Best Ways to Enjoy Summer

The Best Way to Entertain Party Guests

Three games that are guaranteed to get a backyard party started―and keep it going.

Croquet, anyone? The age-old sport of whacking small balls through wire wickets can be posh (ask guests to wear white) or plebeian (no shoes or shirts required). (Visit croquet.com for sets.)

Cornhole. Fun game, bad name. The gist? Two rectangular wooden platforms with a small round hole on top are placed 26 feet apart. Players toss small square bags (like beanbags, except filled with corn kernels) toward the platforms. Get the bag on the platform, score a point; get it in the hole, score three points. (Go to ajjcornhole.com for sets.)

Frisbee golf. The fun starts with creating the course. “Holes” can be anything from a tree stump to a deck chair. Designate a “tee off” area for each hole; players alternate teeing off by throwing the Frisbee as close to the hole as possible. Subsequent throws are taken from just behind the spot where the disc came to rest. As with golf, she who gets to the hole first wins.