Best Yard Games for Artificial Turf (and What to Avoid)

Q: What is the best croquet set for artificial turf?

Croquet suits turf's short, even surface, but wickets push into the ground — check your turf installer's guidance first. No maker publishes turf as a surface.

Q: Can you play bocce on artificial turf?

Yes, and it rolls true on flat, short turf. A soft-surfaced set is safest; GoSports publishes its soft set for grass, hard floors and carpet.

Q: What yard games should you avoid on artificial turf?

Anything that stakes in or digs — horseshoe pits, staked volleyball guylines, tetherball poles and many goals can puncture the turf backing.

Q: Does artificial turf get too hot for yard games?

It can — synthetic turf holds heat. Play mornings or evenings in summer.

The short answer

Quick picks

Ranked on published specs, not on play we have not done. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up further down this page.

Ranked picks with what each is best for, our published-spec score and a live price link.
#	Product	Best for	Score	Price
1	No photo GoSports Six Player Croquet Set Six hardwood mallets — 35 in in the deluxe version — six 3 in and 10 oz balls, nine wickets, two end posts and a wooden stand, which is the full nine-wicket kit in one purchase.	Best overall	8.2/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money
2	No photo GoSports 90 mm Soft Bocce Set Eight 90 mm balls with a composite rubber surface at a published 1 lb 11 oz each, plus a pallino and a carrying bag, published for concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet and hardwood — bocce you can play indoors.	Best for kids and indoors	7.6/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money
3	No photo Spikeball Standard 3 Ball Kit The original kit with three standard balls — same 3 ft net, same rules, lighter rim and legs, and the right set for a lawn rather than a bracket.	Best value	8.0/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money
4	No photo GoSports 3 ft x 2 ft Portable Cornhole Set Tailgate-size 3 by 2 foot boards in MDF composite with printed graphics, eight all-weather bags at a stated regulation size and weight — 6 by 6 inches, 1 lb each — and boards that clip together at a published 8.5 pounds apiece.	Best for kids	7.3/10	Check price on Amazon #ad How we make money

“Best croquet set for artificial turf” is one of the questions in this site's own keyword research, and it points at something no manufacturer addresses: turf is a different surface, with its own rules. None of the makers we checked publishes artificial turf as a surface for any game. So this page works from what they do publish, and from the two properties of turf that matter.

It is flat and short, which is perfect for rolling games. You should not drive stakes into it, which rules out a lot of the rest.

The shortlist

What works, and what does not

Our assessment from published surfaces and setup methods. No maker we checked publishes artificial turf compatibility.
Game	On turf	Why
Croquet	Excellent — check wicket guidance	USCA surface is short even grass; wickets push into the ground
Bocce (soft set)	Excellent	Rolls true; published for grass, hard floors and carpet
Spikeball / roundnet	Excellent	Published for grass, sand or hard; legs stand on the surface
Cornhole	Very good	Boards stand on legs; nothing to stake
Ladder toss, washer toss	Good	Freestanding targets
Horseshoes	No	Needs a dug clay or sand pit
Volleyball	No	Poles held up by staked guylines
Tetherball (staked)	No	The pole stakes into the ground

Rolling games are the winners. Turf is the flattest, most even lawn there is, and a bocce ball or a croquet ball rolls truer on it than on almost any real grass. The soft bocce set GoSports publishes for grass, hard floors and carpet is the safest bocce choice — a soft ball will not scuff the fibers — best bocce set for kids.

Practical

The two turf-specific problems

Heat

Synthetic turf holds heat in direct sun. On a hot afternoon, play in the morning or the evening — the broader advice is in yard games in hot weather.

Stakes and spikes

Anything that stakes in can puncture the backing. That rules out horseshoe pits, staked volleyball guylines, staked tetherball poles and many portable goals — or means using weights instead of stakes where the maker allows it.

Where this fits

Turf is usually a small-yard solution, so most of yard games for small yards applies. For the opposite problem — a real lawn you want to protect — see yard games and your lawn.

The picks in full

Every pick, with its published specs

Best overall

GoSports Six Player Croquet Set

GoSports

No product photo

Our spec score

8.2/10

Spec completeness: 9/10
Footprint clarity: 8/10
Durability: 7/10
Pack-down: 5/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Six hardwood mallets — 35 in in the deluxe version — six 3 in and 10 oz balls, nine wickets, two end posts and a wooden stand, which is the full nine-wicket kit in one purchase.

Skip this if

Skip this if your lawn is under about 40 ft. The USCA full court is 100 x 50 ft and while you can shrink it, below about 40 ft the wickets stop being a challenge.

