Teddy Prentis
Palm Beach Post
May 20, 2017

A giant in the world of croquet, Ted Prentis left a legacy throughout 
South Florida and the world before his death this month in Bermuda.

Edmund Astley Prentis IV, 68, died May 11 in a motorbike accident. 
He was in town, naturally, for a croquet tournament.

Prior to that, he had become the world’s first full-time croquet professional. 
He won a record eight U.S. Croquet Association titles before being inducted into 
the sport’s hall of fame in 1989. He made instructional videos and became 
croquet’s historian, contributing to what the association called its 
“growth and enjoyment” in the United States.

All the while, Prentis was the longtime pro at Palm Beach Polo & Country Club in Wellington 
and maintained a residence in Delray Beach, along with homes in Westhampton Beach, N.Y., 
and Cluj-Napoca, Romania, where he had retired.

“He basically was the USCA,” said Johnny Mitchell, the association’s president. 
“He knew everyone. He’s been everywhere. His passing is a big loss just in the 
history of the USCA. He’ll be extremely missed.”

The New York-born and Columbia University-educated Prentis first struck a ball with 
a mallet as a teenager at Westhampton Mallet Club on Long Island.

In a 1991 interview with The Palm Beach Post, the New York-born and 
Columbia University-educated Prentis described how the culture around croquet 
was changing — and for the better, in his opinion.

“Being part of Palm Beach helps,” Prentis said during the interview. “People are more 
affluent here and know something about croquet. They don’t look at me too strange, anymore. 
When I first came down to Palm Beach — at the old airport — they were checking my bags 
and said, `Is this a mallet? You play polo?′ The basic thing that people do now 
is say, `I want to learn to play.′ ”

Prentis leaves behind two sisters, one brother, one nephew and four nieces. 
A service is scheduled for June 3 at 2:30 p.m. at the 
Westhampton Presbyterian Church in Westhampton Beach, N.Y.