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).
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.
You may use a tape measure instead if you would like to be more precise.
Use a croquet mallet to tap the hoop into the ground if it won’t stay up on its own.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
On a full size field, this hoop will be 6 feet (1. 8m) from the eastern edge of the field.
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).
It doesn’t matter if you’ve forgotten which end is south. Pick one stake and decide to call it the south stake.
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.
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.
