PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Are you looking to try out a new sport?
Then you need to come to the National Croquet Center near West Palm Beach. The center offers 12 lush lawns with plans to expand.
Instructors offer free lessons on Saturday mornings.
"It's so relaxing and peaceful," David McCoy, chairman of the board of the Croquet Foundation of America, said. "It's right in the heart of West Palm Beach yet you don't know there is anything else around."
West Palm Beach is home to the world's largest dedicated croquet facility — spanning about four acres.
Croquet has been in the U.S. since the 1860s. Players use a mallet to hit the ball through a course of six metal hoops called "wickets."
"It's really a good challenge to your mind, and it involves some exercise and physicality," McCoy said.
The execution is quite hard — even for top professionals like Zack Watson, the center's croquet director.
Not typically a popular sport among young people, it took a while for Watson to discover his love for the game
"It's a lot of angles. It's a lot of geometry. It's a giant pool table," Watson explained. "You add in the basic layout of golf with a little bit of strategy of let's say chess."
After watching Watson hit a few balls, WPTV First Alert Weather meteorologist Kate Wentzel figured it was time to give it a try.
Watson first worked on Wentzel's grip.
"Left hand on the top except with your right you're going under it with the same style," Watson explained. "If you try your backswing now, look at how far back you can go. See the wrist in there? Boom, we call this the Solomon grip."
He then worked on Wentzel's precision
"There's not a lot of forgiveness," Watson said. "You have to get very, very accurate if you're wanting (the ball) to go through."
In no time, with Watson's coaching, Wentzel was having some croquet success.
The longer the distance, the more challenging the game is.
But like anything in life, practice makes perfect.
"It gives you a good balance from a sport you can play all your life," Watson said. "If you can walk you can play croquet."
