Backyard Links Forever
A couple weeks ago, just after Memorial Day, I attended a barbecue being thrown by an old fraternity brother I hadn’t seen in 28 years. I guess that dates me a bit, but wow was it cool to be linking back up with someone I had spent so many fun and memorable times with “back in the day.” And as it is with old friends, it was as if no time had passed at all. Yet aside from all of the fun reunion elements, one of the most interesting things I saw at this particular barbecue was how my old friend had done up his backyard! He had mowed his lawn at various levels to create a Truly immaculate croquet course, complete with rough, out of bounds, even miniature sand traps. To say the least, the fun had by all on this course was immeasurable. Was I inspired? No question. With my own lawn needing a serious mow, I came home and tried to mimic his backyard brilliance.
My first try shown here…called a “hot mess” by my old fraternity brother and nearby “croquet aficionado!” He came right up I-5 to fix it this same day! Yes, the rough was way too rough…and the course lanes were far too narrow (among other issues). Image Courtesy: Dan Meyers
Of course, my initial shot at building a course was amateur at best (and way too narrow). But heck, it looked so easy! Yet there are nuances that only years of doing such an activity can bring to bear. And after sending first try pictures to my buddy down south, he promptly called me up on the phone and said the following, “Meyers, good try man, but that course is a hot mess!!… I’m jumping in my truck and heading up, see you in 30!” And jump in his truck he did. Within a half an hour he was at my doorstep, ready to fix my course. Fortunately, I had not mowed the grass down very low, so there was plenty of height to work with. He was the engineer, I was the grunt, but we got it done and it turned out quite nice.
A much better course design is shown here. The lanes are two lawnmower passes in width (mine were far too narrow) and the rough grass is mowed uniformly. First, it just looks nicer…and it plays far better. Image Courtesy: Dan Meyers
While I am currently lacking the cool sand traps (those are coming), my course has been a gigantic hit with my kids and neighbors. Hence, “backyard links forever.” With the rough, out of bounds, and other golf like elements, it really does feel like a little miniature golf course. Who knew you could have so much fun on your own grass?
It had been 20 years since I picked up a croquet mallet. Who knew the fun was just awaiting!!! Image Courtesy: Dan Meyers
Tips on Course Building
The first error I made in building my own course was to leave the grass long and then just mow pathways through it for the croquet holes. I thought the extreme rough would be excellent for the hapless player. However, there is such a thing as “too rough.” This is particularly true for kids. In any case, it’s far better to have a uniform rough depth as the yard simply looks much more clean and the course plays a good bit easier.
You can see well here how the wider paths can make for more fun and less time weed whacking! Image Courtesy: Dan Meyers
The next big tip is for the pathways themselves. These need to be mowed down to the lowest possible setting on your lawnmower…and….they need to be TWO lawnmower passes wide. However, this is best done in two stages. Mow the pathway’s down to the second to last setting. Water the lawn and wait a couple days. Then mow it all the way down to the lowest setting after the grass has begun to come back a tiny bit. Otherwise, you risk killing the grass by shocking it with an initial super low mowing.
If there are rough patches in your lawn, those can be filled in with sand to make miniature sand traps! I have not yet taken this step, but it may be happening here today :-). Just waiting on the rain to abate…and sunny weather to return. Turns out playing croquet in the rain isn’t quite as conducive on the fun scale. However my friend had the sound traps rolling at his house and they made for all kinds of laughs.
Remember the rules? If not, there’s a link below. However, right here, if you make it through this upcoming wicket, you get another shot. Each time you pass through a wicket, it’s another shot awaiting. And if you hit someone else’s ball you can pick their ball up, set it next to yours, put your foot on your ball (to secure it) and then whack it to send the other ball flying. And…you still get one more stroke. Of course, you can skip the whacking and just take two turns. Big advantage! Image Courtesy: Dan Meyers
The other cool thing that my buddy had going on his course was themed corners. For example, at one bend in the course he had a drink station! Yes, a high table with a pitcher of margaritas. At another corner he had a bench, as if the course was so large you needed to take a rest (hilarious). He also had lights strewn about, allowing for nighttime play. The possibilities are quite endless on how you could take it to the next level. But in the end, a well-made course is all you really need to amp the fun factor in your very own backyard. Enjoy!!!