Croquet is making a comeback. Not the backyard-at-a-family-reunion kind, though that version has its charms. Competitive, organized croquet is growing in communities across the country, and the clubs driving that growth are actively looking for new members. Whether you’ve watched a match and wanted to try, or you’ve played casually and want to take your game somewhere with real courts and real coaching, the question of how to join a croquet club is one more people are asking every year.
The good news: croquet club membership is far less complicated than joining a golf club, far less physically demanding than tennis, and far more social than most sports. This guide covers everything you need to know, from the first inquiry to your first tournament.
Why Croquet Club Membership Is Worth Exploring
Before getting into the mechanics of joining a club, it helps to understand what you’re actually signing up for. Croquet clubs aren’t stuffy or exclusive. The best ones are built around community, friendly competition, and the kind of outdoor social life that makes mountain living so appealing in the first place.
Beyond the lawn itself, croquet club membership opens doors to instruction, interclub competition, and a social calendar that brings players together throughout the season. You’re not just joining to use the facilities. You’re joining a community of people who share the same appreciation for a game that rewards patience, precision, and strategic thinking over raw athleticism.
Different Types of Clubs
Not all clubs are structured the same way. Before you start the joining process, it’s worth understanding the landscape so you know which membership fits your life.
Standalone Croquet Clubs
These clubs exist specifically for croquet and are governed by organizations like the United States Croquet Association (USCA). They tend to attract serious players, offer structured competitive programming, and may host regional or national tournaments. Membership costs are typically lower, but amenities are limited to the sport itself.
Country Club Croquet Programs
This is the category Burlingame falls into. Country club sports programs like this one offer croquet as part of a broader amenity package. You get the USCA-regulation lawn and competitive programming, plus everything else the club has to offer. For players who want croquet alongside a full club lifestyle, this is usually the better fit.
Community Recreation Programs
Some parks and recreation departments have added croquet facilities as part of a larger lawn sports offering. These are low-commitment entry points, good for testing whether you enjoy the sport, but they rarely offer the level of instruction, maintenance, or competitive structure that a private club provides.
Knowing which type of club you’re looking for shapes every part of the joining process that follows.
How to Join a Croquet Club: A Step-by-Step Overview
The process of joining a club varies somewhat by club type, but the general path follows a predictable sequence. Here’s what to expect.
Step 1: Research and Initial Contact
Start by identifying clubs in your area with active croquet programs. Organizations like the USCA maintain directories of affiliated clubs, and for those in Western North Carolina, Burlingame’s lawn sports program is among the most comprehensive in the region. A basic web search for croquet clubs near your location will surface options, but reading through each club’s actual programming tells you more than any directory listing.
Step 2: Schedule a Visit
There’s no substitute for seeing the club in person. During a visit, you’ll get a feel for the lawns, the facility, the other players, and whether the club culture is a good match for your personality. Good croquet clubs welcome prospective members warmly. If a club makes a first-time visitor feel like an outsider, that tells you something important.
During your visit, pay attention to the quality of lawn maintenance, the availability of instruction and coaching, how active the competitive calendar is, and whether the members genuinely enjoy each other’s company. Croquet’s greatest appeal is social, and the community matters as much as the sport itself.
Step 3: Review Membership Options and Costs
After your visit, ask for a breakdown of membership categories and associated costs. Most clubs offer tiered structures that accommodate individual, couples, family, and sometimes junior or senior memberships. We’ll go deeper on cost structures in a moment, but this is the stage where you ask the specific questions: What’s included? Are there monthly dues separate from an initiation fee? Does the membership include guest access?
Step 4: Complete the Application
For country clubs with formal membership processes, the application typically involves a written form, references from current members (in some cases), and a waiting period for approval. For standalone clubs or recreational programs, the application may be as simple as paying dues and signing a waiver.
At Burlingame, the membership application process is designed to be approachable. The club isn’t looking to be difficult. They’re looking for people who will contribute positively to the community and take genuine joy in the mountain lifestyle.
Step 5: Orientation and Integration
Once your club membership is confirmed, most clubs offer some form of orientation for new members. This might be a formal introduction to facilities, a meet-and-greet with key staff and existing members, or an informal walkthrough of club programming. Take this seriously. The relationships you build in the first few months of membership often define your experience for years afterward.
Membership Categories: What’s Typically Available
Croquet club membership structures vary, but most clubs offer some version of these primary categories.
Individual Membership
Covers one adult member. Ideal for solo players, seasonal residents who visit without family, or anyone whose household has varied interests.
