Croquet from the French word for a crooked stick, has its origins dating back since the 14th century. There are several forms of croquet including, most notably British lawn croquet and American lawn croquet. The latter offers various options including: Backyard nine-wicket, American six-wicket, international six-wicket, and golf croquet, which uses the nine-wicket layout. The World Croquet Federation (WCF) is the international governing body for croquet.