CROQUET NEWS:  Super Hoops

16 February 2009
Nottingham Board
collected by Leo Nikora

Super Hoop prototype. Photo by Jerry Stark.

Danny Huneycutt wrote:

Hoops will be constructed from 3/4 inch stainless steel (non-shiny). Law 53-b-1&2 allows 3/4.

The anchoring system is the critical aspect to produce a firm hoop on the Florida sand based courts. The four fins on each upright are 1/8 inch thick, 1.25 inch wide and 9-11 inches long. The bottom of the fins are angle and the bottom and side of the fins are milled to a sharp edge. This allows the fins to knife through the soil rather than displacing soil at ground level. This action causes compression from ground level (where it's needed) to the bottom of the fins rather than mainly at the bottom of the anchor.

These hoops were tested on a sand based court equivelent to the NCC courts, being bashed dozens of times in all directions and performed beyond expectations. An imperfect hoop shot is suffeciently punished.

The production hoops will have a x----x fin pattern rather than the +----+ pattern displayed in the picture.

They also weigh in at 10 lbs each.

Jerry Stark wrote:

I have played with both the hoops at United and the super hoop that Danny, Damon and I developed. These hoops are tighter in the ground then the ground and do not loosen up like the Rodonis [used at Meadowood] or any other hoop made for sand that I have played with. They will reject bad shots, the 3/4" uprights are much stiffer then the 5/8" uprights. They are built to the standard clearance of 3 11/16" but I do not know how they will be set at the Worlds [WCF Championship in May at the National Croquet Center]. I hope they just follow the rules. They are the best sand hoops I have played, partly due to the fins, mass and uprights. I think you boys will enjoy them at the Worlds, sure wish I could be there.

Damon Bidencope wrote:

We have been working on solutions for these problems for some time, dating back to the mid eighties when Lisa Hagopian working for Brice Jones at Sonoma Cutrer first seeded the courts in Sonoma providing a near perfect but lush greensward.  (Similarly and around that time I can remember players concerned about the lush conditions at Hurlingham when contrasted with some of the other venues.)

As you know court construction in the US closely mirrors USGA golf green specifications using a drainage layer covered with a sand based growing layer (sometimes blended depending on your school of thought regarding turf grass).  The uniform particle size of the sand by its nature does not compress and while this has provided the best medium to provide growth for the grass, it is the enemy of firm hoop setting.  Also the general turf grass and irrigation practices have produced higher standard surfaces; and the balls now are generally round.

Some players will have had experience with the Kentucky Clay Court games and the wider hoops buried into concrete below the surface providing absolute rigidity.  Those who have played these know that absolute rigidity is extremely punitive.  Also Ed Roberts here in Davidson, NC has been working on below court solutions (with applications for synthetic court installation and grass surfaces) and adjustable crowns. He has found interesting ways to selectively dampen the rigidity of the setting.  

I know that you have been experimenting with a buried block solution also.  We considered the technical details of maintaining set hoop locations and the lack of portability to be difficult to solve in its general application on grass.  (Not that these super hoops are tremendously portable at 10lbs apiece.)

When we had the stainless 3/4 inch Meadowood hoops made in the 1980's it was noticeable that the increased leg size had two significant qualities that made the hoop perform better than its standard counterpart.  The mass of the hoop overall had an impact in resisting a firmly struck ball, and the legs could not be easily bent because of the stiffness of the material (slenderness ratio / and bending moment qualities).

During the Selectors 8's last year Jerry, Danny, Archie, and I were discussing the upcoming WCF event and wanted to ensure that we provided the best playing conditions for all.  Stewart and Archie have been investing tremendous effort in the surface.  Jerry, Danny, and I concluded that we needed to cure/improve the sloppy hoop issue for the event (and future events) to reject sloppy play and reward precision croquet.

By increasing the depth of the below ground leg and fin sections we have a tremendous amount more bearing surface that resists lateral movement when a ball is struck hard into the leg.  Also by increasing the depth of the fins and bearing surface when a ball is launched into the upper leg of the hoop the partial rotation of the hoop from the balls impact is resisted by an increased amount from both the increased distance of fin from the surface and the mass.  (Second moment of area stuff.)

Obviously all shots are impacted by the increased mass of the hoop with regard to the rejection qualities of hitting an object of greater mass. (Something that the large SUV driving soccer moms in the US talking on their cell phones have known for sometime.)   We also are very conscious that we do not want to introduce something that is trick and could produce random outcomes into the game.  In appearance above ground these are similar to the old Davidson hoops with the thicker legs of the past.  The quality control and engineering of the manufacturer / fabricator is first class.  Jerry and Danny have extensively tested these in Calif and NC, and the results are very promising.  One of the few problems left to solve is to find some recently retired linebackers to provide the muscle for the hoop setting and hoop lifting for the event.  Perhaps Bob Kroger on steroids will be necessary.  We are going to have a solution for this also that fits within the WCF drug policy.

I believe that Danny may have a small number of hoop sets available following the WCF event if you/others are interested.  (Many are already committed.)  Maybe we will see a sequel to Paddy's hoop rejection on Utube.  These hoops at United would be a treat, but I am not sure that without the All-Blacks pack as the hoop team we will see it.

Jim Bast wrote:

I played many years with the Rodoni hoops. I concur with the information in Damon's lengthy e-mail. He mentioned hoop removal problems as a matter of strength. I had a few minutes of bashing at one of these hoops, set as a practice hoop, at the Desert Classic in January. The removal problem also extends to the issue of surface damage as the ground comes up with the hoop. I am assuming that they are addressing this with some form of implement, perhaps like the metal plates Jerry uses at Meadowood to secure the ground as the hoop comes up.

