- 2 to 6 (singles or teams)
- Ages
- 6+
- Setup time
- 5 to 10 min
- Space
- Flexible; roughly 50 x 100 ft for a full course, less for backyard
What you need
- A standard croquet set: 6 mallets and 6 matching balls
- 9 wickets (the metal hoops the balls pass through)
- 2 stakes (one at each end of the course)
- A reasonably flat patch of grass; perfectly manicured is nice but not required
- Optional: a measuring tape or string to lay out the wicket pattern evenly
Set it up
There is no fixed throwing or pitching distance in croquet. The course size is flexible for backyards. A full 9-wicket layout traditionally fits in an area around 50 by 100 feet, but you can shrink the whole pattern to fit a small lawn, then spread it out for a longer game.
Scoring
- Each ball scores one course point for each of 14 wicket passages and two stakes completed in the correct order: 16 points per ball.
- Follow passages 1-7, hit the turning stake, complete passages 8-14, then hit the finishing stake.
- Bonus strokes extend your turn; they do not add score points. Running the next wicket earns one bonus stroke, and a permitted roquet earns two.
- In individual play, the first ball to finish wins. In team play, all of a side's balls must complete the course and stake out.
- This course and scorecard use ordinary nine-wicket play, without poison rules. Golf Croquet is a separate game.
How to play
- Set up the course. For 9-wicket croquet, set the two stakes at opposite ends and arrange the 9 wickets in the standard double-diamond pattern between them. Backyard space is flexible. Each player picks a ball and matching mallet, and play follows the color order printed on the stake.
- Start each ball into play. Players take turns striking their ball from a starting spot beside the first stake. The goal is to send your ball through the wickets in the correct sequence, around the course and back, hitting the turning stake and finishing by hitting the home stake.
- Take your stroke. On your turn you get one stroke. Strike your own ball with the face of the mallet. If you run your ball through the next wicket in sequence, you earn one bonus stroke and keep going.
- Roquet another ball for bonus strokes. If your ball hits another player's ball, that is a roquet and it earns you two bonus strokes. The common backyard reward is to place your ball against the one you hit and 'send' it away, then take a free second stroke.
- Complete all 16 checkpoints. Run passages 1-7 in order and hit the turning stake. Continue through passages 8-14 on the return route, then hit the finishing stake. The ball has completed 14 wicket passages and two stakes and is removed from play.
- Finish your ball or side. The first ball to complete the course wins individual play. For teams, finish every ball belonging to your side before claiming the win.