On Nov. 3-6, 40 croquet players from throughout the country played a four-day event in Ponte Vedra. Players came from as far away as Baton Rouge; Chesapeake Bay, Virginia; the highlands in North Carolina; and all over Florida.
They were divided by their "D" grade (which is similar to a golf handicap) into two divisions: the Champion Division and the First Flight Division. They played nine other people in their blocks and then were seeded for the final competition rounds. The overall champion was James Creasey from the Denver Croquet Club.
The Ponte Vedra Croquet Club is centrally located behind the Ponte Vedra/Palm Valley elementary school. It is a membership club that welcomes new croquet players. Free introduction to the game is held Wednesday and Saturday mornings beginning at 9 a.m. For further information, go to Pontevedracroquetclub.com.
Croquet is a sport that all ages can play and involves a lot of skill and strategy. It is a sport where women can be as successful as men, and in fact, croquet was the first sport that allowed female participants in the Olympics.
