This article will help you learn how to build ladder golf, also known as blongo ball or bolo toss. The ladder golf model we will help you learn how to build is one that is made out of wood and easily transportable. Each piece of this ladder golf model will be easy to take apart because it will be connected together with hanger bolts and screws. To take it apart all you have to do is unscrew the bolts and then put it in a bag so you don't lose the parts. After seeing how much it will cost to build ladder golf, you may decide it is better to buy a pre-made set. You can buy a pre-made wood set that you can easily take apart at LadderGolf.com.

Tools Needed To Build Ladder Golf

    The first thing to do when explaining how to build ladder golf is to talk about the tools you will need. Luckily, this project does not need too many tools.

    The drill will be used to drill the golf balls for the bolas and the wood pieces of the ladder. The clamp will be used to hold the golf ball still when drilling it and to hold the wood pieces of the ladder together when drilling them. If you have a drill press, you will want to use it when drilling the golf balls. Using a drill press will make drilling the golf balls much easier. The saw will be used to cut the pieces of wood for the ladder. The paintbrush will be used to coat the wood pieces of the ladder with a waterproofing sealant.  

Materials Needed to Build Ladder Golf

    The second thing to do when explaining how to build ladder golf is to talk about the materials you will use. There are many materials that you will need to make the bolas and the ladder for ladder golf.

Infographic Credit: Meghan Carter

     To build the ladder, you will need outdoor treated lumber, dowel rods, hanger bolts with nuts and washers, sand paper and waterproofing sealant. The outdoor treated lumber will be used for parts A and C on the Ladder Golf Diagram. The dowel rod will be used on part B of the diagram. After you have cut the outdoor treated lumber and dowel rods to size, you will need to sand them. Make sure to sand them before you put them together. It will not only make it easier to hold them, but also save you from splinters.     
   Once you have sanded the outdoor treated lumber for parts A and C and the dowel rods for part B, you will need to put them together with hanger bolts. Hanger bolts are two-sided screws that have one side with wood threads and one side with machine threads. A nut and washer can be screwed onto the side with the machine threads.  Hanger bolts are used because they enable the ladder to be taken apart easily; whereas, had we used normal screws it would be difficult to take apart the ladder.
    After putting the ladder together, you will want to paint them with a waterproofing sealer. It may be easier to paint the wood pieces with waterproofing sealer before assembly. You can choose when you would prefer to do it.
    To make each bola, you will need two golf balls and a piece of synthetic rope.  We recommend using a synthetic rope so that the materials in the rope do not break down over time. When choosing a synthetic rope make sure it is very bendable. A stiff rope will make it difficult to play ladder golf. After drilling holes in each golf ball, you will use epoxy glue to glue each side of the rope into one of the golf balls.

Estimated Cost to Build Ladder Golf

    While knowing how to build ladder golf is important, it is much more important to know how much it will cost you to build ladder golf. Surprisingly, it is fairly expensive to build ladder golf. The following costs for each material are estimates and will vary depending on where you live, the quality of materials you purchase and where you shop for the materials.


Material Price List:

1x4x12 Outdoor Treated Lumber (Lowe's):	$4.97
Three 1" x 36" dowel rod (Amazon.com):	$12.00
Eight Hanger Bolts with nut and washer (Osborne Wood Products Inc.):	$6.24
12 Used Golf Balls (Usedgolfballdeals.com):	$7.00
Five feet of rope (U.S. Rope & Cable):	$2.50
Sand paper (Lowe's):	$4.00
Epoxy Glue (Lowe's):	$2.97
Waterproofing Sealant (Lowe's):	$12.94
Total:	$52.62

    Before you start to build ladder golf, you may want to consider purchasing a pre-made set. Buying a pre-made ladder golf set will only cost you about $15.00 to $20.00 more than it costs you to build ladder golf based on our above estimates. If you enjoy building things, then building your own ladder golf set may be a fun experience. However, if you wanted to know how to build ladder golf so that you could save a few bucks, then you may want to buy one pre-made. If you buy a pre-made ladder golf set you will only spend a few extra dollars, not to mention you will save a lot of extra time that you could spend practicing and perfecting your ladder golf game.



If you are still interested in how to build ladder golf, then you will need plans. To learn about ladder golf plans, read our article Ladder Golf Plans.

If you would like to learn how to play ladder golf, read our article Ladder Golf.