GOLF CROQUET - essential rules simplified

No. 1 Offside (Rule 8)

Probably the rule most frequently breached. And the most frequently misunderstood.

ETIQUETTE: It is considered good etiquette for a player or team who has an offside ball to ask the opponent whether or not they wish to inflict a penalty.

First thing to remember is, until the hoop is run, a ball beyond half way to the next hoop it is not offside. This is ‘in an offside position’ and, when its turn to play comes, it can be played back onside.

But when the hoop is run, the situation changes. At this point balls beyond halfway become ‘offside’, unless they reached their position through contact with an OPPONENT’s ball.

If the ball next in turn after the hoop runner is not offside it may be played.

REMEDY: Then the player next to strike (or his/her partner) may request the opposition to remove any or all offside balls to one or other of the penalty areas. It may well be that both sides have balls that are offside.

The penalty areas are semi-circles of one yard in diameter centred on the half-way points on the East and West boundaries.

HOW DO WE CONTINUE PLAY? Upon resumption, the sequence of play does not alter.

This is the only remedy available to a player or team whose opponents are offside.

 AGOLF CROQUET - essential rules simplified

No. 2 How do you measure ‘Halfway’?

There seems to be a fair bit of confusion about what constitutes “Half way to the next hoop”. This diagram may help.

Between Hoops 1 & 2, 3 & 4 take the line from D to E as halfway.

Between Hoops 1 & 4, 2 & 3 take the line from B to G as halfway.

Between Hoops 1 & 5, 2 & 6 take the line from A to F as halfway.

Between Hoops 3 & 6, 4 & 5 take the line from C to H as halfway

GOLF CROQUET - essential Rules Simplified

No.3 What happens of you play the wrong ball? (Rule 10)

Etiquette: Players should stop play (known as 'forestalling') if they think a wrong ball is about to be played or has been played in the last stroke.

. THIS SIMPLE 10-MINUTE VIDEO BY AN AUSTRALIAN EXPERT GOLF CROQUET PLAYER EXPLAINS THE '“WRONG BALL” SITUATIONS FAR BETTER THAN I COULD EVER DO.
RECOMMENDED WATCHING

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEObQs3ORus

GOLF CROQUET - essential Rules Simplified

No.4 FAULTS - The Deadly Sins of Croquet (Rule 11)

A fault is an act (prohibited by the Rules of Croquet) committed by a player playing or intending to play a stroke who, during the striking period *

1. touches the mallet head with a hand.

2. strikes a ball as a result of kicking, hitting, dropping or throwing the mallet.

3. strikes a ball with any part of the mallet other than an end face of the head either deliberately or accidentally in a stroke which requires special care because of the proximity of a hoop or the peg or another ball.

4. strikes a ball with the mallet more than once in the same stroke or allows a ball to retouch the mallet.

5. maintains contact between the mallet and a ball

6. causes a ball, while still in contact with the mallet, to touch a hoop, the peg or, unless the balls were in contact before the stroke, another ball.

7. strikes a ball when it lies in contact with a hoop upright or the peg other than striking away from it.                  

8. touches any ball other than the ball they intended to strike with the mallet or any ball with any part of their body, clothes or personal property.                                                                          

9. moves or shakes a stationary ball by hitting a hoop or the peg with the mallet or any part of their body, clothes or personal property.

10. causes damage to the court surface with the mallet that, before the court surface is repaired, is capable of significantly affecting a subsequent stroke played over the damaged area.

* ‘Striking period’?  The striking period begins when a player takes a stance with apparent intent to play a stroke and ends when they quit their stance ‘under control’.

What is NOT a Fault? Don’t confuse ‘Golf Croquet’ with ‘Golf’; an ‘air shot’ is NOT a fault. Nor is missing your ball and bashing a hoop with your mallet, unless the action causes the ball to move or, at least, shake.

Remedy:  the non-offending side chooses whether the balls are left where they stopped or are replaced in the positions they occupied before the stroke was played. This is a variation on Replace and Replay differing from the ‘Wrong Ball’ rule in that the order of play changes. In this case there is a Replace but not a Replay.

How do we continue play? The non-offending side plays the next ball in sequence.