Welcome to Budleigh Croquet College

Welcome to Budleigh Croquet College
The Budleigh Croquet College (BCC) has been set up to offer croquet courses to the South West Croquet Federation region. In its third 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 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. Complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits will however be provided. We hope that all course attendees benefit from our courses and enjoy their time with us.
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Accommodation
If you are travelling a distance, why not take advantage of our Lawnside apartments. 
For more information please visit www.thelawnside.co.uk

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 must 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.
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NOTES:
1. 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.
2. Weather is always variable in the early months of the year. Courses may have to be postponed should conditions hamper the delivery of the course. In this case, every effort will be made to re-schedule, but if this is not possible, a full refund will be made.
FOOTNOTE:
When registering, you will be asked a 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 2025 

SCB1: Golf Croquet Mistakes
Tuesday 18 February 2025
Mistakes made in preparation and playing GC and how to avoid them
Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: SCB1;   Handicap range: GC 4 to 9

SCB2: Every Shot is Tactical
Tuesday 11 March 2025
Five-shot thinking; Partner play; Transferring the hamper; Percentage play
Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: SCB2;   Handicap range: GC 4 to 9

PF1: GC Improver
Tuesday 18 March 2025
Are you a GC player with a 8+ 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 2025.

Coach: Paul Francis;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: PF1;   Handicap range: GC 8+

DK1: Practical Competitive Association Croquet
Thursday 20 March 2025
A practical romp through everything that really matters, whilst offering a smorgasbord of tips and tricks to give you the competitive edge you need.  Topics include:-

• Break management (keep it going and get back on track when things start going wrong)
• ​Play around the hoops (angled and difficult hoops, getting in front from impossible positions, hampered continuation), Practice routines,
• Other topics of interest!

Coach: Dave Kibble;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: DK1;   Handicap range: AC 6 to 14

PF2: GC Improver
Tuesday 1 April 2025
Are you a GC player with a 8+ 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 2025.

Coach: Paul Francis;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: PF2;   Handicap range: GC 8+

DR1: Workshop: AC Openings
Saturday 5 April 2025
Standard, 2nd corner, duffer tice, supershot
Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours;    Course code: DR1;   Handicap range: AC 12-

DK2: Practical Competitive Golf Croquet
Tuesday 8 April 2025
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;    Course code: DK2;   Handicap range: GC 3 to 8

DR2: Masterclass: AC shot technique
Saturday 12 April 2025
AC shots (roll shots, stop shots etc, more aimed at high bisquers)

Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours;    Course code: DR2;   Handicap range: AC 12+

SCB3: The Thinking Sport
Tuesday 15 April 2025
Topics covered: Imaginary ball, Percentage play, Good practice, How the ball moves, Accuracy

Coach: Stephen Custance-Baker;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: SCB3;   Handicap range: GC 4 to 9

TJ1: Peeling in Short Croquet
Thursday 17 April 2025
How to get the mandatory or optional peels done in Short Croquet aimed at players who want to get to 1P, 2P, or 3P handicap in Short Croquet. We will cover: 

• How far to go in your first break
• Irish peeling
• Allowing for pull
• The benefits of doing the rover peel
• Peeling in the first break
• Straight double peel

Coach: Tim Jolliff;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: TJ1;   Handicap range: SC 3 to 2P

DR3: Masterclass: Better break play
Saturday 26 April 2025
Refining the 4 ball break
Coach: Duncan Reeve;    Cost: £10;    Duration: 3 hours;    Course code: DR3;   Handicap range: AC 12-

PF3: GC Improver
Friday 2 May 2025
Are you a GC player with a 8+ 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 2025.

Coach: Paul Francis;    Cost: £25;    Duration: 1 day;    Course code: PF3;   Handicap range: GC 8+