The What, Where and How
Bowling balls
There are a number of places to pick up bowling balls:
- Garage / yard sales – I generally won’t pay more than $5
- Thrift shops – at the Goodwill Outlets (aka “The Bins”) a ball is $2 instead of by weight. In general I still look to spend no more than $5.
- Bowling alleys – sometimes they will sell used balls and sometimes their Pro shop may have a miss-drilled ball to unload. Call and ask!
Sledgehammers
- Currently there is no regulation Mondo Croquet sledgehammer. Most typically players are using a 6, 8 or 10 lb sledge purchased from your local friendly hardware store. You are welcome to use any weight hammer that works the best for you.
Hoops – and Making Them
- Mondo Croquet hoops are commonly made out of rebar which has been bent around a telephone pole.
- Your local hardware store may have rebar, Home Depot has a good selection pre-cut, and you can always find a local company that will cut you as many lengths of whatever size you’d like.
- A three-foot length is a bit short, four foot is about right. Thin gauge is fine.
- How do you bend them? I use two pipes and bend the rebar around a handy telephone pole. Click here to see Aaron showing you how! There is no regulation hoop size. They just have to be big enough for a bowling ball to pass through.
