Ladder Golf

Ladder Golf is a ladder ball lawn game played by throwing a bola of two golf balls connected with a rope at a ladder type structure. The top rung is worth 3 points, the middle rung is worth 2 points and the bottom rung is worth 1 point, with the goal of the game being to get exactly (and not over) 21 points.

The game may be known by other names (a few examples):

• Ladder Ball
• Norwegian Golf
• bolo ball
• bola ball
• hillbilly horseshoes
• Lawn Golf

Game Play

The game is played with 2-4 players, consisting of 2 teams. Each player has 3 golf ball bolas to throw. The objective is to toss the bolas in an underhanded fashion while trying to wrap the bolas around the steps of the ladder set. The set consists of three steps or rungs. The top rung is worth 3 points, the middle rung is worth 2 points and the bottom rung is worth 1 point. The player must stand 20 feet away from the lawn golf stand when throwing in turn during a round. There are three rounds in which players toss the bolas in alternating fashion until the round is over. Bolas can be tossed in any underhanded fashion, as long as they are tossed individually and may be bounced off the ground. The winner of the round earns the 1st toss for the next round.

Initially, the first throwing player is determined by a single round toss, scoring does not contribute to the points of general game play. Once the game begins after the toss-off, players throw to achieve an exact total of 21 points. If both teams happen to tie at 21 points in the same round, a playoff tiebreak occurs and a win by 2 scenario is enabled. If a player goes over 21, that player or team's score goes back to 13.

At the end of a round, the score is tabulated based on the amount of bolas hanging from the ladder rungs. Players can knock off other bolas or place their bolas on the same rung to cancel out the opponents score. Only bolas that are left hanging on the rungs, without the existence of a competitor's bola, are counted as points. The top rung is worth 3 points, middle rung is 2 points, and bottom rung is worth 1 point. Players can score additional bonus points by landing all 3 bolas on the same rung or on each rung, 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

When a player lands all three bolas on a single rung, and they remain until the end of the round without any opponents bolas on that rung, it is known as a "Hat Trick" and 1 additional point is earned. A birdie occurs when a player lands their respective bolas on each rung and the opponent does not also land on any of the rungs. The player who achieves a birdie gets 6 points for landing their bola on each rung (3+2+1), plus 1 bonus point for a total of 7 points.

Construction Plans

Use 3/4" PVC pile. You will need pipe, fittings, nylon rope, golf balls, a drill and hot glue gun. The illustration below indicates the quantity of materials and building instructions.

Origin

The game began on camp grounds in the United States as a game for campers to play recreationally and socially with fellow campers. People were playing this game long before a company acquired the patent on the game apparatus and rules. Ladder Golf Tournaments have became regular annual event as some campgrounds and retirement communities.

The patent was originally filed by an individual. Robert Reid of Pennsylvania said to have played the game with his family for decades before filing in 1999. Reid sold his patent to Ladder Golf, LLC in March of 2005, and the company began manufacturing the game. In fact the company sponsors a tournament in San Diego in April each year.