Ladder Golf

Ladder Golf
Build Your Own

As the game is becoming more popular, the price is going up. Toward the end of the summer season, the price may come down to a reasonable amount - even near the same as what you can make it for. However, if you don't want to wait for that time, it's not hard to make either.

These are not the "official" directions or sizes. I measured the game from someone else who had it at a campsite we visited.

The game that I saw was made out of 1/2 inch schedule 40 PVC. The owner said it was a little flimsy, so I made mine out of 3/4" schedule 40 PVC. It seems sturdy enough.

The "ladder" rungs are cut 24" long plus the 90º bends which makes the ladder about 25 1/2" wide. The vertical pieces are cut 12 inches long between the top to middle, middle to bottom rungs. The fittings will add about 3/4" at each fitting making it about 13 1/2" between rungs.
From the bottom rung to the ground it's 20 inches.
The base foot pieces are 12 inches long out of a tee in the bottom.
I made it so I could remove the base for storage. I figured it would be better with it screwed in than trying to just slide the feet into the tee each time.

The bolos (the ball things) are made with normal golf balls with a hole drilled through them to accommodate the rope. I used 3/16" nylon rope. If you use 1/8" rope, it will tangle very easily. You will wish you had used a bigger rope. The bolos are 18 inches from the end of one ball to the end of the other ball. I drilled out each ball slightly larger than the rope and then countersunk one end of the hole. Put the rope through the hole (you may have to melt it slightly, but not too much to get it through) and leave an inch sticking out the countersunk end. Light the piece sticking out of the ball on fire and let it melt until it becomes flush with the ball. Set it down and let it cool. I practiced on a used golf ball before I tried it with the new ones.

To keep score, drill holes along the back of the vertical section at an angle - from the back to the front. Then write the numbers 1 through 21 under the appropriate holes - on the front and the back. If you do this on both uprights of both ladders, you will be able to keep score for up to 4 teams. We found colored golf tees to put in the score holes worked very well.

Ladder Golf Scoring and Rules:
If you look on the internet, you'll find many different rules for the game. So it was determined by many people I know who have the game that the rules are determined by the owner of the game. There are "official" rules on some sites, but since I own my game, these rules are what we go by. You can find may variations on the internet.

We have played with up to 4 teams. The scoring gets a little confusing, but it's fun.
A team consists of 1 or 2 people. If there is only 1 person per team, then the teams have to move from ladder to ladder each time after the bolos are thrown - assuming that there are 2 ladders. If there are 2 people on each team, then 1 of each team will be at one ladder and the other team member will be at the other ladder.

When the bolos are thrown, the teams will alternate. That is, one team will throw a bolo, then the next team throws theirs, etc until all the teams have thrown 1 bolo and then they do it again until all the bolos are thrown.
We have 5 bolos for each team because the golf balls came in a package of 3 colors of 10 each color. If you only have 3 bolos for each team (the "official" number of bolos per team) then that's OK.

The idea of the game is for one team to reach the score of exactly 21 before the other team(s) does.

The ladders are placed about 15 to 25 feet apart ("official" distance is 15 feet). To make the distance consistent each time, I made a rope with a loop in one end and 3 loops near the other end. One loop would make the distance 15 feet, the next 20 feet and the third loop was 25 feet. We seem to like it the best at about 20 feet.
Each team will have at least 3, 4 or 5 bolos of the same color. We got the colored golf balls at Walmart which had 30 balls of 3 different colors, so we made 5 bolos for 3 teams. Since then, we have added white bolos to make a 4th team.
To begin the game, determine the initial order to toss the bolos(this is only for the first round). .
Thereafter, the order is determined by the team that made the most points (positive or negative). They will go first, the team with the next most points goes next etc.
The score for each round is not counted until the round is over.
In order for a bolo to be counted, a ball must be over each side of the ladder rung. (if it's hung on a score tee, the tee can be removed to see if it will hang over the rung)
You can have as many teams you desired. We've played with up to 4 teams with no problems. Each team must have the same number of bolos - each team having their own color.
The top rung is worth 3 points, the middle rung is 2 points, and the bottom rung is worth 1 point.
If all teams have a bolo on the same rung, they cancel out each of them. Example: if the game is with 2 teams and they both get a bolo on the top rung, then those 2 bolos are not counted. If team A gets another one on the top rung, it IS counted - until team B gets another one on the top rung). If there are 3 or 4 teams, then in order to be canceled out, there has to be a bolo from each team on the same rung. Then only those 3 or 4 are not counted in the score for that round.
The game is to 21 points and it must be won exactly. If a team gets more than 21 points, then all of that teams points for that round are subtracted from the current score of that team.
If 2 teams get 21 on the same round then they will continue playing and must beat the other team by at least 3 points. The other teams that did not have 21 points are dropped out.
Each team must throw all of their bolos. They may not make it any where near the ladder, however, they have to be thrown (tossed) toward the ladder.

