Croquet mallets and balls in Ellsworth and Mount Desert Island
The short answer: croquet players in Ellsworth, on Mount Desert Island and along Maine's Downeast coast can order an Invictus mallet or Invictus X balls from our website for delivery to Maine. On the region's close-cut bent grass, the Invictus Rise, our most popular mallet, is a dependable first choice.
Croquet in Ellsworth and on Mount Desert Island
The heart of Downeast croquet is the Woodlawn Museum in Ellsworth, the former Black Mansion, whose family once played on a court of about 3,200 square feet bordered by a lilac hedge behind the house. Today Woodlawn has what it calls the only public nationally sanctioned croquet court in Maine, built in 2006: a full 84 by 105 feet of tightly compacted bent grass, cut to a quarter inch three times a week. An active membership program offers social and tournament play, and three tournaments each season draw players from around the country. Woodlawn and Brooksville hosted the Maine-New Hampshire Six-Wicket Croquet Championship in 2009, and the Big Lobster Tournament has opened with nine-wicket doubles at the Claremont Hotel in Southwest Harbor before switching to six-wicket on the Woodlawn court. Private courts across Mount Desert Island host competitive play too.
What Downeast lawns and weather mean for your mallet
Coastal Maine has a short, cool summer and long, snowy winters, so the croquet season is compact. Fog off the Gulf of Maine and morning dew can leave grass damp until midday. Bent grass mown that short rolls fast and true once it dries, and with wickets offering less than a sixteenth of an inch of clearance, a smooth, accurate stroke counts for more than force.
Your Invictus mallet for Downeast lawns
Invictus Rise, US$695: our most popular model, with roughly three pounds of aluminum in the head and a modestly enlarged sweet spot that makes it a little easier to control. Most Rise owners are best served by the 11 inch head.
RF Pro, US$1,295: our flagship, worked out together with World Champion Robert Fletcher. Composite faces and brass weights are fitted to a head 3D printed from aluminum; at near 2 lb 12 oz it is lighter and very precise.
Every mallet is made to order. Send your handle length, choose 11 inches or 12 for the head, and take Graphite Black at no cost or pay US$119 for Deep Purple, Rose Gold, NRA Blue or Snow White. See the fitting guide and compare mallets.
Balls for Maine clubs
Invictus X: 450 g a ball, approved by the World Croquet Federation for championship play, made entirely in Australia, US$635 per set. A club court is well served by a first-color set plus a second-color set. For background read what WCF approval means.
Delivery to Ellsworth
From order to arrival in Downeast Maine is usually 4 to 8 weeks for a made-to-order mallet, and that is an estimate. Ball sets ship after you have agreed to the delivered price we give you.
Questions Downeast players ask
The season is short. When should I order? In early spring, so the mallet is ready for opening day.
What if it does not suit me? The optional 30-day satisfaction guarantee (US$99) gives you a month to decide.
Can it stay in an unheated building over winter? Yes; cold does not harm aluminum. See product care.
More American places: Invictus in the United States.
Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.