Matthew Essick Interview

On Top of the World

PHOTOS BY SARAH PATTON

Since claiming his first World Championship title in August, Matthew Essick has kept a full schedule, battling for the USCA AC National title in September, then claiming the top spot in the First of Eight of Selection Eights all while preparing to captain the U.S. team at the MacRobertson Shield in November in Australia. Even with that schedule, he took the time to answer a few questions for Croquet News on his spectacular GC title win back in August.

You’ve had some time to absorb being the World Champion of Golf Croquet. Can you tell us what the title means to you and what you have been doing since returning?

It’s still surreal. It means not only a lot to me, my friends and family, but also to USA Croquet as a whole. Since returning, I’ve played a lot of golf and tried to see as many friends and family as I can before heading to Australia for the Mac.

In retrospect, is there a moment or memory from the event that stands out to you?

The shot to win the semifinal match against Robert Fletcher stands out a little bit more than anything else. Just a crazy finish to a match of very high-quality play. Even I can admit there’s a good amount of luck behind that one.

While the play was certainly high-level and provided a lot of dramatic moments, it seemed you always had each of your knockout matches in relative control. Was there ever a time when you thought you might be in a bit of trouble?

That’s a tough question to answer. I can attribute a lot of my success to confidence in myself and my abilities, so at no point in a match do I feel like I’m in trouble or in a bad position. I just believe that if I play my game and play it well, I can beat anyone.

From the live stream, it looked like a proper sporting event with an engaged crowd. How was the atmosphere from your perspective for the final rounds of the event?

A good amount of people were coming in and out of the club on a daily basis, from my perspective. I heard someone say there were fewer people attending the final this year than in 2019, but I think we can credit that to the quality of the live stream crew and commentators.

Speaking of the live stream, you stood out as one of the top commentators for the event. Is that just natural ability or have you worked on the skill?

I’ve never worked on the particular skill at all, but I’m an avid American sports fan so I’ve listened to many commentators over the years watching games, so I think that helps know how to approach it a little bit better.

Going back to Ben Rothman’s win in 2019, that makes back-to-back titles for U.S. players in GC. Is there a new level of respect for U.S. players internationally?

I think there will be moving forward. There are a lot of good players in the states, but it’s harder to have rapid progression for your Grade in the U.S. due to the difficulty of travel distances. That leads to a lack of representation for us in major events, which is truly unfortunate with the quality of players we have here.

In general, the U.S. should be strong in croquet based on population. However, courts and a lack of density are deficit areas relative to the other “Big 4” countries. How do you explain the upward trend for U.S. players in performing against players from England, Australia and New Zealand?

I think in the U.S. we are getting younger and younger as a group. The younger players are starting to reach their potential, and it’s starting to show in some of the results.

We asked these questions to Ben Rothman after his title in 2019. Based on your previous run to the AC World Final and now your GC World Title, which title is harder to win? And semi-related, in-game are you more comfortable playing golf croquet or association?

Since I haven’t actually won the AC title, I don’t think I can answer this fully, but having played in both events and understanding both codes, I think it’s harder to win the AC. GC is more about getting hot at the right time, whereas AC is all about being consistent and finishing turns for 10 days. As far as comfortability, I feel the most comfortable playing AC just because I’ve played it longer.

What does your preparation for a GC event look like compared to an AC event?

My routine for GC tournaments is two weeks of focused swing practice. I take 100 total shots at the center peg every day for the two weeks: 50 seven-yarders, 25 10-yarders and 25 14-yarders. AC is more about practicing break play and croquet shots for me with much less swing practice.

What are your future plans in the sport?

Internationally, I want to be a top player in the sport for years to come. I have goals to achieve in both codes that I’ve yet to accomplish and until I do, I plan to be in the picture at major events moving forward. Within the states, I want to try to introduce as many people to croquet as I can through my play and instruction and grow the sport as a whole.

For growth overall for croquet, you mentioned a need for more courts in the U.S. in a recent television local TV interview. Do you see a path to a more comprehensive public court-building program in the U.S.?

I think we are still a few years away from that, but it’s something I would like to see. I think the possibilities for more courts are there, but the demand has to increase first. That just goes back to the previous question and how we grow the game within the country over the next few years and increase the demand.

Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to cover?

Yes! I want to share how much of a pleasure it was to play against one of the all-time greats in Robert Fulford in the final. I’ve had the opportunity to play in two World Championship finals against the two greatest croquet players ever. Just such a privilege and an experience I’ll never forget.