In its heyday the Forbury Park Croquet Club had about 50 members. It is now down to 20.
Club president Sue Chilton said the club’s declining numbers were partly due to people not knowing what the game was about.
"There’s a lot of things going on that people don’t realise.
"They come and see the grey hair and they don’t want to go any further."
She said it was a good way for people to challenge themselves.
It was not just about hitting a ball through a hoop but rather trying to outsmart your opponent.
The aim was to move the opponent’s ball away from the hoops and hit your own ball through it using a mallet.
Ms Chilton said it was one of the first games that men and women played together, and you could play "till you drop down".
The club had a member in his 90s who was still playing competitively.
The game also offered a lot of opportunity, including travelling around New Zealand and overseas to play in tournaments.
Ms Chilton said the four clubs in Dunedin were planning on introducing a social league next year for people to "give the sport a crack".
She said more members would mean the club could afford a new lawnmower and keep up maintenance of the property, which it leased from the Dunedin City Council.
Ms Chilton had been a member of the club for 22 years.
She said she loved the friendship and exercise that came with the sport.
