The Eufaula Country Club is the home of the Eufaula Croquet Club, one of only three croquet clubs in Alabama. The ECC Croquet Club has two croquet courts/lawns, a croquet pavilion and is the only club in Alabama with lighted croquet courts.

Croquet is experiencing a huge grown in popularity in the USA. There are now over 600 croquet venues in the United States. Since building the first croquet lawn in 2021, the sport has become one of the most popular activities at the Eufaula Country Club. The ECC Croquet Club has 42 dues paying members who regularly play. Virtually everyone who has tried playing croquet in Eufaula has become a regular player.

Benefits of Croquet – Several scientific studies have showed the benefits of playing croquet. They are: croquet is a very social game and a lot of fun to play, it is a good outdoor exercise, it is intellectually challenging, it can be played at any age, women play equally as well as men, it is a sport that couples can play together, it encourages a positive attitude, it emphasizes good sportsmanship and camaraderie, it has mental benefits and it improves self-esteem.

Golf Croquet - The are two main versions of croquet: backyard croquet and 6 wicket croquet. “Backyard Croquet” is usually played on lumpy backyard lawns with 10.5” wide wire wickets. The most popular croquet version, sometimes referred to as professional croquet, is played with 6 iron wickets which are 3.75” wide, allowing only 1/8” clearance for the ball. There are two main versions of 6 wicket croquet, Association Croquet and Golf Croquet. We play Golf Croquet at the ECC. Golf Croquet is a game of skill, strategy, and lots of defense. One of our members commented that comparing Backyard Croquet to 6 wicket croquet is like comparing Miniature Golf to playing golf at the Masters at Augusta National.

Croquet Activities - The most popular croquet activity is Wine & Wickets which is held every Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 PM. Players, when they are not playing a friendly game of croquet, hang out in the pavilion and enjoy the cash bar and appetizers. Organized croquet is also held on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons. Members can reserve a court and play at any other time that there are no scheduled croquet activities. Due to the relatively mild winters in Eufaula, people enjoy playing croquet all year long.

Croquet Club Fees - Only ECC members can join the ECC Croquet Club. The cost to belong to the ECC Croquet Club is $50 per calendar year per person which entitles the member to play unlimited croquet for the year. Croquet players, including children, that are non ECC Croquet Club members must pay $5.00 each time they play. The croquet fees are used for: croquet equipment, croquet court maintenance, croquet events and promotion and the ECC Croquet Club’s annual membership fee in the United States Croquet Association. All croquet players must be ECC members, their minor children or the ECC members accompanied out-of-town guests. Children must be at least 12 years old to play croquet and 18 years old to play unaccompanied by an adult.

Croquet “Whites” – It is a century old, worldwide tradition for croquet players to wear “Whites”. In keeping with that tradition, croquet players at the ECC must wear all white apparel “Whites” and flat-soled, lawn friendly shoes. Players not wearing all white apparel are not allowed to play. The only exception is for first time players who do not have all whites.

Lessons – Very few people in the ECC Croquet Club were croquet players before they were introduced to the sport at the ECC. People are encouraged to come out and play. The ECC Croquet Club gives free croquet lessons to anyone that wants to learn how to play. To learn more about croquet or to schedule a free lesson contact Terry Honan at 334-695-3520.