What works

Publishes mallet length, ball diameter and ball weight — unusual completeness for a croquet set
Two mallet heights, which is the difference between a comfortable adult and a stooping one
Six players is the largest single-set player count in the roll-games family

What does not

Even a shrunk nine-wicket court wants more lawn than most yard games
Wire wickets bend if they are driven into hard ground

Published specifications

Footprint (full court): 100 ft x 50 ft (5,000 sq ft)
Footprint (backyard): Adjustable — the USCA explicitly allows resizing to the space available
Mallets: 6, hardwood, 35 in (deluxe) or 28 in (standard)
Balls: 6, 3 in diameter, 10 oz each
Wickets: 9
End posts: 2
Included: Wooden stand and printed rules
Players: Up to 6
Surface: Short grass

Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we make money

Best for kids and indoors

GoSports 90 mm Soft Bocce Set

GoSports

No product photo

Our spec score

7.6/10

Spec completeness: 8/10
Footprint clarity: 5/10
Durability: 7/10
Pack-down: 8/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Eight 90 mm balls with a composite rubber surface at a published 1 lb 11 oz each, plus a pallino and a carrying bag, published for concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet and hardwood — bocce you can play indoors.

Skip this if

Skip this if you want a ball that runs true on long grass. A soft-surfaced ball is built for hard floors and short turf; it is the wrong ball for a shaggy lawn.

What works

A published per-ball weight, which most bocce sets omit
Published for indoor floors — the only bocce set here that is
A soft surface will not chip a patio or dent a floor
90 mm is a comfortable size for a child's hand

What does not

Well under the 107 mm competition size
Soft balls do not run on long grass
No published age floor

Published specifications

Ball diameter: 90 mm
Ball surface: Composite rubber
Ball weight: 1 lb 11 oz each
Balls: 8 plus pallino
Carry: Carrying bag
Surfaces: Concrete, grass, gym floors, carpet, hardwood
Indoor use: Stated indoors or outdoors
Competition diameter: 107 mm
Age floor: —

Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we make money

Best value

Spikeball Standard 3 Ball Kit

Spikeball

No product photo

Our spec score

8.0/10

Spec completeness: 7/10
Footprint clarity: 7/10
Durability: 6/10
Pack-down: 8/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

The original kit with three standard balls — same 3 ft net, same rules, lighter rim and legs, and the right set for a lawn rather than a bracket.

Skip this if

Skip this if you play on packed sand or concrete every week. The lighter rim and legs are the published difference and they are what gives out first.

What works

Three balls, so a lost ball does not end the afternoon
Identical net geometry to the Pro set — the game is the same game
The cheapest way into a sport that scales from two people to eight

What does not

Lighter rim and legs than the Pro kit
Standard balls take less spin, which caps the ceiling

Published specifications

Footprint: About 30 ft x 30 ft (about 900 sq ft)
Net diameter: 3 ft
Service circle: 15 ft diameter
Ball: 12 in circumference, about 3.8 in diameter
Balls included: 3 standard balls
Players: 4 (2 v 2)
Set weight: —
Surface: Grass, sand, hard

Manufacturer listing: Spikeball published specifications

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we make money

Best for kids

GoSports 3 ft x 2 ft Portable Cornhole Set

GoSports

No product photo

Our spec score

7.3/10

Spec completeness: 6/10
Footprint clarity: 6/10
Durability: 5/10
Pack-down: 9/10

Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.

Tailgate-size 3 by 2 foot boards in MDF composite with printed graphics, eight all-weather bags at a stated regulation size and weight — 6 by 6 inches, 1 lb each — and boards that clip together at a published 8.5 pounds apiece.

Skip this if

Skip this if you want real wood. GoSports is plain that these are MDF composite with printed graphics, not real wood, and it publishes no hole diameter.

What works

A published 8.5 lb per board — a child can carry one
Full-weight bags, so the throw transfers to a regulation board later
Boards clip together with the bags inside
Honest about the material

What does not

No published hole diameter
MDF with printed graphics, not real wood
No published leg design

Published specifications

Boards: 3 x 2 ft
Material: MDF composite, printed graphics (not real wood)
Bags: 8 all-weather, stated regulation 6 x 6 in and 1 lb each
Board weight: 8.5 lb each
Carry: Boards attach together with the bags stored between
Hole diameter: —
Legs: —
Age floor: —

Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing

Check price on Amazon

#ad How we make money

FAQ

Questions people actually ask

What is the best croquet set for artificial turf?

One whose wickets you can seat without damaging the turf's backing. Croquet suits turf beautifully — the USCA surface is short, even grass, and turf is exactly that. The catch is the wickets: they push into the ground, so check your turf's installer guidance before driving anything through it. No maker we checked publishes artificial turf as a surface.

Can you play bocce on artificial turf?

Yes, and it plays unusually well: turf is flat and short, so the ball rolls true. A soft-surfaced set is the safest choice — GoSports publishes its soft bocce set for grass as well as hard floors and carpet, and a soft ball will not scuff the fibers.

What yard games should you avoid on artificial turf?

Anything that stakes into the ground or digs in: horseshoes needs a clay or sand pit, volleyball nets are held up by staked guylines, and tetherball poles and many goals stake in. Driving stakes can puncture the turf backing.

Does artificial turf get too hot for yard games?

It can, on a hot sunny afternoon — synthetic turf holds heat. Play in the morning or evening, keep drinks close, and see our notes on playing yard games in hot weather.

Why you can check our work

We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.

Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Best yard games for artificial turf

Quick picks

What works, and what does not

The two turf-specific problems