I think that it was originally meant for only 2 teams, similar to horseshoes, but we played it with 4 teams and had no problem. Conceivably, it could be played with more teams if you had enough different colored bolos. It could get kind of confusing, however.
A suggestion we found on the internet was to make the bolos using tennis balls for the younger kids. They would be much safer (see the picture).
Parts List for a set of 2 ladders and 15 bolos.
4 ea. 10 ft pieces of 3/4 schedule 40 PVC
Sandpaper, cleaner and PVC cement for the PVC (the small can of each is more than enough)
4 ea. 90 deg 3/4 (schedule 40 PVC) (used for the top rung)
12 ea. 3/4 tee (schedule 40 PVC)

(used for the middle and bottom rungs and also the base pieces)

4 ea. 3/4 inch adapters PVC to male pipe thread (schedule 40 PVC)

(the male would go on the base to screw onto the upright piece)

4 ea. 3/4 inch adapters PVC to female pipe thread (schedule 40 PVC)

(the female would go on the upright near the base)

3 colors of electrical tape for the 3 rungs.
Or - these can be painted if desired. Just as long as they are 3 different colors.
8 ea. 3/4" caps (schedule 40 PVC)

(for the ends of each foot)

15 ea. pieces of 3/16" nylon rope 20 inches long (do not go any thiner. They tangle up too easily)
golf balls - 8 or 10 balls of the same color for each team. (I found a set of 30 balls of 3 different colors at Walmart for about $14 - it also has tees with it).

Something to keep in mind:
We have heard that some of the Ladder Golf sets that you buy begin to crack or break where the ball hits repeatedly - mainly on the rungs. We have not had that problem yet, however. It could be the tape somewhat cushioning the rung when the bolo hits it or the fact that we used schedule 40 PVC. At any rate, if you go too thin, you will probably end up with broken or cracked rungs.

The base consists of a tee with the 2 12 inch pieces out the straight section and a short piece in the upright of the tee just long enough to go into the adapter (PVC to male). I put caps on the end of each leg to make it look neater.
With the male and female adapters, it is much easier to store and simple to set up. Just screw the bases on each leg and you're all set.

More information

Problems seen:
Bolo rope: I used 3/16" nylon rope. If the rope is any smaller, it seems to get tangled up much easier

Ladder rungs: I put colored electrical tape on the rungs to mark them. However it seems to have another positive quality. My son-in-law bought a Ladder Golf set for his parents and at least one of the rungs have cracked (they were also made out of PVC). With the electrical tape on them, it may dampen the ball hitting it enough to protect it from cracking. Only time will tell.

"Official Rules" can be found at: http://www.laddergolf.com/ladder-golf-official-rules.php
I'm not sure who made these rules official, but there are other rules on the internet. The main thing is that everyone agree on the rules beforehand and then have fun playing the game.

BoloToss is another game that is very very much like it - if not the same game. Only the distance between ladders is further. Information about it can be found on the internet.

Rules for BoloToss: http://www.bolotoss.com/bolotoss_rules.htm

One of the many forums on Ladder Golf

Rules and comments for Ladder Golf & Bolo Toss

For those that don't want to build their own, you can buy them online at a few places:
Ladder Golf at: http://www.laddergolf.com/
Bolo Toss at: http://www.bolotoss.com/
Rattle Rail Toss at: http://www.rattlerailtoss.com/
Willy Ball at: http://www.willyball.com/
BlongoBall at: http://www.blongoball.com/