Croquet anyone?

Jim Florence aims for the wicket while Doug Stephens and Bob Florine look on. Photos by Natalie Blythe SWARTZ CREEK — People driving by Genesee Valley Meadows Golf Course a few nights a week might wonder what a group of local Swartz Creek residents are doing on the course. No, it’s not a funny version of golf. These individuals are, in fact, playing croquet.

Known as The Meadows Croquet Club, the group’s mission statement is “We hereby resolve to promote the game of croquet to our community. In keeping with the goals of Kiwanis, we resolve to place special emphasis on promoting the game to our youth, and to provide funds to further the cause of Kiwanis.”

The Meadows Croquet Club plays on two lawns at the golf course, 5499 Miller Rd. Every Monday and Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., the club offers free lessons and play. On an individual’s first lesson, club members will teach a simple version called Golf Croquet and on the next visit, graduate to the complex, six-wicket game.

Doug Stephens takes a swing. “It’s a Kiwanis club project, and we invite people to come out and play,” said club and Kiwanis member Doug Stephens. “There is not a membership.”

While many are familiar with the ninewicket game played in backyards, the club plays a modern, six-wicket game of croquet. As the name suggests, there are six wickets on the course and one stake. The court is rectangular in shape, and the game needs to be played on a well-maintained and level lawn that is cut very short. The shape and fewer wickets invites the players to employ a more complex strategy than the traditional ninewicket game.

Along with the specially-built courts, the game calls for precision equipment and the equipment used by the croquet club is very different from its store-bought counterparts. The balls weight 16 ounces each, and mallets range in weight from twothree pounds. Many people purchase their highquality equipment from specialized manufacturers and suppliers, and some choose to handcraft their own mallets.

To play six-wicket croquet, The Meadows Croquet Club breaks people into teams of two, and the club currently has five teams who rotate league play on a weekly basis. League play occurs each Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m. On Sept. 11, the club announces the first, all-day Kiwanis Krokay Tournament at the golf course.

“You don’t even need to bring equipment,” Stephens said. “You can use one of ours, and there also is an option to buy.”

Those interested in learning more about croquet, joining The Meadows Croquet Club or the upcoming tournament can visit www.swartzcreekkiwanis.org/cro quet, e-mail Stephens at doug@hsaa.com or call him at 810-423- 6385.