Welcome to Budleigh Croquet College

 The Budleigh Croquet College (BCC) has been set up to offer croquet courses to players in the South West Croquet Federation clubs. In its inaugural year, the College is focussing on equipping players with the skills and tactical knowledge to improve their game. Courses are being offered across all the codes: Association, Golf and Short Croquet.  Our team of experienced lead coaches are also drawn from the South West region and will be well known to many of you.  All courses will be held at the Budleigh Club. A simple set of notes will accompany each course; in some cases more extensive material will be available at a modest additional cost.

Please note that lunches will not be available, participants should bring their own.  Free tea, coffee and biscuits will however be provided.
We hope that all course attendees benefit from our courses and enjoy their time with us.

Course booking
If you are not already a member of the Budleigh club, to book a course, you must first register on the Budleigh Club System as a Croquet College student. The good news: you only have to do this once! Once you are registered, you will be able to book courses by adding them to your basket and checking out in a similar way to many websites.
Places will be allocated in order of registration where a player's handicap falls within the range specified in the course description. If your handicap falls just outside the range and one week before the course is held places are still available, your place will be confirmed.  Full refunds will be made to those who do not make the cut in this way.

Please note: courses will be confirmed one week before the course date providing the minimum number of participants has been met. This measure is to ensure the College covers the costs of providing the course. Some courses may have to be cancelled due to low interest.
FOOTNOTE:
​When registering, you will be asked for personal information needed to process your course bookings. This includes contact and payment details. This information is managed and used according to the club privacy notice which can be reviewed during sign up.

Click to book courses

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Programme of courses in 2023

AC Openings : Saturday 11th February 2023
Areas covered: Standard, 2nd corner, duffer tice, supershot
​Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours; Handicap range: AC 12-

Getting Into Advanced Play : Part 1 of 2 Friday 17 February 2023
This two-day course is for intermediate-level players who have enjoyed success and are aspiring to push their handicap down well into single figures and beyond. It consolidates the fundamentals of the game with a practical romp through everything that really matters whilst offering a smorgasbord of tips and tricks to give you the competitive edge you deserve. After this course, you will know how to play breaks better, get yourself out of trouble, make planned leaves reliably, and make better tactical decisions. 
The course will run over two separate days with a break between. Entries accepted for either or both days. Part 2 is scheduled for Friday 3 March 2023.
Coach: Dave Kibble;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;  Handicap range: AC 8 to 14

Two-in-One strokes : Friday 24 February 2023
Optimising a GC stroke by adding a secondary purpose.
Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £13;    Duration: 3 hours
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Better break play : Saturday 25 February 2023
Refining the 4 ball break
Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours; Handicap range: AC 12-

Getting Into Advanced Play - Part 2 : Friday 3 March 2023
This two-day course is for intermediate-level players who have enjoyed success and are aspiring to push their handicap down well into single figures and beyond. It consolidates the fundamentals of the game with a practical romp through everything that really matters whilst offering a smorgasbord of tips and tricks to give you the competitive edge you deserve. After this course, you will know how to play breaks better, get yourself out of trouble, make planned leaves reliably, and make better tactical decisions.
The course will run over two separate days with a break between. Entries accepted for either or both days.
Coach: Dave Kibble;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: AC 8 to 14

Golf Croquet Mistakes : Friday 10 March 2023
Mistakes made in preparation and playing GC and how to avoid them
Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: GC 4 to 9

3 ball endings : Sunday 12 March 2023
1-ball and 2-ball player tactics
Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours; Handicap range: AC 8-

Practical Competitive Golf Croquet : Friday 17 March 2023
This one-day course is for intermediate-level players who have enjoyed success and are aspiring to push their handicaps down. It consolidates the fundamentals of the game with a practical review of everything that really matters, giving you the competitive edge you deserve. After this course, you will know how to make better tactical decisions, get yourself out of trouble, and focus your practice to improve the important skills.
Coach: Dave Kibble;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;  Handicap range: GC 3 to 8

AC shot technique : Saturday 18 March 2023
AC shots (roll shots, stop shots etc, more aimed at high bisquers)
Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours; Handicap range: AC 12+

Every Shot is Tactical : Friday 24 March 2023
Five-shot thinking; Partner play; Transferring the hamper; Percentage play
Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: GC 4 to 9

An introduction to Association Croquet for GC players : Friday 31 March 2023
Playing GC has given you most of the skills you need to be able to play AC.  The  additional skills and strategies needed to play AC are therefore fewer than you may think.  This short course is designed to give you a flavour of the joys of AC and will be followed by a series of special tutored roll-ups where you can play doubles partnering an experienced player who will guide you through each shot while you develop confidence.
Coach: Robert Moss;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 1/2 day; Handicap range: Any GC

