Permanent lawn games?
May 26, 2013 6:31 PM   Subscribe

We are looking to install a permanent lawn game in our front yard (well hidden from street). We have basically enough room to put in a badminton court, and will likely do that. Unless we get a more awesome idea from you guys! Please share any suggestions. We are not willing to install grass for this. It will be either on hard clay soil, sand, gravel or pavers. I want to make sure I have collected any potentially awesome ideas before I put I all the work. Thanks!
posted by corn_bread to Home & Garden (26 answers total) 8 users marked this as a favorite
 
How about Koob? I read about it and it sounds cool, though I admit I haven't played it myself. (You might need to scale down the court and adjust the rules slightly.) As a bonus, you could use the same area for bocce, as well.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:35 PM on May 26, 2013


I'd almost be looking into some multipurpose lawn game space. I have a bocce set that I like a lot. A double-wide bocce area could be a kubb court (more or less) and you could have bocce/horseshoes going on at the same time.
posted by jessamyn at 6:35 PM on May 26, 2013 [3 favorites]


Petanque!
posted by Carillon at 6:42 PM on May 26, 2013


Croquet hoops look damned pretty this afternoon!
posted by flabdablet at 6:44 PM on May 26, 2013


Outdoor badminton actually kind of sucks, for what it's worth. In even a little bit of breeze, it's completely unplayable; birds are just too light. I'd take Jessamyn's suggestion over that for sure.
posted by mhoye at 7:04 PM on May 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Neighbors installed a bocce court a few years ago, and they love it. It's just a long rectangle of sand, from what I can see. Also, horseshoes.
posted by xingcat at 7:07 PM on May 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Horseshoe pits?
posted by COD at 7:12 PM on May 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


My grandfather had stories about hard clay croquet courts. I've never seen one myself.
posted by Bruce H. at 7:14 PM on May 26, 2013


I can't decide if I would want this more than a badminton court, but in a place we rented, the neighbors next door had a mini golf course. Basically there was one hole, with the whole astroturf bit and the flag, in the middle of the yard, and then 9 different approaches from various points on the perimeter of the yard. It was pretty awesome and it seems like you could do a lot of different things with it. Not too athletic though.

(We moved in in the winter, so it wasn't immediately obvious what it all was. But there were clues. And then one day, it all clicked and we understood, Putt Putt!)
posted by Tandem Affinity at 7:16 PM on May 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


A large sand pit could become a volleyball pit as well as horseshoes and bocce. And I guess you could practice your wedge shots if you're a golfer.
posted by backseatpilot at 7:27 PM on May 26, 2013


A beach volleyball court (even smaller than normal size) would be amazing. It depends what activities you prefer, of course. Seconding the point that breezes are an issue for badminton.
posted by randomnity at 7:33 PM on May 26, 2013


There is a tiny part of me that never got over being disallowed from playing Jarts with my parents when I was really little.

If you could get your hands on a set...
posted by ApathyGirl at 8:02 PM on May 26, 2013


Is an enormous human checker/chess/scrabble/backgammon board out of the question? Could double as an entertaining space when the game pieces aren't out and about.
posted by These Birds of a Feather at 8:04 PM on May 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


I'm sorry. I had no intention of reading this question, let alone answering it, and then I saw ...BADMINTON???

Ok. Badminton is the shit. It's the best game on Earth a minimum of two people can play. It is both philosophical (allows time for thinking and conversation) AND atheletic (to a point) AND is heaps of fun.

I have never played badminton with anyone and seen them frown. I always find myself quite jovial when the game gets going.

Please Please stick with your Badminton Idea!

(Bonus? You can play it on a holiday weekend with a drink in your hand. Done that many times:)))
posted by jbenben at 8:15 PM on May 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


Tetherball
posted by JohnnyGunn at 8:50 PM on May 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


Bocce!
posted by bilabial at 8:55 PM on May 26, 2013 [1 favorite]


LGB (G scale) trains
posted by Confess, Fletch at 9:06 PM on May 26, 2013 [2 favorites]


Bocce for sure.
posted by Brent Parker at 9:30 PM on May 26, 2013


Bowls, or as I like to call it, WASP Bocce.
posted by KingEdRa at 10:00 PM on May 26, 2013


Ooh, how about… oh, bother, two people have already suggested it. Never mind.
posted by Lexica at 11:00 PM on May 26, 2013


I'd suggest lawn bowls, but croquet is much classier.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 1:09 AM on May 27, 2013


Hey, if you've only got the space for a badminton court I wouldn't recommend croquet, I dont think the game would really work on that scale. Another issue with croquet is that you need to keep the lawn nice and smooth.

Why not put up a volleyball net so you can play badminton too? Then you can have fun whatever the wind does.
posted by Ned G at 1:30 AM on May 27, 2013


A multi use lawned space like in a British country house with equipment for bowls, badders, croaky, etc.
posted by BenPens at 5:04 AM on May 27, 2013


LGB (G scale) trains

Well, that was an important clarification.
posted by wenestvedt at 8:21 AM on May 27, 2013 [1 favorite]


LGB is Lehman Gross Bahn
G Scale is also called Garden Railway Scale.
posted by Confess, Fletch at 4:03 PM on May 27, 2013


Ah! My dad always went for the tiny trains, like those Z gauge trains that can juuust fit a walnut on the flatcar.
posted by wenestvedt at 7:15 AM on May 28, 2013


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