How to Watch the Big Show

By Cheryl Bromley

It’s going to be a great opportunity to witness the “rock stars” of croquet at the Golf Croquet World Championships this October in Virginia. Eighty top players from around the world will be battling it out with thrilling shot-making and smart tactics on display.

Hopefully, many of you will be able to attend in person or, if not, livestreaming on YouTube will be available to watch. Either way, here are a number of specifics to look for as you watch the matches.

GRIPS: Which grip does a particular player use? Solomon, Standard, and Irish are the three most commonly used grips. Do they change their grips or hand positions on the shaft to execute different shots, such as a jump shot? Are the player’s hands next to each other on the grip or spread apart?

PRE-SHOT ROUTINE: It can be fun to look at the different individual styles of pre-shot routines players use. Do they stalk the ball to align their shots? Do they use continuous casting to hit their shots or stabilize their mallet before taking a shot? Or do they use some combination of both? Does their routine differ depending on what type of shot they are hitting, such as a placement, hoop or clearance shot?

FOOT PLACEMENT/STANCE: Take note of where players position their feet. Are their feet close to the mallet or is space remaining? Do they use a wide or narrow stance? Are their feet parallel to the mallet or slightly turned in, turned out or staggered? Are the players bent over their mallet or standing more upright?

TEMPO: Notice whether players use the same tempo on their shots depending on the type of shot taken, such as a hoop, stop, clearance shot, etc. The Quadway hoops being used tend to be unforgiving and reject balls frequently when players try to power through them and/or are off even the slightest bit.

DEMEANOR: Can you tell by watching whether a player is feeling confident or struggling? Are they displaying positive or negative body language? How do they recover after a missed shot? What do they do after hitting a great shot? Look for displays of good sportsmanship and enjoyment of competing on the lawn on the biggest stage.

TACTICS: So much can be learned from the tactics of the top players. You are sure to see fearless shot-making and risk-taking as well as methodical and patient high-percentage play along the way.

TRACKING DATA: As a player yourself, you may find it useful and fun to track data during a match. It can be as simple as which

color ball scored each hoop. Was there a pattern of winning two hoops in a row? How many clearance shots were attempted? How many hoop shots were taken before the hoop was successfully scored? Perhaps you design a profile of the players you watch based on the items listed above, which will show you comparisons of techniques.

The bottom line: Enjoy the tournament! This is an incredibly exciting event for the USCA and Chesapeake Bay Croquet Club to host and I hope to see you there!

How to Use a Phantom Ball

Imagine this scenario, your opponent has gone into the jaws at Hoop 1 and, fortunately for you, your ball is in a position on the back side of the hoop to possibly knock it out of scoring position. Most wickets are set firmly in the ground so that hitting the stanchion to get the ball out of the hoop is usually not an option. Instead, try imagining a phantom ball next to the ball you are attempting to clear. Aim your striker ball through the middle of the phantom ball, which will allow the edge of your striker ball to contact the edge of the opponent ball sticking out through the hoop.

This type of shot will require a fair amount of pace to move the opponent ball a good distance out of the hoop and, because you are hitting your ball at a 90-degree angle, your striker ball will deflect and travel a good distance as well. At least for the time being, you’ve stopped your opponent from scoring.

Another option would be to use a placement shot to have your Red ball end up just in front of the Blue ball, blocking its path down to the next hoop. In this case, aim so both balls have a tiny bit of space between them, which increases the risk of a double tap for Blue.