Golf Croquet Play

Golf Croquet, also referred to as "One-Shot Croquet" is played between two sides — the blue and black balls versus the red and yellow balls. In singles, each player plays two balls; in doubles each player plays the same ball throughout the game.  A side scores a point when one of its balls is the first to pass through the next hoop in sequence.  Note that each hoop is scored by only one ball, so that both sides are always contesting the same hoop.  

The Court Diagram shows the play sequence for a SHORT GAME where the object is to be the first side to score FOUR points.   A SHORT GAME time limit is frequently set at 15 minutes before it goes into LAST TURN.

Play is made by striking a ball with a mallet. The player who is playing a turn is called the striker, and the ball in play for that turn is the striker's ball. Turns are played in the sequence BLUE, RED, BLACK and YELLOW. This sequence of colors is painted on the center PEG. Each turn consists of one, and only one, stroke.

The striker's ball may cause other balls to move and score points. However, the striker must never strike any ball other than the striker's ball. The striker must play using the mallet only, and must not play a stroke while touching any ball. The striker must strike the ball with one of the mallet's two striking faces, never with a side face or the shaft. The striker must strike the ball cleanly and only once during the stroke.

The challenging team gets the BLUE and BLACK balls. The BLUE ball plays first followed by the RED, BLACK and YELLOW. Each ball is played into the game from the STARTING AREA which is in the corner behind hoop 4.

A ball scores a point for its side by passing through the next hoop in sequence. If the striker's ball causes another ball to run the hoop, the point is counted for the side whose ball ran the hoop. If two balls pass through the hoop on the same stroke, the point is scored by the ball that was closest to the hoop at the start of the stroke. Each time a point is scored, the side scoring the point announces the score.

A ball that goes OUT OF BOUNDS it is placed inside the playing area nearest to where it went out.

The Halfway Rule: At the end of a turn in which a point is scored, any ball more than halfway to the next hoop is an OFF-SIDES ball, unless it reached its position on the stroke just played, or through contact with an opponent's ball.

Balls may not be intentionally rolled over any brickwork to minimize ball damage, and JUMP shots are not permitted to prevent lawn damage.