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How to Play Hillbilly Horseshoes

Looking for a way to unwind? Try your hand at hillbilly horseshoes. Also known as ladder golf, ladder toss, golf ball horseshoes and hillbilly golf, hillbilly horseshoes provides good clean family fun. The game requires at least one three-prong ladder usually made of plastic. Also, you need two sets of three bolas. Bolas are small balls, similar to golf balls, attached to a cord or rope. To win the game you must score exactly 21 points before any other player or team.

Instructions

- 1
  Set up the ladder on the lawn. Allow for about 20 feet of lawn space to safely play in the backyard. If using two ladders, place them at least 10 feet apart.
- 2
  Create the toss line 5 feet away from each ladder. The official rules state you must throw from 15 feet away, but most use 5 feet, especially for a family game. Mark five paces from the ladders with paint, string or other small objects.
- 3
  Flip a coin to decide which player tosses first. Have a neutral party toss a coin and one player call it in the air to determine which player throws bolas first. In subsequent rounds, the player winning the previous round tosses first.
- 4
  Toss the bolas at the ladder and gain point. Each prong of the ladder corresponds to a different point level. The top prong equals three points, the middle is two and the bottom equals one point.
- 5
  Score points by knocking off other players bolas from the ladder. Earn points and cancel out other players points by tossing bolas and knocking others off the ladder. After all, only bolas still on the ladder at the end of each round count towards the score.
- 6
  Determine the winner. The first player to reach 21 points at the end of a round wins. If you go over 21, the points from that round do not count. All players must complete the round and the score must be exactly 21 to win.

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