What is Ladder Golf? It is a terrific new alternative to horseshoes and croquet and some of the other more "traditional" outdoor games. It is really not like golf at all except that you play with golf balls. It is competitive and fun and children and adults of almost any age can play. At this point, the only negative is being able to find a local dealer of the game, or waiting for it to be shipped to you.

Equipment that you will need for Ladder Golf:

1. The ladder: this is an upright ladder with three steps on it. The legs of the ladder and the base are made of wood while the steps are made of metal.

2. The bolas: these are the balls. Two golf balls of the same color are connected with a short piece of rope driven into the center of the ball. You will need at least 2 different colors of bolas to play ladder golf.

3. The carrying case: Although this is not necessary, it will be something that you will probably want so that you can take the Ladder Golf game with you and also store it when you are not playing.

How to play Ladder Golf:

Each player needs 3 bolas of the same color-but every player must have a different color from the other players.

The toss line is 5 paces from the ladder. Paces are used so that the distance for children will be shorter.

Every player tosses 3 times in every round. Who tosses first in Ladder Golf is decided by a coin toss.

The player can toss the bola in any way they choose as long as they only toss one bola at a time and do not cross the toss line. The bola can bounce before it goes on the ladder. The player must toss all three bolas before the next player tosses.

Ladder Golf Scoring:

1 point for the bottom step

2 points for the middle step

3 points for the top step

The round winner gets to go first the next round.

The winner of Ladder Golf is the person who gets exactly 21 points first. If they go over, they go back to the point total of the previous round and try again. If two people tie at 21, then the rounds continue until one player has 2 more points than the other.

Players are encouraged to knock other players' bolas off the ladder. You cannot touch another person when they are tossing but you can make as much noise as you want.

Ladder golf costs around sixty dollars for a basic set. It is a fun game with lots of possibilities for family reunions, picnics, office parties and other activities. If you want a change of pace give this new game a try.