Contributed by David Kerr
WITHOUT wanting to battologize or heaven forbid to verge on semantic satiation, this week’s article once again makes mention of the benefits of taking up croquet.
It is a sport that is easy on the body given it involves low impact activity.
It is generally played in an upright position with some gentle bending at the knees or hips and does not require any significant twisting of the body or spine.
The swinging of the mallet is done with a smooth, gentle motion, mainly at the shoulders.
Those physical movements, combined with hand and eye coordination and mindful concentration are really all that is required to play the game and experience enjoyment and a sense of achievement.
One form of croquet that we play at Maleny is Golf Croquet. It is an interactive game where each turn is just a single stroke, requiring accuracy and spatial awareness.
Players follow a course contesting each hoop in turn and as soon as one hoop is scored, all players move on to contest the next – a simple idea that surprisingly can lead to rich tactical thinking.
So, while simple in concept, Golf Croquet involves on-court play making including careful positioning where players try to land their balls just in front of the hoop in an advantageous area, while using aggressive strokes to knock their opponent’s balls far away or into difficult locations. And like football it is a game that even has an Offside Rule, (but no yellow cards)!
Last week on a classic winter day the Maleny Club hosted players from Caloundra in a round of the Golf Pennants competition for 2026.
Played in a fierce, but friendly spirit the majority of the games on this occasion went to the Caloundra team.
After play over a cuppa and bubbles scores were tallied and rankings adjusted. If you are interested in trying the game of Golf Croquet (or Association or Ricochet Croquet), then give our club a call on 0417640704.