The short answer
To start, you need almost nothing: many clubs lend mallets, and flat-soled shoes are enough for casual play. To set up your own golf croquet game you need four balls, a mallet for each player, six hoops and a peg. If you do buy, Oakley Woods listed recreational four-player sets at $459 to $609 on November 5, 2026. Our advice is to borrow before you buy.
What do I need to start?
Nothing, if you start at a club. Croquet England says flat-soled shoes are enough for casual play and that many clubs lend mallets. The Birmingham Croquet Club has a mallet for you, and there is no equipment to buy and no experience needed.
Larger tournaments add a dress code. World Croquet Federation (WCF) events ask for clothing that is predominantly white, meaning at least 75% of what shows, and footwear that does not damage the lawn. The United States Croquet Association (USCA) says all white is customary at titled events. For a home game, you need four balls (blue, red, black and yellow, played in that order), six hoops, a peg, a mallet for each player and a lawn. The court setup guide shows where everything goes.
What mallet should I use?
Use any mallet that feels comfortable, because the golf croquet rules set no length or weight. They do ask for a rigid head with identical, flat, parallel end faces and a shaft that meets the middle of the head at right angles for at least 12 inches. They ban aiming devices. Both end faces are alike, so you can strike with either. Disabled players may use modified shafts or aids if they gain no advantage.
In practice, mallets commonly weigh about 3 pounds with shafts of 32 to 38 inches, and recreational mallets run nearer 2 pounds 8 ounces. Look for a weight and length you can swing smoothly. Sets come in all different sizes and shapes to fit all players, kids included. Our advice: try several before you buy, and ask a member. Our gear directory lists makers from Florida to New Zealand.
What balls do I need?
A regulation golf croquet ball is 3 5/8 inches (92 mm) across and weighs 16 ounces (454 g). Golf croquet uses four balls: blue, red, black and yellow. The rules also allow a green, pink, brown and white set. Two sides share the four balls: in singles each player plays both balls of a side, and in doubles each plays one. Lighter balls exist: Oakley Woods says its “Sport” mallet is made for balls under 12 ounces. If you buy a set for club-style play, check the ball weight in its specifications.
The ball and the hoop work as a pair. At the standard minimum gap of 3 11/16 inches, a hoop is just 1/16 inch wider than the ball. WCF events set that room to spare at about 1/32 inch (0.8 mm), and up to 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) in difficult conditions.
What size are the hoops?
Regulation hoops are solid metal and 12 inches high, with a gap of 3 11/16 to 4 inches between the uprights. American six-wicket players call hoops “wickets” and the peg a “stake.” The wire is 5/8 to 3/4 inch thick, and tournament organizers may narrow the gap. The crown of the first hoop may be blue and the crown of the final hoop red. A wider gap makes a hoop easier to run and a narrower gap harder. If you own a set, measure its hoops or wickets against these numbers.
What else does a court need?
A court also needs a peg, 18 inches high and 1 1/2 inches across, painted white for at least the bottom 6 inches. Corner flags in blue, red, black and yellow are optional, on posts about 12 inches high. To lay out a court you also need a long tape measure and string or marking paint for the boundary. The court setup guide shows where each piece goes.
How do I check a set against the rules?
A tape measure and a kitchen scale are enough. Compare your set with the rulebook’s numbers:
- Balls: 3 5/8 inches across and 16 ounces.
- Hoops: 12 inches high, with a gap of 3 11/16 to 4 inches between the uprights.
- Peg: 18 inches high and 1 1/2 inches across.
- Mallet: any length and weight, with a rigid head and flat, matching end faces.
A set that is close but not exact still makes a good family game. For club-style play, match the numbers.
What does equipment cost?
Oakley Woods listed recreational four-player sets at $459 to $609 on November 5, 2026, and tournament four-player sets at $1,430 to $1,849, roughly three times as much. The table shows what we read that day, so check the seller before you rely on it. Jaques of London is in the UK and prices in pounds.
| Item | Seller | Price on Nov. 5, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Recreational set, 4 players | Oakley Woods | $459 to $609 |
| Recreational set, 6 players | Oakley Woods | $576 to $729 |
| Tournament set, 4 players | Oakley Woods | $1,430 to $1,849 |
| Tournament set, 8 players | Oakley Woods | $2,239 to $2,975 |
| Recreational mallet | Oakley Woods | $49 to $119 |
| Complete tournament mallet | Oakley Woods | $130 to $625, one at $1,100 |
| Croquet sets, all kinds | Jaques of London | £149.77 to £3,439 |
| Wood mallet, 3 lb 7 oz, 37 1/2 in | Jaques of London | £495.99 |
Oakley Woods is a Canadian shop that prices in US dollars and includes duties on UPS delivery to the US. Its recreational sets are mostly nine-wicket sets with lighter balls, not regulation gear. We have not verified prices for sets sold in toy and department stores, so we don’t quote them.
What should I buy, and when?
Borrow first, and buy a mallet before anything else. That is our advice, and this is the order we suggest:
- Play a few games with borrowed mallets and see what feels right.
- Buy a mallet of your own. It is the piece you carry from lawn to lawn.
- For a home game, add a recreational set and check it against the list above.
- Think about tournament-grade kit when you start playing regular competitive events.
Ask a member before you buy: we are glad to point you the right way. Near Birmingham, Alabama? Come to an event and try our mallets before you spend anything.
Sources
Last updated November 2026.