Tar Heel Traveler: Belvidere Croquet

One of the country's best croquet courses is in a tiny town in the northeast corner of North Carolina, and draws competitors from all over the world.
Posted 7/15/2025, 10:51:39 PM Updated 7/15/2025, 11:00:05 PM

STORY OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

THE SHOW RUNS THROUGH

JULY. 20TH. SO IT'S NOT A

FASCIST SPORT, BUT THE

COMPETITION CAN BE FIERCE.

TONIGHT WE FIND OUR TAR HEEL

TRAVELER IN THE NORTHEAST

CORNER OF NORTH CAROLINA.

SCOTT MASON TAKING US TO

WOMEN'S COUNTY WHERE IT'S ALL

ABOUT KEEPING YOUR EYE ON THE

BALL.

>> BELVIDERE NORTH CAROLINA

POPULATION FEWER THAN 1000 AND

YET PEOPLE FROM FAR AWAY ARE

DRAWN HERE.

>> LIKE A BALL TO A WICKET 2

PLAYERS ON THE COURT AND FOR

COURT. IT'S A GAME OF STRATEGY.

IT'S A GAME OF DEFENSE AND

OFFENSE TO SHOT

>> THAT'S MONEY THAT CROQUET

COURTS HERE ARE TOP NOTCH HERE.

AND HERE IT IS IN BELVIDERE,

NORTH

>> IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

IT'S QUITE IT'S QUITE. AND

THERE'S NO PLACE YOU PLAYED

CROQUET IN YOUR YARD TO MY YARD

AND SOUGHT A COURT IN HIS FRONT

YARD. AND THAT'S HOW WE ALL GOT

STARTED

FOR THEM. WE MADE INVESTMENT TO

BUILD THIS FACILITY IN 2022, WE

HAD A DREAM THAT WE BUILD IT SO

WE NEED AND WHY NOT HOST A

TOURNAMENT AND I WHAT A

TOURNAMENT.

>> I MIGHT WANT TO PLAY.

CANNOT GET READY. WOMEN CAN

PLAY EQUALLY WELL,

UNSUCCESSFULLY HAS MEANT TO ME

A TOUGH SHOT, BUT

>> WE'RE SEEING EASY FOR IT

DEMANDS A LOT OF THINKING AND A

LOT OF PRECISION. AND THEN ALSO

YOU HAVE TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT

OF BRAIN POWER TO DISSEMINATE

WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST SHOT

TO MAKE NEXT? YEAH, IT'S VERY

INTENSE. IT'S ALSO HARD IS SO

WHEN PEOPLE CAN REALLY PLAY,

I GET A THRILL OUT OF PLAYING.

WELL, THE ALBEMARLE CROQUET

CLUB ROUTINELY HOLDS

TOURNAMENTS. NOW PEOPLE COME

FROM DENVER, DETROIT AND

CHICAGO MAY COME FROM OLD

WORLD. IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY

WILL COME. IT'S FUN. IT'S A

LOT OF FUN. EVERY SOCIAL AND

BEAUTIFUL. IT'S JUST BEAUTIFUL.

BEAUTIFUL BELVER. THE

CHALLENGING CROQUET. WHAT'S

THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN THE

BALL GOES THRU THE WEEK?

>> A SHOT AND THEN CLOSE TO

COME. SPEND A LITTLE TIME HERE

ARE EAGER TO COME BACK TO US.

SO RELAXING. SO THE ALBEMARLE

CROQUET CLUB IS BETWEEN EVEN

TONIGHT. ELIZABETH CITY NOT FAR

FROM HARTFORD.

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