Project #3: Resurfacing the shuffleboard court

The shuffleboard court we have now was put in by our grandparents in 1935. Technically, my grandfather called it a shuffleboard run.  It was resurfaced in 1955. It’s had a long life…which was beginning to show the wrinkles and cracks of age once again.  At least one guest reported pucks going in odd directions or jumping down the court. Time for a little work. 

Shuffleboard began in the 1400s in English Taverns, where pucks would slide down long wooden tables. Word has it the game became so popular that Henry VIII banned the sport so troops could focus on archery. From there, the game came across the Atlantic on cruise ships, known as deck shuffleboard in the mid 1800s. The game made its way off deck and onto the back yards of hotels. The year we bought Squabetty, 1931, was the year the National Shuffleboard Association was formed. 

Summer and fall at Squabetty was always about friends, family, neighbors with loads of outdoor activities - swimming, croquet, hunting and so shuffleboard fit right in. Its popularity was sweeping the country in the 30s; my grandparents were swept right into that wave. 

Fast forward to 2026. The next generation stepped up to the plate and took the lead on this project. Likely the most amazing thing was seeing this huge cement truck lumber up the driveway and carefully unload cement into the newly-built, reinforced form.  Then there was lots of raking, leveling and smoothing. Once cured, we painted lines and numbers. Now it’s ready for disks to slide (not bounce!) down the run!