If you didn't grow up with a croquet set, perhaps your grandparents owned one. Better yet, if you read the beloved Lewis Carroll children's classic book or saw one of the Alice in Wonderland films, then you probably remember the scene in which lovely blonde Alice played a game of croquet by using pink flamingos standing in as mallets, poor hedgehogs as balls and soldiers as wickets (hoops). Some liken it to golf, which is also played on a green grass lawn, among other similarities.

A History of Croquet

While the French claim that croquet dates back to the 14th century with a peasant game called Pall Mall, other cultures also have their own versions. In the 18th century it was played in Ireland, then introduced to the British during the mid-19th century. By 1882, a convention in New York of 25 clubs gathered as the National American Croquet Association. Soon after, it became an enjoyable garden party game throughout the United States. Fashionable with the elite, the game was played by members of the Algonquin Round Table and by Hollywood stars and studio heads like Samuel Goldwyn and Darryl Zanuck.

How to Play

A basic croquet set available online or at a sporting goods store consists of:

• Six mallets (clubs)
• Six balls -- blue, green, black, red, orange and yello
• Nine wickets (those wire hoops through which you hit the balls)
• Two pegs, which are set up at the end of the "course." Most sets come in a neatly organized rack with a set of rules.

Think of croquet like a backyard game of miniature golf -- without the windmills, waterfalls and booby traps.

While tradition calls for the nine wickets to be set up in a double-diamond pattern, most peoples' yards can't accommodate such a stipulation, nor does it really matter. In other words, set it up however you like, within the boundaries of your yard.

Each player is allowed one stroke per turn, with extra strokes earned by passing the ball through a wicket or by striking another ball. When your ball hits someone else's, it's called a roquet shot, earning you two bonus shots. The first bonus shot is called a croquet, and you're allowed to either:

• Place the ball next to your opponent's and strike your ball to make both move.
• Or make a continuation stroke, from wherever your ball has come to a stop after the aforementioned croquet shot.

Hey, It's Only a Game

Above all, the point of croquet and other outdoor games is for family and friends to enjoy one another's company outdoors, in a pleasurable environment. Good sportsmanship should be practiced for all ages.