These two get shortlisted together by people who want something calm on the grass. They sit at opposite ends of the effort scale — one is the most tactical game in this catalog, the other the most immediately playable.
The spec sheet
The published figures
| Croquet | Lawn bowling (ten pin) | |
|---|---|---|
| Governing body | USCA | None |
| Full court | 100 ft x 50 ft (about 5,000 sq ft) | Your chosen distance, plus a yard of pins |
| Scaling | Explicitly allowed, scaled proportionally | Move the line |
| Equipment | 9 wickets, 2 stakes, 6 balls, mallets | 10 pins 11 in tall, 2 balls |
| Set weight | Not published | 7.75 lb |
| Published age floor | None | 3 and up |
| Players | 2 to 6 | Any number, taking turns |
| Teaching time | A full game | One throw |
In play
What you are actually choosing between
Croquet is the strategy game of the catalog
Bonus strokes for running a wicket or hitting another ball, and deadness rules that stop you ping-ponging between two opponents. It is genuinely deep, it rewards a big flat lawn, and it asks everyone to learn something first — see croquet rules.
Lawn bowling asks nothing of anybody
Roll a ball at pins. A child who knocks over one has unambiguously succeeded, which is why it is the most inclusive game on the site and why the sets publish age floors that croquet sets never do.
The mixed-age household
This is where the comparison usually gets decided. Croquet with a six-year-old is an adult explaining rules; lawn bowling with a six-year-old is a six-year-old playing. See yard games for mixed ages, and for the youngest players lawn bowling sets for kids.
The other side
Where to buy the other one
The card at the top of this page covers one side of the comparison. This is our current pick for the other, ranked on published specifications rather than on play we have not done.
Best overall
Toy Time 10-Pin Lawn Bowling / Skittle Ball Set
Toy Time
Ten painted New Zealand pine pins at a published 3 by 11 inches, two 2.75-inch balls, a 17 by 15 inch carrying bag and a published 7.75-pound set weight — the most completely specified outdoor bowling set we found.
Skip this if
Skip this if you have long grass. Ten-pin on a lawn needs the grass cut short and reasonably level, or the ball stops dead two feet short of the head pin and the game is over before it starts.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Which needs a bigger lawn?
Which is better with young children?
Do both need a mown lawn?
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.
Read next
Related pages
Picks
Compare yard games
Twenty-one head-to-heads with the verdict first and the published specs behind it.
Picks
Croquet sets
Nine wickets, two stakes, up to six players — and the honest answer on how small a court can get.
Picks
Best outdoor bowling set
Ten wooden pins, two balls, a published 7.75 lb and an age floor of three — the most inclusive game here.
Comparison
Bocce vs lawn bowling
Judgment against a straight arm — which rolling game suits your crowd, with the published figures.
Picks
Best yard games for mixed ages
Five games where the youngest and the oldest player are both genuinely competitive.
Sources
- USCA — nine-wicket croquet
- GoSports — six player croquet set
- Toy Time — 10-pin lawn bowling set specification
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.