Croquet Variants Explained
The first mallet and hoop sports were recorded in the 17th century. Since then croquet has developed and there are now various versions of the game played around the world.
Of the current variants, the game of Association Croquet is the oldest, settling into more or less its current form in the 1860's. The All England Croquet Club was formed at Wimbledon in 1868. Croquet is still played at Wimbledon today, but the one half size lawn there is rather overwhelmed by the tennis courts!
Golf Croquet is the fastest growing version of the game. It is widely acknowledged to be easier for complete beginners to learn and each game is shorter in duration. In the late 80's it was discovered that Egypt were playing a lot of golf croquet, with an active tournament circuit, and they were quickly brought into the croquet world and an international circuit developed.
The US version of the game was developed in the 80's and is the predominant game played in North America, although both Association and Golf is now also played.
For a more complete history of Croquet, see the articles on Oxford Croquet site.