Modern mallet: 11" head, lower roll grip, 40" aluminium shaft
| Modern mallet: 11" head, lower roll grip, 40" aluminium shaft |
The handle of a mallet is called the shaft which joins to the head of the mallet. The head has two opposite parallel faces1 and the rounded or chamfered edge of those faces is called the bevelled edge. There may be padded regions of the shaft called grips to make the shaft comfortable to hold. A grip near the head is often called a roll grip.
If you visit a croquet tournament you will see very few traditional round-headed mallets, mallets are now mostly square-headed with plastic faces. The Laws of Croquet put few limitations on the form of a mallet (Law 3e). In essence it must symmetrical with identical faces. There are no other requirements on the weight, length or size of the mallet.
If you have no other constraints a standard mallet would weigh 3 pounds total (1.362Kg), have a 36" shaft and a 9-11" head length. This is what would normally be supplied by manufactures and be a good average for club use.
The weight of a mallet should be concentrated in the head. The shaft should be as light as possible since a heavy shaft serves no purpose. The balance point of the mallet, when resting the shaft on a finger, can be anywhere from 3" away from the head (good) to say 10" away. It is currently considered desirable to have the weight of the head concentrated at the faces. This feature is available from the more specialised mallet manufacturers.
Heavier mallets favour a straight swing and are hence good for hitting-in with, and they are also good for playing roll shots on a heavy lawn. They are not ideal for stop shots or delicate strokes.
Conversely lighter mallets have better touch and produce good stop shots. Heavy rolls with a light mallet can give tendon strains in wrists or forearms.
Changing the weight of a mallet: heavy mallets can be symmetrically bored out to reduce the head weight and light mallets can either have a 'sole plate' of metal screwed to the bottom of the head, or lead can be put in bored holes to make them heavier. The self adhesive 'wheel balancing' lead weights, sold for car wheels, seem practical as they can be added to or removed easily from the head. Some hollow shafted mallets can have sand poured down their shaft to increase their weight.
The material from which a mallet head is made is inconsequential, except if it is a soft material then gathering balls (trundling) with the side of the head will cause it to wear2. The faces of modern mallets are usually a hard plastic composite (Tufnol, Perspex, etc) or metal (metal faces were formerly banned). Ideally the corners and edges of the face of the mallet should have a 1/16"- 1/8" bevel. If the edges are sharp then they may crack or flake during a mis-hit or cut the ball.
Long mallet heads have two advantages; with the weight of the head concentrated near the faces, the mallet head will resist a yawing action (a rotation about the axis of the shaft). Long heads also make roll shots easy, but conversely it is slightly more difficult to play stop shots with them. Short mallet heads are good for stop shots. Many top players use 12" long mallet heads.
 Prototype stainless steel mallet with mass concentrated at the faces and light and low wind resistance body. 12" long, c 1987. |
The 'diameter' or face area of a mallet is normally between 2.25" - 2.5" square. Some expert players favour a very narrow head. Unless you are an expert though this mallet will produce horrendous mis-hits with the slightest deviation. A narrow head can prevent you from being hindered by a hoop or another ball.
The latest 'high-tech' mallet heads are made of carbon fibre. One version (Manor House Mallets) uses a large diameter (~2") carbon fibre tube tube, faced with ~3/8" thick brass disk faces and filled with lightweight polyurethane foam. The latest technology mallet head consists of a stylish carbon fibre moulded shell (Fenwick Elliott Mallets) with tungsten weighted faces to maximise the moment of inertia.
A Series 4 carbon fibre head from Fenwick Elliott Mallets
There are three main choices of material at the moment; wood, fibreglass and carbon fibre. The main variables are the weight and stiffness of the shaft. Wooden shafts can either be a single piece of wood or have a short strengthening splice running up from the head. Manufacturers tend to use ash, hickory or similar woods. Fibreglass shafts comprise of perhaps 12" of fibreglass rod which is recessed into the head and a wooden handle. Carbon fibre shafts are similarly constructed although there is now a model where the carbon fibre rod or tube runs the entire length of the shaft with the grip being comprised of two sections of firm foam glued together encompassing the rod. Metal shafts (heat treated aluminium tube) were popular but these seem to be out of favour at the moment for no good reason.
As indicated above the shaft wants to be light - about 14oz (398g) is typical. The choice then really is how rigid a shaft do you like to play with. The carbon and glass fibre ones tend to be more twangy or whippy than the wood or metal ones. A metal one can smack the hands a little on very hard hits.
For club use the fibre glass or carbon shafts have the advantage that they are almost indestructible.
The cross-section of the grip on most mallets is either octagonal or an elongated octagon. A few mallets have round grips. It is a matter of preference which you use. A round shaft forces you to check that the mallet is pointing forward, whereas an octagonal one gives a tactile feedback as to the orientation of the head. One manufacture (Hobbs) produces a shaft which can be locked at any rotation so that when the shaft lies in your hands the mallet head can be pointing forwards.
The length and girth of the shaft is a matter of personal choice and style. Unlike many sports there is no simple measurement of the body which will relate to the length of shaft which would be best for you. Some tall people have very short mallets and vice versa. If you hold the mallet using the Solomon grip (i.e. sink plunger grip) you would require a longer mallet than someone using the Irish grip (golf-like grip). My general advice would be to get one an inch or two taller than you think you need - you can always saw off the excess whereas it is difficult to extend a shaft.
 A Manor House 3000 Mallet |
Use lead self-adhesive car wheel balancing weights to make a light mallet heavier.
If you have a wooden mallet ...