Family Membership
Includes adults and dependent children in the household. Families who want to introduce younger players to the sport or who simply want to ensure everyone can access the club’s broader offerings typically choose this tier.
Junior Membership
Some clubs offer reduced-rate access for younger players, typically under 18 or under 25. This is more common at standalone competitive clubs affiliated with the USCA, where junior development programs exist specifically to grow the sport’s future participant base.
Senior Membership
Age-discounted options for players over a certain threshold, commonly 65 or 70. Croquet is particularly well-suited for senior members because the sport requires minimal physical exertion while still demanding mental sharpness and strategic thinking, making it one of the most genuinely age-accessible competitive sports available.
At Burlingame, the benefits of joining a country club extend well beyond any single sport, making membership-tier decisions a conversation worth having with the membership director directly.
What Does Croquet Club Membership Cost?
Cost is usually the first practical question prospective members ask, and the honest answer is that it varies significantly depending on club type, location, and what’s included.
Standalone Croquet Clubs
Annual dues at USCA-affiliated standalone clubs typically range from a few hundred dollars to around $1,000 per year, depending on the region and facility quality. Some clubs charge one-time initiation fees in addition to annual dues, though these are generally modest compared to private golf or country clubs.
Country Club Croquet Programs
When croquet club membership is part of a broader country club package, pricing reflects the full amenity bundle rather than the cost of croquet as a standalone activity. This means higher overall costs, but also dramatically more value. The question isn’t whether the price is higher in absolute terms. It’s whether the full package justifies the difference, and for most families who use multiple amenities regularly, it does.
Initiation fees at private country clubs vary widely, from five figures at highly prestigious clubs to more accessible entry points at community-oriented clubs that prioritize membership growth. Monthly dues typically add to initiation fees and may also include minimum food-and-beverage spend requirements.
Hidden Costs to Ask About
Before signing any membership agreement, ask specifically about: guest fees when you bring non-member friends, equipment rental or purchase requirements, fees for private lessons or clinics separate from general membership, locker or storage fees, and any seasonal assessments that aren’t included in the base dues figure.
For a clear picture of what Burlingame Country Club membership investment looks like, reaching out directly to Jennifer Webb at 828.966.9200 is the right move. Membership pricing at private clubs is rarely publicly posted, and the details matter enough to warrant a real conversation.
Trial Memberships and Guest Play Opportunities
One of the smartest things you can do before committing to club membership is to take advantage of guest play options. Most clubs understand that prospective members need to experience the sport and the community before writing a check, and they structure access accordingly.
Guest Play Days
Many clubs schedule open-to-the-public introductory sessions during peak season. These might be free or low-cost events designed specifically to introduce new players to the sport and the club. Attending one of these before applying gives you a chance to play on the actual lawns, meet current members, and get a feel for the club’s culture without any obligation.
Sponsored Visits
At private clubs, the typical path involves being brought as a guest by an existing member. If you know someone at Burlingame or another private club with a croquet program, asking for a sponsored visit is standard practice and usually welcomed enthusiastically. Current members often get credit toward their own dues for successful referrals.
Trial Memberships
Less common but worth asking about, some clubs offer short-term trial memberships during the season. These give prospective members access to facilities and programming for a defined period, often at a prorated rate, before deciding on full annual membership. Not every club structures things this way, but it’s a reasonable ask.
The bottom line: a good club wants you to be confident before you join. Any club that pressures you to sign without letting you experience the sport first is worth approaching with caution.
What to Expect as a New Croquet Club Member
The first season as a new member often sets the tone for everything that follows. Here’s what the experience typically looks like at a well-run club.
Initial Skill Assessment
Most clubs don’t expect new members to arrive with competitive skills. The sport’s beauty is that the fundamentals can be absorbed in a single lesson and refined over years of play. That said, knowing where you’re starting helps coaches and playing partners pair you appropriately. A brief, informal assessment during your first few sessions is common and helpful.
Golf Croquet is typically where beginners start. The rules are simpler, the games move faster, and the fundamental shot-making skills transfer directly to the more complex six-wicket game as players develop. Many clubs teach Golf Croquet first specifically because new players can jump in and enjoy competitive matches immediately, without needing to master the intricate strategy of sequential play.
Instruction and Coaching
Look for clubs that offer formal instruction, whether through group clinics, private sessions with a resident professional, or both. At Burlingame, Tom Tyler serves as the Lawn Sports Professional and brings certified coaching credentials and substantial experience managing and growing croquet, pickleball, and tennis programs.