My few minutes with the hoop hardly qualify as extensive testing. However, my first impression was quite favorable. The bottom line is that if you hit it straight, it goes through. There was very little give in the hoop, even with deliberately mis-hit, hard bashes. If you don't hit it straight it might still sneak through sometimes, but not nearly as often as with other hoops.

I personally don't think the top players will see much difference in their games. The quality of the surface will allow them to control their approaches quite nicely. Playing at the Worlds in New Zealand was the most fun I have ever had in my 28 years of croquet. The combination of the irregularities, the speed, and the firmness of the hoops created an enjoyable leveling of the field.

In Florida, I am predicting an avalanche of sextuples. None of them performed by me.

Ken Shipley and the Hoop Jack. Photo by Stuart Lawrence.

Stuart Lawrence wrote:

Getting them out may call for the [Ken] Shipley Hoop Jack.

As for pneumatic hammers, I remember reading about a US player who invented a pneumatic hoop-setting device which he had custom-built at the elevator company that he ran. It was mounted on a hand truck and wheeled into the desired position. The hoop is loaded into the machine, which integrates a clamp and a pneumatically-driven hammer. Press a button and the hoop is perfectly set with no strength or manual clamping required. I never saw the contraption in person or heard of it being used elsewhere, but it sounded like a fun project for someone with a few machinists on staff.

Bob Alman wrote:

It was Art Bagby (Alabama, owner of elevator company, not very active in croquet lately, I think) who produce the monstrous hoop-pounder, which was demonstartred at the SF croquet Club in the mid eightiest and used in Phoenix by Patmor the in glory days of the Arizona Open. I think it was finally deemed not worth the trouble, and there were problems with the precision of the settings, as I recall.

	Hoop Lifter. Photo by Mike McClure.

Leo Nikora wrote:

Mike McClure at Amber Tech in New Zealand makes a Hoop Lifter.

Rodger Lane wrote:

I wonder how the hoops will be set. Clearly it is possible to make a clamp at a set width and hope the funs and rods go in true. But how do you set them to a ball either at the start, or during play when they have moved a little? With conventional hoops, one moves the soil to one side or the other at the bottom of the hole to make an adjustment — perhaps only of a few thou. The narrow footing and large fins will create a star shaped hole with no real way of sub-surface adjustment. Just curious.

Hoop Clamp. Photo by Don Oakley.

Stuart Lawrence wrote:

In the US this basic design, with three or four fins below ground, is fairly common and a custom-designed clamp is typically used for hoop setting. And while the clamps are robust, that is not to say that adjustments are easy.

[A Hoop Clamp is available from the Croquet Store in Canada, based on a design by Wayne Rodoni.]

I have not seen hoop clamps for sale online from outlets like the CA shop in England. Are similar clamps used outside North America, and if so who makes them?

Chris Clarke wrote:

Ray Atkins made about a dozen for 2008 worlds. They are not the same "Rodoni" design, but simpler and perfectly acceptable.

They are a very useful tool for any club who hopes to hold world class events.

	Separate clamp/spacer system. Photo by Ken Shipley.

Ken Shipley wrote:

I think the combined clamp and spacer is not as good as the separate clamp and spacer system.

I developed the separate clamp/spacer system after finding the combined system very frustrating to use. Not only does the built-in spacer tend to rust or get gummed up with dirt, if the spacer needs adjustment, you need to have (or be able to find) two wrenches to do it. Plus, even when the tool is in good shape and properly adjusted, it lacks flexibility, in my opinion.

The spacer shown in the photos is a simple aluminum rod and is ball + 1/16" in length. (It could be made of steel or plastic, anything that will not compress under pressure.) The clamp is a locking type (common trade name: ViceGrip) with a half piece of 3/4" pipe welded to each jaw. (You would need 1" pipe for use with 3/4" uprights.)

This system has better flexibility than the combined clamp/spacer system because you can easily adjust the spacing between the uprights by varying the height of the clamp relative to the spacer. You can have them at the same height on the uprights or at different heights. Photo 1047 shows the clamp and spacer at the same height. This will usually result in a spacing between the uprights of ball + 1/16" when the hoop is down in place. Often, however, the spacing is greater or less than the desired 1/16", either because the hoop is bent in or out to start with, or because of some condition underground that forces the carrots out of line.

Photo 1049 shows the spacing being checked when the hoop is still about 2" up. If the spacing is too tight, it can be increased by clamping above the spacer as shown in Photo 1052. Having the clamping pressure above the spacer tends to spread the carrots farther apart, thus increasing the space between the uprights. If the spacing is too wide, it can be reduced by having the spacer above the clamp (no photo provided), or simply by using the clamp without the spacer to hold the uprights together as the hoop is pounded in.

This system also works well when a ball sticks in a hoop during play. In this case, the problem is solved by tapping the hoop up about 1/2" with the hammer, clamping above the spacer, and hammering the hoop back down. It's quick and easy.

I gave one of these sets to Jeff Soo last year. Danny Huneycutt could ask him for it, and see how it works with the new hoops.

Jerry Stark wrote:

The basic design of this hoop has been used on sand based courts in the US for about 23 years now. We have just taken it and found a way to tweak the design so that it performs more like a standard carrot hoop in a dirt based court. Setting them and adjusting will not really be much different then what we have been doing for 23 years. It will be a bit more work, but I don't think adjustments will be as common as they are with the old design because they will not loosen up remotely as easily.

Damon Bidencope wrote:

One of the reasons why frequent adjustment is not often required is that they are precisely manufactured at the tournament tolerances not a wider hoop that is squeezed together etc., so there width at rest is the required width.

When adjustments are needed you can still add material to the hole and reset.