Lawn games are popular outdoor games of skill, precision, concentration, and strategy that have been played worldwide for centuries, some going back to ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Babylon, India, and China. These games continue to be popular among all ages and social classes. Each game is ruled by associations that hold national and world championships. Lawn games represent a variety of lawn ball and throwing games played by two or more people, often in teams.
Bocce
Bocce is a ball game similar to bowling played on a clay or asphalt court. The object is to throw as many large bocce balls closest to a small target ball.
World rankings are, Men’s: 1. John Loung -China, Muhammad Syafa-Indonesia, David Smith-UK. Women’s: 1. Hiromi Endo-Japan, Aureille Aubert- France, Handayani Handayani- Indonesia. There are numerous tournaments but no world championship event.
Croquet
Croquet is a lawn ball game that involves hitting wooden or plastic balls with mallets through hoops, called wickets, on a grass playing court. The U.S. Croquet Association governs U.S. tournaments. The World Croquet Association governs international competitions. There are 200 croquet clubs in the U.S. and 170 in England.
Current 2025 world champions are, Association Croquet: men’s Reg Bamford- South Africa, women’s Debbie Lines- England. Golf Croquet: men’s Blake Fields- U.S., women’s Jamie Grumbrell- Australia. The 2026 world championship will be held in the UK.
Horseshoes
Horseshoes is a throwing lawn game involving throwing U-shaped bars at target stakes. It is played in a lawn or sand box area with stakes 40 feet apart. Two players or teams alternate in throws.
The National Horseshow Pitchers Association holds world tournaments. The current 2025 World Champion is Jennifer Gegg of the U.S. The 2026 World Championship Tournament will be July 13 to 25, in Wausau, Wisconsin.
Badminton
Badminton is a racket game using a racquet to hit a feathered shuttlecock across a net. Games are played on a rectangular court much like tennis. The Badminton World Federation holds championship competitions.
World 2025 champions are, Men’s Singles: Shi Yogi – China. Women’s Singles: Akane Yamaguchi- Japan. Men’s Doubles: South Korea. Women’s Doubles: China. Mixed
Doubles: Malaysia. Men’s Thomas Cup- 1) China, 2) Indonesia. 3) Malasia. Women’s Uber Cup- 1) China, 2) Indonesia, 3) South Korea.
The 2026 world championship will be held in Husens, Denmark.
Flying Discs
Flying disc sports use Frisbees thrown in a variety of games, including Disc Golf, Freestyle, and Ultimate. The World Flying Disc Federation holds world championships.
Disc Golf 2025 champions are men’s Gannon Buhr and women’s Ohn Scoggins. Ultimate 2025 champions 1) U.S., 2) Canada, 3) France. Freestyle 2025 pairs- men’s Francisco Santoloin and Riccardo Montanari; women’s Zofie Wilczek and Benedicte Audet.
Shuffleboard
Shuffleboard is a game in which players use pole cues to push weighted discs, sending them gliding down a narrow court, with the purpose of having them come to rest within a marked scoring area. Competitions are held by the International Shuffleboard Association.
World 2025 men’s champion Mark Malatt, U.S., women’s Jessica Cegiela, Germany. The 2026 championship will be November 1, 2026 in Renom, Nevada.
Target Archery
Target Archery involves using a bow and arrow to shoot at a stationary target on lawns or courts. The World Archery Federation holds championship competitions.
Men’s champions 2025: Recurve- Kim Woo Jin, South Korea, Compound – Nicolas Girard, France. Women’s 2025 champions: Recurve – An San, South Korea, Compound – Andrea Becerra, Mexico. The 2026 championship series will be held in stages in Florida, China, Turkey, Spain, and Mexico.
