Making life easier with technology

Hello everyone,

There’s a unique satisfaction in croquet, isn’t there? The gentle hum of conversation around the lawns, the strategic planning before a shot, and that perfect, clean thwack as mallet connects with ball. It’s a game of skill, of finesse, and of community. In a world that often feels like it’s rushing, the croquet lawn is a place where we can focus and enjoy the moment.

My name is Wade Hart, and whilst many of you will know me from the lawns, I also run a technology company called automatebrisbane.ai. It’s my great pleasure to be starting a new series of articles for the Croquet Association of Queensland (CAQ) website. The goal is simple: to start a conversation about how we can use technology to make our “croquet lives” simpler, more enjoyable, and more efficient.

Now, I’m aware that for many, the word “technology” can conjure up feelings of anxiety or complication. It can feel like something that’s being forced upon us, demanding we change how we do things. I want to suggest a different way of looking at it.

The goal is not to become slaves to technology; it’s to make technology work for us.

Think about the evolution of the mallet. We’ve gone from rudimentary wooden implements to precisely weighted, scientifically balanced instruments. We adopted that technology because it helped us play a better game. We embraced it because it served a clear purpose and gave us a tangible benefit.

The new wave of technology should be viewed in exactly the same light. It’s simply a new set of tools designed to handle the tedious tasks, freeing us up to focus on what we truly enjoy. Many of us are already doing this in our daily lives:

Each is a piece of technology that we’ve adopted because it gives us more choice and makes a task simpler.

So, how does this apply to our croquet life? Imagine, as members at clubs like Southport can already do, being able to see if a lawn is available and book a time to play, all from your own home without needing to make a phone call or drive to the club. Picture improving your game by watching a video of a world-class player demonstrating the perfect jump shot, or learning new tactics from our best coaches, all available to everybody on demand. Think how much easier it would be to find out about competition or gala days at other clubs, encouraging more interaction across our community.

This is where modern advancements like customised programming and Artificial Intelligence (AI) come in. Please don't let the term "AI" intimidate you. In this context, it’s not about robots or science fiction. It’s about creating smarter, more helpful systems. Think of it as having a very efficient club assistant who can handle the administrative tasks. We can build tools that are tailor-made for the CAQ, designed around how we operate, not the other way around.

The ultimate aim is to reduce the time we spend on administration and increase the time we spend on the lawn, coaching, competing, and socialising.

This article is the first step in that journey. In the coming months, I’ll be exploring some of the specific ways we can implement simple, helpful technology within the CAQ. We’ll talk about ideas for making volunteering easier to organise, for improving how we communicate, and for streamlining our events.

The focus will always be on the benefit to you, the members. This is about making our association run more smoothly so we can all better enjoy the great game of croquet.

I look forward to starting this journey with you.

Wade Hart
automatebrisbane.ai