AC Improver Thursday 6 April 2023
Are you an AC player with a 14+ handicap keen to reduce your handicap by improving your game? Then this one-day AC course, focusing on your needs, is for you. The course will be guided by the needs of the participants. Material covered will include  warm up and practice routines, improving your strokes, developing a successful 4 ball break, controlled hoop running, improving your rushes, openings, 3 ball break, picking up the 4th ball and leaves. Developing tactical play, making best use of bisques play, and thriving with competitive play will also be included. By the end of the course, participants will be ready to reduce their AC handicaps during 2023.
Coach: Paul Francis;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: AC 14+

GC Improver : Tuesday 11 April 2023
Are you a GC player with a 7+ handicap keen to reduce your handicap by improving your game? Then this one-day GC course, focusing on your needs, is for you.  The course will be guided by the needs of the participants. Material covered will include: improving your strokes, developing tactical play, making best use of extra strokes / playing against them, advantage play and thriving in competitive play. By the end of the course, participants will be ready to reduce their GC handicaps during 2023.
Coach: Paul Francis;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;  Handicap range: GC 7+

Getting from B to A : Friday 14 April 2023
This one-day course is for players wanting to move into the A-class. You’ve probably already done (or got close to) a triple peel and this course will equip you to do them more reliably and help you develop the skills, both mental and tactical, to compete with the best of them. Break play, leaves and peeling are the main topics, but all aspects of A-Class play feature, including how to get and keep yourself in the right frame of mind.
After this course, you will understand what error-free play means and how to get yourself there. With clips on penult and one, you will expect to finish this turn; and if there’s a triple to do, you’ll approach it confidently.

• Being an A-Class player: mindset, expectation and making it (look) easy
• Advanced & Super-Advanced Play
• Openings: what they are about and how to take advantage
• Leaves: pros and cons of standard leaves and how to make them reliably"
Coach: Dave Kibble;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;  Handicap range: AC 0 to 6
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Taming the triple : Friday 21 April 2023
This is a small-group course for players who want either to complete their first triple, or to complete triples more consistently. It simplifies the triple peel and makes it accessible to players who do not (yet!) have expert-level skills. Please note this course is not available to players attending any other BSCC peeling course.
Coach: Roger Mills;    Cost: £20;    Duration: 1 day;  Handicap range: AC 1 to 5

Short Croquet 1-day Course: Friday 28 April 2023
Main tactical and rule differences between AC and SC. Opening tactics and responses; peels; lifts.
Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: SC 8-

Advanced Peeling Workshop : Friday 28 April 2023
This course goes beyond ""Getting from B to A"" with an in-depth focus on peeling.
• Peeling fundamentals and dealing with it not going right first time
• Perfecting the triple: standard and delayed triples
• Advanced peels beyond the standard set
Coach: Dave Kibble;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: AC -1 to 3

Getting maximum bang for your bisques : Friday 5 May 2023
Do you waste bisques? Do you want to learn how you can always use 1 bisque to set up a 4-ball break? Yes?  Then you need to come on this course!
Coach: Roger Mills;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 1/2 day;  Handicap range: AC 8 to 18

Pioneering Croquet (AC 14 to 18) : Monday 22nd May 2023
If you want to improve your break play – setting up a good break and keeping it going – then come and learn how to play Pioneering Croquet. It will change your game!
Coach: Roger Mills;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 1/2 day;  Handicap range: AC 14 to 18

Pioneering Croquet (AC 8 to 12) : Friday 7 July 2023
If you want to improve your break play – setting up a good break and keeping it going – then come and learn how to play Pioneering Croquet. It will change your game!
Coach: Roger Mills;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 1/2 day; Handicap range: AC 8 to 12

Develop your coaching skills : Friday 21 July 2023
Are you enthusiastic about coaching? I am! Whether you are qualified or unqualified, experienced or just starting out on your coaching journey, let’s spend the day together as a small group learning how to become great coaches.  Please note, you will need to spend a half-day before the course preparing for it. A 40-page course manual is available for £5.
Coach: Roger Mills;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day; Handicap range: AC 12-; GC 6-

The 4-back peel : Saturday 29 July 2023
In depth course on the 4 back peel
Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours;  Handicap range: AC 6-
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An introduction to Short Croquet : Friday 8 September 2023
​This course is suitable for GC players who would like to try something new and also for AC players who want to know why SC is gaining such a dramatic surge in interest.
Coach: Robert Moss;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 1/2 day;  Handicap range: Any