K.J. Choi stirred up the golf scene by introducing a croquet-style swing (video above) this summer. I think we all understand why this will be more effective. I was unaware that golf had made it illegal years ago to straddle the ball during a swing for a true croquet-style putting stroke. Must not look good on TV.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Bamford Takes the British Opens Singles Title
The Mitsubishi British Opens Singles ended with a five game final between young Robert Fletcher (16) of Australia and Reg Bamford of South Africa. Bamford won the final 3-2 with the following scores -- +16 -17tp +17tp -26tp +12tpo. Full commentary is available here and the elimination tournament bracket is located here.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Mitsubishi Opens, Midwest Photos and a Mascot
Progress continues for the Mitsubishi Opens as the following have advanced to the knockout round:
- 5/6 Ian Lines, Rutger Beijderwellen, Robert Fulford, Mark Avery, Reg Bamford, David Maugham
- 5/7 Samir Patel, James Death, Aaron Westerby, Dave Trimmer, Tony Le Moignan
- 5/8 Ben Rothman, Stephen Mulliner, Robert Fletcher
Croquet Video: Extreme Trick Shots
Video shows a variety of extreme croquet trick shots ...
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Maine Croquet Championship, Wimbledon and New Zealand GC
A rundown of news and links from the world of croquet --
Personally, the wife and girls have been at the in-laws since Saturday, so I'm on day four of a five-day croquet binge. Getting on the court every day is awesome, but I may be a little behind on croquet news. Here is what I've seen lately:
Viewpoint: The Game Everyone Knows
I regularly do searches on "croquet" and the hashtag "#croquet" on Twitter. It's part of the job responsibility of digging up all I can find on the sport. Generally, the search results can be a little sparse.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: Jim Bast on Jerry Stark, Home Internationals and Print Lives
The June Issue of Croquet Network is now available in print thanks to a new service called MagCloud. The initial copy that looks pretty sharp. In addition, MagCloud is offering a June special for 25% off base price -- meaning you can get this issue for $6.10 plus shipping and handling. Use the "DADGRAD" coupon code to get this discount.
Read MoreToxaway Mountain Challenge - Golf Croquet Exhibition
he USCA is announcing the Toxaway Mountain Challenge in Lake Toxaway, North Carolina on July 10. The event is touted as a golf croquet exhibition and will feature a match with world class players Danny Huneycutt and Sherif Abdelwahab.
Read MoreMorning Coffee: NC Open, Mission Hills and the Double Target
Ben Rothman won the North Carolina Open this weekend and Jeff Soo posted a nice breakdown on the CroquetNC.org website with diagrams showing all of the key positions.
Bob Alman has an in-depth feature on the Mission Hills Croquet Club in Rancho Mirage, California, that chronicles how the 10-court club has built membership and become the "NCC of the West."
Featured in the Mission Hills Croquet Club article are several beautiful croquet paintings by Veronique Branger.
Leo Nikora has posted a critical gap analysis of roqueting a two-ball target ... relative to the distance of the two target balls. It includes a nice graph showing the percentage of success.
Check out this set of professional photos taken at the 2010 Rocky Mountain International Open. Very nice.
Open Thread: Grow the Sport
How would you grow the sport of croquet?
I'd like to invite everyone to share their thought on the approach they would take to both increase association memberships and raise the perception of croquet.
You can participate by clicking the comments button just under the title above.