Retiring Baby Boomer Trends | Real Estate Scorecard

Published on March 26, 2012

As we travel searching for active senior living communities, we've noticed the sport of lawn croquet gaining in popularity with Baby Boomers. Beautifully manicured croquet lawns are becoming the latest amenity, some at the level of Signature designed golf courses and USTA tennis courts. Dating back to the 18th century, ladies playing lawn croquet wore long gowns and fashionable hats while men wore suits and ties. Today, the proper regulation attire for ladies and gentlemen is to be dressed in crisp white. The sport seems simple, hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through wickets or wire hoops. Like the game of golf, lawn croquet is not as easy as it appears. Strategic thinking and putting like-skills are all that’s needed to play at a professional level. This low impact sport requires no physical strength or fast reflexes. Whether you’re a man or a woman, the playing field is leveled with this outdoor sport and is a great sport for couples to enjoy together.

The United States Croquet Association has about 200 croquet clubs in the US and 3,000 inspiring women and men who are members across the globe. Several of the best colleges have croquet clubs as well such as Harvard University, US Naval Academy and Penn State. Palm Beach Florida is home to the National Croquet Center, the largest croquet center in the world. If you’re looking to be inspired to learn the game of croquet, visit the 19,000 square foot facility and Croquet Hall of Fame in South Florida. After a 2 hour lesson, you can be well on your way to engaging in the sport along with meeting new friends and enjoying fun social clubs.

Here are 11 of the best master planned communities on our website who have USCA regulation croquet lawns and croquet social clubs:

Grand Haven Golf Club - Palm Coast Florida
Hammock Dunes Club - Palm Coast Florida
Chestatee on Lake Lanier - Northern Georgia Mountains
Burlingame Country Club - Western North Carolina
St. James Plantation - Wilmington North Carolina
Daniel Island - Charleston South Carolina
Dataw Island - Beaufort South Carolina
Kiawah Island - Charleston South Carolina
Seabrook Island - Charleston South Carolina
The Reserve at Lake Keowee - Western South Carolina
Wild Dunes Resort - Charleston South Carolina

As your croquet skills improve, you may want to consider competing against inspiring women and men at one of the USCA Sanctioned Tournaments coming up this year.

Here is a list of croquet competitions scheduled in the Southeast:

April 25 - 29, 2012 Dorothy Fosse Invitational at Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast Florida

May 16 - 20, 2012 USCA Southeast Regional Championship at Hilton Head Island in South Carolina

May 28 - June 3, 2012 Bald Head Island Invitational in South Carolina

June 6 - 10, 2012 Mountain Laurel Invitation at Chattooga Club in Cashiers North Carolina

June 13 -17, 2012 Etowah Valley Singles Invitational in Etowah Valley North Carolina

Sept 14 - 16, 2012 Bald Head Island Handicap Adjuster in South Carolina

Sept 19, 2012 Russ Wagner Memorial, Toxaway Invitational Golf Croquet Tournament at Lake Toxaway Country Club in Western North Carolina

Oct 4 - 7, 2012 Autumn Leaves Invitation at Chattooga Club in Cashiers North Carolina

Oct 8 - 9, 2012 Pro-Am President’s Cup at Bald Head Island in South Carolina

October 10 -13, 2012 Solomon Trophy at Bald Head Island in South Carolina

October 15 - 21, 2012 USCA National Championship in Palm Beach Florida