How to Set Up a Croquet Court

Croquet is a fun outdoor game that is played on the lawn. The objective of the game is to knock a wooden ball through small hoops that have been placed into the ground. A mallet is used to move the ball from one end of the game through the set of hoops, called wickets, to the other end of the game. The most popular croquet format involves the use of nine wickets set up like a double diamond.

Step 1 – Determining the Location of the Game

Decide where you would like to play your game of croquet. You will need a flat area on the lawn that is one hundred feet by fifty feet, for a double diamond croquet court.

Step 2 – Setting the First Stake

Stand at one end of the area. Walk along one side until you've moved in twenty-five feet. Turn and face the other side of the court. Walk six feet into the court. Drive your first stake into the ground with a mallet.

Step 3 – Placing the First and Second Wickets

Walk forward six more feet. Place the first wicket into the ground in front of the stake. Walk forward another six feet. Place the second wicket into the ground in front of the first wicket.

Step 4 – Placing the Center Wicket

Walk forward thirty-two feet. You should now be at the center of your double diamond croquet court. Place the center wicket into the ground. The center wicket should be aligned with the first two wickets and the stake that you have already placed.

Step 5 – Placing the Fourth and Fifth Wickets

Walk sixteen feet back towards your original spot. You will find yourself in the middle of the wickets. Walk to one side of the center and place a wicket six feet from the outer line of the court. Walk to the other side of the center and place another wicket six feet from the other outer line of the court. You should now have a diamond croquet court.

Step 6 – Placing the Last Wickets

Walk down the other side of the court. Drive the second stake six feet from the line. This peg should be aligned with the first peg, the two wickets in front of it and the center wicket. Walk six feet toward the center and place another wicket. Walk six feet further toward the center and place a wicket in front of the other one and the stake. Walk sixteen more feet until you are halfway to the center wicket. Like the instructions above, walk to one side and place a wicket six feet from the outer edge of the court. Then walk to the other side and place a wicket six feet from the other outer edge. You should now have a double diamond croquet court.

Step 7 – Playing with Beginners

Beginner croquet players can start with a smaller court. The smaller court should measure forty feet by fifty feet. Follow the same instructions outlined above but use a ten-foot measurement in place of twenty-one feet and a twenty-foot measurement in place of forty-two feet.