Knex Lazy Man's Golf

Lazy Man's Golf is a fun yard game that can be purchased at most superstores. But why purchase one if you can build it yourself out of Knex! This instructable will show you how to just that. (Build your own that is.)    

The game is most commonly known as Ladder Toss, but I like the name Lazy Man's Golf better because the name Ladder Toss makes it sound like you're tossing ladders around :-)

The object of the game is be the first person or team to get to exactly 21 points by tossing the bolas onto the rungs. The last step explains the rules more in-depth. 

The Knex holds up pretty well. The rungs will start to sag after a little bit and I would recommend having some pliers on hand because some of the pieces sometimes get push in. But overall it holds up nicely.

Are you ready to build? If so, move onto next step and get building! 

All the Knex parts are labeled in their classic colors. 

             Rods

• green rods - 46
• white rods - 53
• blue rods - 122
• yellow - 16
• red rods - 76
• grey rods - 76

             Connectors

• grey connectors - 76
• light grey connectors - 26
• orange connectors - 150
• red connectors - 30
• green connectors - 12
• yellow connectors - 112
• white connectors - 48
• blue locking connectors - 54

             Clips and Spacers

• Y-clips - 16
• blue clips - 6
• tan locking clips - 32
• roller coaster clips - 4
• blue spacers - 222*
• silver spacers - 120*

             Miscellaneous 

• chain links - 40

              Notes
If you don't have 222 blue spacers and 120 silver spacers don't worry, a lot of the them can be replaced by other things such as grey or light grey connectors, or Y-clips.

There are 4 legs to build. The first picture shows the parts needed to build 1 of the legs.

There are 2 sets of chain links to make.

There are 2 leg connectors to build. The first picture shows the parts needed to build 1 of the leg connectors.

There are 4 sides to build. The first picture shows the parts needed to build 1 of the sides

There are 3 steps or rungs to build. The first picture shows the parts needed to 1 of the steps or rungs.

The connectors connect the steps or rungs to the sides. They consist of 3 parts; the top, middle, and bottom connectors.

Pictures 1-13 = top connectors
Pictures 14-22 = middle connestors
Pictures 23-37 = bottom connectors

To make the bolas you'll need:

• 6 pieces of 1/4in. rope cut into 19in. lengths
• 12 Knex balls or foam golf balls

Now it's time to put it all together. I designed it to attach and detach fairly easily which makes it easy to store.

Just a couple of little things to put on and you're done!

Congratulations! You're done building!
     Now all you have to do is to set up the game somewhere in your yard and get tossing. Below are the official rules. There are many different ways to play Lazy Man's Golf. This is the version I was taught. 

Playing the Game:
Prior to game players measure 5 paces or more from the game ladder to set the toss line.

Ladder Golf is played in rounds, each round consists of all players tossing 3 bolas. Decide which player or team will toss first. The players alternate turns when tossing their bolas. Bolas can be tossed in anyway the player chooses, as long as they are tossed individually and can be bounced off the ground. The winner of the round earns the first toss in the next round.

Games are played to an exact point total of 21.

In order to win, a player must be the only one to score exactly 21 points after the completion of a round.

If a player goes over the exact point total, that player points go back down to 11.

In the case of a tie, the players that tie will play as many overtime rounds as needed until one player ends a complete round 2 points ahead of the other player. The 2 point rule only applies in overtime rounds. During regular play any player can win as long as that player is the only one to score an exact total of 21 points at the end of that round no matter how many points the other players have.

Throwing Technique:
Throwing technique is totally up to you; the bolas can be lobbed, gunned, bounced, thrown granny-style, or anything else you can dream up. Just try and loop the rungs.

Scoring:
After all teams have tossed all their bolas, scoring is determined by the bolas that are still hanging from the steps. Players can knock-off bolas during the course of the game. bolas that are knocked off during play do not count as points. Only bolas that are left hanging after all bolas are tossed are counted as points.

Points:
Points are determined by which step your bola wraps around or is hanging from. The top step is worth 3 points the middle step is worth 2 points and the bottom step is only worth 1 point. Players can score an optional bonus of 1 point by hanging all 3 bolas from the same step or by hanging a bola on all 3 (1-2-3) steps in one round. The highest amount of points available per player is 10. This is accomplished by hanging all 3 bolas on the top (3 point) step.

Team Play:
Four players can play Ladder Golf by alternating play each round. Players simply alternate turns with teammates. Extra bolas can also be built so up to 4 players can play individually on the same ladder or a second ladder can be built for team play. With multiple ladders 2 players on opposite teams would be on one side and the other 2 opposing players would be at the other game ladder. One side would toss all bolas and the other team would toss them back. Same rules apply.

Note: sections of the rules I listed where taken from this website http://www.laddergolf.com/