We keep on playing

Larry Reid's post made me think about the various and sundry places in which we've plied our craft. As he said, in the early days the games included:

•  Side walks and shrubbery.  I'll never forget Reid - with a cordless phone tucked between shoulder and chin, cigarette dangling from his lips proceeding to nearly run the course - all while nonchalantly carrying an obviously deep conversation. We all stood leaning on our mallets in wonderment. Great times - the Cheatham and Johnstone days in Newberry, SC.
• Summit Drive, Greenville SC - Ridgeway's front lawn.  (I think the first place I had negative waves). A place that included a hill, trees and copious amounts of dog shit. Another feature of this course was that one boundary was a side walk. Occasionally an errant shot would require the striker to venture down the road to retrieve his ball - streaming obscenities all the way.
•  Ridgeway's yard in Forrester Woods Mauldin, SC. I have no horror stories. It was a transition period in our croquet development - and we keep on playing.
•  New Dunham Bridge - though my backyard wasn't totally flat, the grass was good. I cultivated that yard for croquet. I hung up quartz lights (one in a tree) and we had several games that cruised through midnight. I racked up several large power bills.  My collard greens patch made for a nice backdrop. One particular match we remember for swarming yellow jackets. We fought them - and kept playing.
• We've played at Molly's Rock at what is now Fort Reid. The "Ike" open as it were.
• We've played in Prosperity SC. We all know Mike Reid  moved to Texas to avoid the beating that was coming to him.  
• We played at Furman a few times - which was great; and those games showed us how the games could be played.
• Woodward Way - Easley SC. Many a tightly contested game in my front yard. Centipede grass and a sometimes infuriating hill.  We played off and on there for some of the 90's and most of the last decade and a half. Games will again be played at this location in the future - but on a different green. More to come.
• Honorable mention - the soccer field on the corner of Hwy 417 and Central Avenue, Mauldin, SC - Two days after a cold and blustery match at this location, the proprietors of this field had a six foot, chain linked fence erected around it. At a board meeting of the church that owned the field, a deacon slammed his fist on the table and exclaimed, "we must stop this croquet playing horde!!" I have no doubt that the soul of the croquetsman is pitch dark, but the owner's response seems a little over the top. 

Which brings us to Possum Kingdom. A greensward free of  "that's impossible!" lay ups and strategy killing treachery. No hills, no thrills, no agony of defeat at the hands of a vicious terrain. No hopes dashed on the roots. No sidewalks or misplaced boxwoods to thwart our progress. A flat surface puts the emphasis on shot making and gone are the excuses - it's all on you. Leave it short - "man that's too bad". Hit it too long or errant - "Oops" . There's no root to blame, no hill to curse, no bush to malign.

30 plus years of battling the elements, the terrain...and each other and I hope for thirty more. These days you'll find us at Loretta Wood Park - and she's out in the middle of nowhere - but it's flat. And we keep on playing.