Games Like Bocce, Only Bigger: Why You'll Love Croquet

Gone looking for games like bocce? Something low-key and outdoors, where you roll a ball and try to land it just so?

Croquet is the one most people miss. It scratches exactly that itch, the satisfaction of lining up a shot and getting it spot on, and then it hands you a good deal more to chew on.

Bocce is a lovely pastime, and there is a reason it has lasted. You stand on the grass, weigh up the angle, and roll. Land closest to the jack and the end is yours.

It is gentle and sociable. A knockabout in the park comes down to the company as much as the score. Nobody is sprinting. Nobody goes home sore. You are outdoors, on your feet, having a quiet tussle with a mate.

Croquet starts from the same place. You wander the lawn at your own pace, weigh up the line, and tap the ball through the hoop.

The pleasure of aiming is identical, that little hit you get from judging the weight just right. The turf underfoot is the same. The pace is the same unhurried stroll, and it is every bit as kind on the body.

What croquet adds is depth. When you roll in bocce, the shot ends the moment the ball stops. In croquet, every stroke sets up the next, so you are never only making this hoop in front of you. You are weighing where you finish, where you strand your rival, and how to thread a whole break together.

People call Association Croquet "chess on grass" for that reason, because every move is loaded with the one waiting behind it.

Golf Croquet is where most newcomers begin, quicker to learn and yet still brimming with tactics, the version where a canny gentle tap beats the almighty swing. If you fancy outthinking the person across the court from you, this rabbit hole runs deep.

It is a proper sport, mind, not merely a hobby. There is a club structure and a competition ladder, and you can climb it as far as the mood takes you, from a friendly roll-up to championships and well beyond.

And it belongs to everyone. No pedigree or background to bring along. You simply turn up.

Getting started costs almost nothing. Your local hands you a mallet and balls, so there is nothing to buy for that first hit. Most Queensland venues run Come and Try sessions, where someone shows you the ropes for an hour, and membership is cheap measured against any sport.

You will find clubs dotted across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, Toowoomba and right through regional Queensland.

If bocce gave you a taste for lining up a roll and a friendly tussle on the lawn, croquet is the bigger version of all that, the one you will still be relishing years from now.

Find your nearest club and book a free Come and Try session at comeandtrycroquet.com, or browse Queensland clubs at clubhub.croquetqld.org. Bring nothing but a pair of flat shoes.