Croquet Mallets

I’ve recently begun playing croquet. This is the formal game on (fairly) smooth lawns with hoops that are only a few millimetres wider than the balls. Our family has had a cheap home croquet set for decades, but that game has thin wire hoops that can be tens of millimetres wider than the balls.

Anyway, I started at the beginning of October so it is five and a half elapsed months, but the lawns were closed for around five weeks over Christmas due to a broken watering system so my playing time is closer to four months.

Over that time I’ve used one of the many club mallets that are available. The grip style I am utilising is called the Solomon grip which often calls for a longer mallet than for those utilising the Standard grip or Irish grip¹. A standard mallet is usually 36 inches long (including the height of the mallet head), and it is recommended that someone using the Solomon grip find a mallet that is 2 to 4 inches longer. Our club mallets start at less than 36 inches and there are a few that are 38 inches tall.

Interestingly many clubs recommend that new players use club mallets for the first six months as they are learning the game, and to try a variety of mallet lengths to see what suits their style of play best. At our club I have practiced with a range of mallets from around 34 inches to 40 inches. The 38 inch and 40 inch have always seemed most comfortable to me.

So with my six month anniversary approaching, my wife suggested I may like to purchase a mallet for my birthday. I readily acceded.

A standard mallet weighs three pounds (1,360 grams) and has a head length of anywhere from 8.5 to 12 inches. I pondered different lengths and weights and considered the wares of all mallet manufacturers in Australia and New Zealand. Surprisingly there are seven in all. There are also a number of manufacturers in the USA and UK which I considered.

My primary considerations were: price, handle shape (some are round, some square, some octagonal, and others are round but with shaved sides), available lengths, handle material, aesthetics and availability.

Many producers make mallets for beginners or as part of better-quality lawn sets. These are usually around $150-200, but I was after what some would call a tournament mallet where the price range is more like $450-$1,000 depending on construction material, exchange rates and delivery costs.

In the UK a well considered brand is Dave Trimmer Mallets. The current waiting list is until October so I dismissed these.

One of the more popular mallet in the US is Oakley Woods but their pricing including delivery would be around $1,200 so I dismissed them.

In NZ the two main producers seem to be Terminator Mallets but their pricing structure seems overly complicated to me. The other producer is Wood Mallets which is the manufacturer I eventually chose.

The Australian manufacturers of tournament mallets seem to be:

• Invictus. The price would be around $900 plus postage.
• Transforma. These would end up being around $600 but I wasn’t convinced of their robustness or longevity.
• PFC Mallets. Nice mallets, but probably ending up at around $800.

As mentioned, I finally opted for a George Wood Evolution Mallet. The shafts are carbon fibre (and can be cut down if the shaft proves to be too long). Head lengths are either 10, 11 or 12 inch. Mallet lengths are from 32 to 42 inches. Overall mallet weights can be from 2 pound 10 ounce (1,190 grams) to 3 pound 4 ounce (1,474 grams).

I opted for a 42 inch mallet with a 10 inch head and 2 pound 14 ounce weight (1,304 grams). The slightly lighter weight was recommended by George Wood because the longer shaft produces a higher swing weight when using the mallet. The cost was in the vicinity of $470 delivered. A good quality mallet at less than half the cost of some comparable mallets on my list.

I’ve had the mallet for a week and used it a couple of times. It feels fine (and looks good). The slightly longer mallet (42 inch compared to the 38 inch I’ve generally used) will take a little getting used to, but I’m hoping I will develop a more upright stance over time.