Leo McBride Wins U.S. Golf Croquet Championship
The USCA held the US Golf Championships this past weekend in Palm Beach, Florida. Leo McBride defeated Sherif Abdelwahab to claim the U.S. singles championship 7-5, 1-7, 7-5. In the doubles competition, John Osborn-David McCoy defeated Leo McBride-Dick Brackett 7-6, 7-5.
Interesting to note that they had several games that lasted a few hours and also played some 19-point games. Longer matches seems to go a little bit against the point of golf croquet. Still, would have loved to have been there to watch or participate in this event. Looking forward to seeing some YouTube video out there.
The Hazards of Croquet
How many times a year do you swing a little wild and graze the inside ball of one of your ankles? For me, it usually happens during a warm-up swing on an awkward stance shot. I'd say I pull this off about 2-3 times per season. Usually, it's just a minor shot that is creates a pretty good pain sensation. Last week though, I really blasted myself. Enough that four days later, I've still got a bit of a limp. I'll recover, but hopefully I've learned my lesson. It's not quite like a sledgehammer, but that head can do some serious damage.
Croquet in DC
This looks my first croquet set, which is still in the garage. I think we need more informal croquet at public venues. The grass looks horrible by the way.
First Shot: Time For A Change
Well, I set out an aggresive mission several months back to treat Croquet Network like a magazine with departments and features every week. While I still think that is the ideal format, I just haven't been able to keep up the pace. On the other hand, some good traffic is flowing through and I love the game. So, I'll once again change the focus slightly. I want to get more content out there, so I'm going to give it more of a blog-like emphasis. Probably shorter posts and less of the drills and product reviews.
Again, I still believe in that kind of content, but for now I believe the best thing to do is get more posts out. Expect more free form.
Also, you can help out by getting into the forum and becoming an active user. Also, commenting on the blog posts is easy and keeps things a little more current on site. Let me know if you know of more croquet feeds that should go into the sidebar. To date the croquet news feed is the best part of the site.
One thing, I do owe you a rundown on my six-wicket experience last month and I'm looking forward to that. So until next time, keep playing and start posting.
Sincerely,
Dylan Goodwin, Publisher
Croquet Network
Three-Ball Break Video
This is a great video laying out a standard three-ball break in six wicket croquet. You can check out more tips and Bob and Ted's AOL Croquet website.
Wii Is Making A Serious Push For Croquet
With the revolutionary controller, the Wii is perfect for croquet and exciting to see the release of a croquet game on the console as part to the compilation Summer Sports: Island Party game. The game is based on the backyard (one-ball) nine-wicket croquet version, but with some creativity, you can create a partner ball contest that is similar to the official nine-wicket rules.
Read MoreMaybe A Little Too Passionate About the Game
We've all been here before right? Well, maybe not. Check out this match gone bad from Hartland, Maine:
According to the Bangor Daily News, a family game of croquet turned ugly when one player was assaulted, another set fire to their home and the police were called in.
Neighbours said Andrew Fox III was playing croquet with his wife Lisa and her 16-year-old son. But when Fox lost the game, he turned toward his stepson and punched him in the head. The boy and his mom then ran to a neighbour's home and called police.
At the point, police say Fox barricaded himself inside the family's mobile home and set it on fire. An arrest quickly followed while firefighters were called in to extinguish the blaze.
First Shot: Six-Wicket Mission Accomplished
I organized my first croquet tournament on July 4, 1998. I was 30 at the time and my wife had plans to get our usual crowd together to celebrate the Fourth at our house. By that time, the summer house party circuit was just about to bore me to death. However, I had an idea -- a croquet tournament.
There was one problem though. Our yard was slightly undersized in my opinion and dotted with landscaping. Sure enough, after a trip to the library to gather some publications, the standard court size was 100' x 50'. So, I decided we would play with a reduced version of the six-wicket court, which fit my yard pretty well. However, I wanted to get as many people in a game as possible, so we played it as a standard, cutthroat (one-ball) game.
I called the event the PBR Classic and awarded the winner a 12-pack of Pabst Blue Ribbon in a styrofoam cooler. The event was an instant success and the following year everyone was clamoring for another tournament. By 2002, we had a full circuit going with a season long points race and a website.
Still, going back to the prep for that first event, I would skim through those library books and marvel at the photos of the six-wicket game. With the putting green surfaces and insanely tight wickets, I was truly fascinated by the concept of six-wicket play.
A few weeks ago, I finally played my first real game of six-wicket croquet in Parkville, Missouri. The experience did not disappoint so later this month I will provide the details on my trip to Parkville and my thoughts on the six wicket game. In the meantime, keep swinging the mallet while I try to figure out how to carve some more time out of my hectic schedule to get back to Parkville.
Sincerely, Dylan, Publisher -- Croquet Network