Good instruction makes the learning curve much shorter and more enjoyable. Players who take a few lessons early tend to advance faster and feel more comfortable participating in club events than those who try to figure everything out on their own.
The Club’s Social Calendar
Croquet clubs run on their social calendars. Interclub matches against neighboring clubs, internal member tournaments, casual social matches, and organized clinics form the backbone of the active season. Most of these events are genuinely fun regardless of your skill level, because croquet culture values sportsmanship and camaraderie as much as competitive results.
Getting on the club’s email list and showing up to a few events early in your membership, even just to watch, accelerates your integration into the community considerably.
Club Etiquette: What New Members Need to Know
Every sport has its unwritten rules, and croquet is no exception. Getting these right early makes the experience better for everyone.
Dress Code
Traditional croquet has long been associated with white attire, and many competitive clubs maintain some version of this dress code for formal play. Casual club play tends to be more relaxed, but smart-casual athletic wear is generally the right call. When in doubt, ask before your first session. No one wants to show up underdressed to an interclub match.
Lawn Care
Croquet lawns require careful maintenance, and club members share responsibility for protecting the playing surface. Avoid walking in certain areas, handle equipment carefully, and never drag mallets across the turf. Clubs take lawn condition seriously, and members who treat the facility respectfully are noticed and appreciated.
Game Etiquette
Keep pace with other matches on adjacent lawns. Avoid walking through active games. Congratulate opponents genuinely. Croquet attracts a particularly gracious playing culture, and that culture is worth honoring from day one.
Equipment Protocol
Most clubs provide equipment for new members and casual play, but serious players typically invest in their own mallets and balls as they advance. Borrow equipment carefully, return it in good condition, and ask before using anything that isn’t clearly designated as shared.
Croquet at Burlingame Country Club: A Mountain Setting Unlike Any Other
The croquet program at Burlingame is played on a USCA-regulation lawn, which is why organizations like Community Finder have recognized the club as one of the top master-planned communities with regulation croquet facilities. The combination of that competitive infrastructure with the broader country club sports program, including four Har-Tru tennis courts, four pickleball courts, an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Jackson, and the Rejuvenate Spa and Wellness complex, makes this an unusual place.
If country club membership benefits beyond croquet are part of the picture, the dining program alone is worth a visit. Six indoor and outdoor venues, a team of professionally trained chefs drawing on seasonal and locally sourced ingredients, and panoramic mountain views make post-match dining genuinely something to look forward to.
Member Perspectives on the Croquet Experience
The best evidence of what croquet club membership actually delivers comes from the people who live it. Burlingame members consistently describe the club’s social culture as one of its defining qualities. Members describe feeling welcomed immediately, being surprised by how quickly casual matches turned into genuine friendships, and being genuinely delighted to discover a sport they hadn’t planned to love.
This tracks with what makes croquet different from many competitive sports. The relaxed pace creates natural conversation. The strategy creates genuine points of connection between players at different skill levels. And the club setting provides a consistent, comfortable backdrop that encourages spontaneous social interaction that builds community over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I try croquet before committing to membership?
Yes, and you should. Ask about guest play options, sponsored visits, or open house events before applying. A good club will welcome you to experience the sport and community before you decide.
Is croquet a good sport for seniors?
Croquet is one of the most genuinely age-accessible competitive sports available. It requires minimal physical exertion, rewards strategic thinking over athleticism, and is played at a pace that accommodates players across a wide range of fitness levels. Many of the sport’s best players are in their 60s, 70s, and beyond.
What equipment do I need to bring to my first session?
Flat-soled athletic shoes are the primary requirement for protecting the lawn. The club will typically provide mallets and balls for beginners. Comfortable clothing that meets the club’s dress guidelines rounds it out.
Taking the Next Step
Croquet club membership is an easy decision to put off and a hard one to regret once you make it. The sport has a way of surprising people who approach it casually. What starts as a curious afternoon on the lawn becomes a weekly anchor, then a genuine passion, then one of the things you look forward to most about wherever you’ve chosen to build your life.
In Sapphire Valley and across Western North Carolina, that life comes together at the Burlingame Country Club. The lawns are maintained to a competition standard. The instruction is serious. The community is warm, unpretentious, and genuinely fun. And the backdrop, mountains, rivers, forest, and clean air, is about as good as it gets for outdoor sports of any kind.
To learn more about croquet club membership in Burlingame or to schedule a personal visit, contact Jennifer Webb at 828.966.9200 or via the contact page. She’ll walk you through every aspect of the joining process and help you figure out whether Burlingame is the right fit. It usually is.