NC District—USCA’s Association Croquet Development Program continued with a weekend clinic at Pinehurst, March 5–6. While many of the thirty-three students were Pinehurst club members, others came from as far afield as Louisiana and Massachusetts to attend.

As usual the clinic was divided into groups according to level of general croquet ability and experience with the Association (“International Rules”) game. The instructors were Bob Cherry, Danny Huneycutt, Mack Penwell, Paul Scott, and Jeff Soo. Cherry, Scott, and Soo have all won US national titles in Association Croquet (Cherry and Scott are current title-holders). Penwell is the most experienced croquet instructor in North Carolina. Huneycutt, with only three years of tournament experience, is the newest member of the United States Croquet Team.

Morning sessions were heavy on demonstration, discussion, and analysis, while the afternoon sessions were devoted to supervised game play. The “C” group worked on the fundamentals of rules and tactics, while the “A” and “B” groups focussed on refinements of tactics and break play.

The Association Croquet Development Program, brainchild of NC District President Danny Huneycutt, aims to provide coaching at all ability levels, from beginner to world-class. North Carolina already has the highest concentration of top-level Association Croquet players in the US, and Huneycutt hopes to parlay this local talent into increased opportunity for all players to learn about and play the Association game.