History of Strand Croquet

In the early days of COVID, a small group of residents sought ways to stay active. In May 2020, John Clark suggested playing croquet as it met COVID regulations: an outdoor game, social distancing, and small group size. The initial players included the Clark, Eggleston, Cable, Dutton, Rees, and Delfin families. They chose Mondays for Croquet Day and used the driving range for their makeshift court. Elvis Gooden, the Strand Club's general manager, noticed their games and asked about it. This sparked the idea of finding a permanent location. After trying different spots unsuccessfully, Elvis proposed the current court area, which was used by local dogs and was often swampy. They made it work, and John Clark, a skilled carpenter, started crafting mallets. Seeing its popularity, they asked the Strand Club to build a regulation-sized court, which they did with proper drainage, irrigation, and grass seed. Strand Croquet began in full swing by March 2021. They joined the Naples Interclub league in spring 2022, coming in second place in their inaugural year. This year, they won first place against Bonita Bay in a challenging match.