There are many different versions of ladder golf rules. Each set of ladder golf rules has a different method of setting the game up, playing and scoring. The different rules stem from the different names for the game. Not everyone calls ladder golf, ladder golf. Some of the other names for ladder golf are BlongoBall and BoloToss. All of the versions use a three-rung ladder and bolas. They just have different ways to play the game. Each version has its own unique twist. To help you find your favorite version of ladder golf rules, we've listed the official Ladder Golf rules, BlongoBall rules and BoloToss rules below.
Official Ladder Golf Rules
If you are looking for the official version of ladder golf rules, then these are the ones you want. These ladder golf rules were created by
Ladder Golf, which has patented their ladder golf sets.
Ladder Golf Setup Rules
- The toss line, which is where the players toss the bolas from, should be 15 feet from the ladder target; however, if you don't want to measure, you can space the toss line five paces from the ladder target ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
- You should use a coin toss to decide which player gets to go first ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
Ladder Golf Playing Rules
- During one round of ladder golf, each player gets one turn. Each player's turn consists of the player throwing his or her three bolas one at a time at the ladder target. Once each player has had his or her turn, the round is over. The players can pick up their bolas and start a new round. The winner of each round gets to go first during the next round ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
- A player can throw the bolas however they want to as long as they only throw one bola at a time. The bola is even allowed to bounce on the ground ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
- You can make noise and try to distract your opponent when they throw the bolas; however, you cannot touch them ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
- You are not allowed to cross the toss line until each player has finished their turn and the round is complete ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
Ladder Golf Scoring Rules
- You get three points for having a bola hang from the top rung, two points from having your bola hang from the middle rung and one point from having your bola hang from the lower rung. You can get a bonus point by hanging all bolas on the same rung or one bola on each rung. If you knock an opponents bola off of a rung, their point no longer counts ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
- Players must get exactly 21 points to win the game. If a player scores more than 21 points, his or her points for that round do not count and he or she must try again to score exactly 21 points ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
- If there is a tie, players should continue to play until one player gets 2 points higher than the other player in a single round ("Ladder Golf Official Rules and Instructions").
BlongoBall Rules
BlongoBall has the simplest rules. If you are looking for an easy-to-remember version of ladder golf rules, then the BlongoBall rules may be the best ones for you.
BlongoBall Setup Rules
- The BlongoBall targets should be 25 feet apart, however you can change the distance if you want ("BlongoBall Rules and Strategies").
BlongoBall Playing Rules
- The bolas should be thrown underhand ("BlongoBall Rules and Strategies").
- When you throw the bolas you should release them so they have a backwards rotation ("BlongoBall Rules and Strategies").
BlongoBall Scoring Rules
- You score a point if the bolas hangs from one of the rungs on the target. You loose a point if another player knocks one of your bolas off of the target ("BlongoBall Rules and Strategies").
- The first player to get 21 points wins ("BlongoBall Rules and Strategies").
BoloToss Rules
The official Ladder Golf rules are somewhat similar to the BoloToss rules. So if you like playing with the ladder golf rules, you may have fun mixing it up a bit by playing the BoloToss version. You might even find the BoloToss rules to be a little trickier.
BoloToss Setup Rules
- The BoloToss targets should be 40 feet apart; however, you can space them a distance of 30 feet if 40 feet is too far ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- Each person or team is given three bolas of the same color ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- Each round, players throw their three bolas one at a time when it is their turn. Once every player has thrown his or her bolas, the players can collect their bolas and start a new round ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- You should try to be polite when playing by not disrupting the other players when they are throwing the bolas ("Official BoloToss Rules").
BoloToss Scoring Rules
- When all players have thrown their bolas, points are counted based on the bolas left hanging on the rungs ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- The top rung is worth 3 points, the middle rung is worth 2 points and the bottom rung is worth one point. Note that if you play the "Equalizer" version, you loose a point if your bola lands on the equalizer bar ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- You can earn an extra point if all three of your bolas land on the same rung as long as an opponent's bola is not also on that rung. If you have a bola on a rung and an opponent has a bola on a rung, then both players' points are canceled out ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- The player who wins is the player who gets exactly 21 points first. If a player goes over 21 points, their points from that round do not count and they must try to get exactly 21 points again ("Official BoloToss Rules").
- To break a tie, each player must throw three bolas. Whoever gets the highest score wins. Players should continue playing rounds until one player has won ("Official BoloToss Rules").