Store the mallet vertically over winter so that the shaft does not warp. Avoid hot dry storage places as the wood will shrink and the head become loose.
If the head becomes loose, a short term cure can be to leave the mallet in a bucket of water overnight. The water will swell the wood and make the head tight on the shaft. This treatment can last for a number of weeks. Check the head is aligned before you soak it!
A more permanent fix is to invert the mallet and, holding the shaft, bang the end of the shaft on a pavement or large rock. The momentum of the head will cause it to be forced onto the shaft. The wedge should be tapped home after this.
If you make a new wedge for a mallet shaft, make it out of a hard wood. Soft wood wedges do not grip for long.
The inclusion or omission of a manufacturer depends on whether I have seen their wares and does not imply anything else.
It is always better to have your own mallet if you play seriously, you will be accustomed to it and do not need to get used to a new mallet each time you play. You should however try as many mallets as possible before you make up your mind (e.g. use different mallets at a club). Many of the world's top players have played with unspectacular mallets - high tech or high price does not mean better. You need to find one you are happy with. Generally it is the player who defines the standard of play not the mallet! Most tournament players would be using a mallet with a fibreglass or carbon-fibre shaft; wood breaks and warps.
For club or personal use there are a reasonable number of mallets in the £85 -150 range.
The Croquet Association (CA) deals in a number of mallet types of which the Jaques "Hurlingham" mallet is reasonable value (£130). It has white synthetic faces, a well balanced head and a wooden shaft.Percival Mallets are popular with tournament players and exhibit a high degree of craftsmanship incorporating exotic woods and marquetry; from £140. All these mallets are available from the CA shop. The Manor House (Pidcock) Basic Mallet (£87.50) is extrememly robust with a carbon-fibre shaft - ideal for rough use.
Moving up in price there are the fibreglass and carbon fibre tube shafted mallets:
The Manor House (Pidcock) have hollow carbon fibre shafted mallets. (Catalogue here). The heads are normally made out of sustainable hardwood but other exotic woods can be selected for custom mallet manufacture. The heads are faced with fibre glass sheet although bare brass-faces are now an option. The carbon fibre tube shafted mallets start at £88. The top of the range mallet are the 2001 & 3000 mallets, has a head made of lightweight round carbon tube, heavily end-weighted, with milled solid brass ends at ~£230-265. Contact Alan Pidcock at Manor House Croquet for details.
John Hobbs produces a range of custom-made mallets (prices £145+). His main line is one with a rotatable aluminium shaft which has been adopted by some of the top players. Custom mallets can be made to order. See Hobbs website.
Michael Percival Mallets have a wide range of sizes and weights and
materials. Mallet shafts are now adjustable for angle and are removable
for transport. Weights are also adjustable by up to 4 ozs and peripheral
weighting is also available. Prices start from £95.00 up to £225.00 See www.croquetmallets.co.uk
A new name in manufacturers: David Barrett Croquet Mallets (Catalogue here). Mallets for Association and hoopball (golf croquet) (price £120). As yet unseen.
The Jackson Mallet is manufactured in New Zealand and can be obtained from there by mail order. The heads are faced with hard nylon, polycarbonate, Tufnol and PVC. The sides of the head do show wear if you trundle balls with them. You may wish to buy the mallet as a present for someone in which case the parcel can be marked appropriately by arrangement, and you may avoid import duty. Bob Jackson lives at 65 Goodwood Drive, Manukau, Auckland, NZ. He can be contacted at phone 0064 9 2639135.
The standard Puckett mallet from New Zealand is peripherally weighted, but Ray Puckett has developed a variety of mallet heads; his "Premier Series" has brass on the ends - inside the industrial tufnol hitting surface. Handles range from Carbon fibre "Flex" through to Carbon "Rigid". Price for overseas purchases of the standard mallet is £120 or $US 190. Price include delivery charge to nominated address. Contact Ray Puckett at Lovell Mews Unit 5A, 400 Rosedale Rd, Albany, Auckland 1311, New Zealand. Phone: 0064 9 414 4564, Fax: 0064 9 412 7408, e-mail: mrbinz@ihug.co.nz. (Nov 2002).
Robert Fenwick Elliott in Australia produces "high-tech" mallets which have the head mass concentrated at the faces and use specially formed carbon fibre shafts. He has an excellent grasp of the physics involved in ball-mallet interactions and has designed the mallets accordingly. These mallets have been extensively prototyped and are now reaching the market. They are not cheap - $500 (Aus) or ~£200. http://www.insearchoftheperfectmallet.com/
Kevin Brereton makes mallets in Australia - see his web pages.
The Australian Croquet Company supplies Dawson Mallets - these have a metal framed head: Bryan & June Dawson, Australian Croquet Company, P.O. Box 19, Littlehampton, South Australia 5250. Email: auscroquetco@picknowl.com.au
As an innovation consider the illustration opposite - mallet stabilisers. The aim is to increase the moment of inertia of the head by putting modest weights a great distance from the shaft. Back in ~2000 I tried a a prototype height-adjustable arm along which weights can be clamped. It works well as a concept - providing you do not make the arm too long or high, in which cases it interferes with the body, painfully.
1 There is a Trivial Pursuits® question which
asks "How many heads has a croquet mallet?" [given answer = 2] - the answer
is wrong!
2 One manufacturer took umbrage when I said his mallet heads
were made from soft wood. He insisted they were hardwood. Hardwood is a botanical
definition, 'hard wood' is a property. As an example balsa wood is a hardwood
but you can push your finger into it.
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