No.332
Ladder Golf
Japanese name: ラダーゴルフ
Materials
- A stable, purpose-made three-rung ladder
- 3 soft-ball bolas per colour, each with two balls joined by cord
- A throwing-line marker and score sheet
How to play
- Mark a line in front of the ladder, using about 4.5 m as a guide and shortening it to a comfortable distance for children. Form two sides with three bolas each and choose who starts.
- One player throws all three bolas underarm, one at a time, trying to wrap them around a rung. Then the next player throws three. Nobody stands near the ladder.
- After all throws, score only bolas still hanging: top rung three points, middle two, bottom one. Bolas that fell score zero. Do not use bonuses for the first game.
- Add each side’s round score to its total. If a total would exceed 21, cancel that round’s addition. The higher-scoring side of that round starts next. Rotate team throwers too.
- At the end of a round, a side alone on exactly 21 wins. If both reach 21, extend play until one leads by two points at a round’s end. Retrieve only on the facilitator’s signal.
Ways to adapt
Younger primary: shorten the distance and optionally alternate one bola each. Preschool: one supported throw with a caregiver, because cords can tangle. Add bonuses only after gaining experience.