Good morning!
I am writing this from my casita in Phoenix ... back home after a wonderful week in Palm Springs.
The wind was kicking up on my flight back and I got a 20 knot tailwind. Can I consider this as a "clean air" carbon reduction? My gas bill was 20% less.

I enjoyed the tournament in spite of my loss to Rich Lamm who played wonderfully. I would like to thank everyone for their help in setting up court strings, half-way pegs and for picking up the court. As tournament referee, I would like to also thank you for your patience and willingness to learn some of the new Golf Croquet rules (as well as myself). I encountered very few contentious players and everyone willing to try to get it right.

The one ruling which seemed to attract the most calls was (and will likely continue to be) "playing the wrong ball".

The commentary at the end of section 10 seems to be useful in clarifying what is meant by the wording "playing partner ball" and I wanted to go back and check with the folks that had a copy of the "yellow" USCA rulebook whether it contained the commentary sections. The "blue" GC rulebook by The Croquet Association has the commentary clarifications.

For example, in a game of singles, if yellow is to play and "the striker" plays red instead of yellow, then the non-offending side chooses whether to "replace and replay" or "ball swap". In the first case, red is replaced and yellow plays the striker's correct ball. In the second case, the striker's turn is over, the red and yellow balls are swapped, and the owner of the blue ball is now the striker.

Prior to the striker playing a wrong ball, the opponent (or referee, if present) should forestall play. And after playing a wrong ball, the opponent (or referee, if present) should forestall play until it is established how play should continue. The rules are unclear as to whether the crowd may forestall play ... and after a week of play, we all felt obliged to correct the strikers absent mindedness.

I see nothing in the rulebook which would indicate that the "ball swap" option should only be used when multiple "wrong balls" have been played. The "ball swap" option is not be used: when the striker plays an opponent ball, or if his partner (in doubles) plays an opponent ball or the correct ball to play but not his ball. In the first case, it appears to me that rule 10.5.4 may apply if multiple turns have taken place with opponent balls, otherwise the ball is replaced and the correct striker ball is played. In the second and third cases, 'replace and replay' apply.