Home >> Games & Cards >> Games

Ladder Ball Rules

Ladder ball is a game that can be played in a variety of outdoor settings including tailgate parties and backyard parties. Ladder ball can be played by two individuals against each other, or two pairs of teammates similar to horse shoes. The goal is to toss a ball onto a target that resembles a ladder, hence the game's name. Ladder ball is sometimes also referred to as ladder golf.

The Basics
- Each player is presented with three bolas. A bola is a small piece of rope with golf balls tied at each end. The player then attempts to toss his bola towards a ladder with three rungs. The distance players stand from the ladder is up to the players, with longer distances used for advanced players. Players take turns, with one player tossing all three bolas and then the next player tossing all three of her bolas. After all of the bolas are tossed at the ladder, the round is scored.
Scoring
- Scoring is determined by the rung of the ladder onto which a player tosses his bola. A bola is scored either if it is wrapped around the rung or just hanging from it. The top rung is worth three points, the second rung is worth two points, and the bottom rung is worth one point. Some players choose to swap the point values for the top and bottom rungs as a house rule for ladder ball. If one bola from each player is on the same rung, neither player scores a point, those bolas cancel. If one player has two bolas on a rung and the other player has one bola on the same run, the player with two bolas receives a score for one bola.
Winning
- The goal is to be the first to reach 21 points. To win in ladder ball, a player must score 21 points exactly. If she goes over 21 points on her turn, her score reverts to what it was to start the round. Some players play in this circumstance that instead of reverting to the previous score, if he scores over 21 the player deducts his points from that round from his score at the beginning of the round instead of adding them.

Games