In fact, clearances in tournament play are only an eighth of an inch. The Course Players go through the six wickets in a clockwised direction, starting at the blue corner. Then they double back for the final six, beginning with the wicket in the red corner. They finish play by pegging out a the stake in the center of the court. The goal is to outscore your opponents.
Players get one point for each wicket to their ball goes through and a point for hitting the stake.
The winner is the side scoring the most points. Since there are two balls played by each side the highest winning score is 26 points. In singles, one person plays both blue and black and his or her opponent both red and yellow. Turns alternate, following the order of colors on the stake, blue playing first, then red,etc. You cannot, however, hold your ball down with a foot as in the backyard game.