Croquet mallets and balls in New Plymouth

The short answer: New Plymouth and Taranaki players can order an Invictus mallet built to their handle length, and clubs can order Invictus X balls, online with courier delivery from Australia. On Taranaki's green, often damp lawns the Invictus Rise is the natural first choice.

Croquet in New Plymouth

Croquet has been played in Taranaki for more than 150 years; the Taranaki Herald was printing New Plymouth club season results in 1908. The New Plymouth Croquet Club has four lawns on Baring Terrace in Strandon, beside the Te Henui River and close to the Coastal Walkway, and plays association and golf croquet. Golf croquet runs on Tuesday to Saturday mornings, with association on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday afternoons.

In summer a twilight golf croquet session for novices and casual players runs on Wednesdays from 5pm to 7pm, and the Business House competition fills Tuesday evenings with teams of two playing 45-minute games over six weeks. It is one of seven clubs in Croquet Taranaki, with West End and Tasman in New Plymouth and Inglewood, Stratford, Hawera and Hawera Park further round the mountain.

What New Plymouth's lawns and weather mean for your mallet

Taranaki is mild and green, with rain spread through the year and westerly weather off the Tasman Sea. Grass grows well in almost every month, so lawns are often thick, and a wet morning can leave them heavy until the afternoon. Head weight and a forgiving strike zone help then.

Which Invictus mallet suits New Plymouth players

Invictus Rise. More players choose it than anything else we make. Roughly three pounds sits in its aluminium head, enough for lush Taranaki grass, and its sweet spot is a little bigger than normal, making the Rise slightly more forgiving to control. We tend to fit the 11 inch head.

RF Pro. The top model, worked out with World Champion Robert Fletcher. Its head is printed in aluminium on a 3D printer and carries brass weights behind composite faces; at around 2 lb 12 oz it is the lighter, very precise option for players who prize touch.

Give us your handle measurement and a head length of 11 or 12 inches and we build from there. Standard colour is Graphite Black, and four others, Snow White, NRA Blue, Rose Gold and Deep Purple, carry a surcharge. Head weight comes with the model. Our fitting guide walks you through measuring.

Balls for Taranaki clubs

Every Invictus X ball weighs 450 g, is produced wholly in Australia and is World Croquet Federation approved for championship use. A four-lawn club would normally keep four sets of firsts and four of seconds; club ball sets explains the thinking.

Delivery to New Plymouth

Allow, as a rough guide only, 4 to 8 weeks between ordering and your mallet turning up in Taranaki, since each is made individually. Balls are couriered, with the full delivered cost agreed up front.

Questions New Plymouth players ask

Does Taranaki rain affect an aluminium head? No. It will not soak up water or rot; towel it off after a wet session, as product care describes.

Is there a way to test one? Yes: the optional 30-day satisfaction guarantee lets you take it to the Baring Terrace lawns for a month before you commit.

Which is better for golf croquet? Both play it well. Compare mallets covers the differences, and pricing sits on each product page.

Other New Zealand towns are listed on the New Zealand page.

Designed in Queensland, made in Australia.