The Most Important Crazy Golf Rules Explained

Are you planning a round of mini golf with friends or family, or are you playing your first mini golf tournament soon, but now you're wondering: What are the rules of mini golf? Here you will find a comprehensive rule guide for beginners and ambitious tournament players.

 

This article was written by One Putt Minigolf.
- The mini golf outfitter for pros and beginners -

In summary: What rules must be observed in mini golf?

1. On each course, the goal is to play the ball from the tee into the hole with as few strokes as possible.
2. Each stroke counts as one point. You have a maximum of 6 attempts per course. If you don't manage to hole the ball within this time, 7 points are automatically awarded and you continue to the next course. 
3. Once a ball is started on a course, it must be played until the ball is in the hole or the maximum of 6 attempts has been reached. On the next course, you may start with a different ball again. 
4. The first shot is always taken within the teeing area. The ball may be placed anywhere within the teeing area. 
5. When striking, the club head should only briefly touch the ball and not push or loft it. 
6. The ball may not be stopped while it is rolling on the course, but must be allowed to roll out. 
7. The ball is played from the tee until it has properly overcome the obstacle or the red line. 
   
8. Once the ball has overcome the obstacle or the red line, play continues from where the ball came to rest. 
   
9. If the ball cannot be played properly because it is against the board or an obstacle, the ball may be moved at right angles by 20 to 30 cm into the field or to the placement mark (approximately one club head length). 
   
10. If the ball bounces out of the course after overcoming an obstacle, it is put back into play at the point where it left the course.
    
11. The courses are played in the order of their numbering.
12. Special rule for miniature golf courses: Courses may not be entered. 

In mini golf, it's about the number of strokes.
Whoever has the fewest strokes wins.

International Mini Golf Competition Rules explained in detail:

With the above rules of play, you will do everything correctly when you are on the mini golf course. If you want to understand mini golf even deeper and perhaps even participate in tournaments, we have summarized an overview of the international competition rules for you here. These are based on the mini golf rules mentioned above, but also ensure maximum fairness, comparability, and precision.

What are the basic rules of mini golf? 

At its core, everything remains the same, whether for leisure or tournament. The goal is to play the ball from the tee into the hole with as few strokes as possible. Each stroke counts as one point. There is a maximum of 6 stroke attempts per course. If you don't manage it within 6 strokes, an additional point is automatically awarded, making a total of 7. This means the maximum score per course is 7, but you only have 6 stroke attempts per course. 

Entering the courses is not permitted as long as the ball is on the course. Miniature golf courses may generally not be entered, as they can be easily damaged thereby. Other types of courses may be entered for play with respect for the facility and the game.

What are the requirements for ball and club selection?

Before you play a course in a tournament, you must decide which ball you want to play with. Once you start a course with a ball, you must finish it with that ball. There are two exceptions under which a ball that has been started can be changed. Firstly, if the ball was damaged during play and is no longer playable. This is rare but can happen, especially when playing with glass balls. Secondly, a ball may leave the course during play and not be found again, which can happen especially on concrete course 7. If the ball is not found after 5 minutes, another ball can be used to continue playing. It is important to know that in both cases, a penalty stroke is recorded when changing the ball. Play continues with the new ball from where the old ball last lay or left the course. If the old ball had not yet overcome the obstacle or the red line, play will, of course, resume from the teeing area. 

In contrast to the ball, the club can be changed at any time. However, this is rather untypical for mini golf, as usually one club is played with. Again, concrete course 7 is the most common exception, as the ball is struck over a longer distance, and therefore so-called long-distance clubs are usually used for this course, which have a larger hitting surface, making it easier to strike the ball over a long distance. 

Balls may also be prepared in advance by temperature influences and surface conditions. 

When a course is started with one ball,

it must be finished with that ball. 

What is allowed and not allowed when hitting the mini golf ball? 

A valid stroke has clear prerequisites: 

• The ball may only be played with the club and may not be pushed or lifted. 
• The club must be held with both hands (except in case of physical limitations)
• A clear striking position must be assumed 
• The ball may not be played while rolling, but must be stationary. 

A stroke counts as soon as the ball is intentionally set in motion with the club. Your readiness to strike begins as soon as you have assumed your striking position and intentionally move the club away from the ball to take a backswing. This means that from this moment on, every movement is considered part of the stroke. If a ball is accidentally touched without intent to strike, no stroke is counted, and the ball is simply put back where it was before. However, this should not happen frequently and occurs mainly due to inattention. 

Am I allowed to influence the ball during play? 

Generally, it is not allowed to influence the ball once it has been set in motion, neither by oneself nor by others. This means: no stopping, redirecting, or interfering. If something does happen, for example due to external circumstances such as strong wind or if a branch or leaf flies into the ball's path, the referee will decide whether to repeat the shot. If you are just on the mini-golf course without playing a tournament, you will certainly find a solution among yourselves. A repeat is not accepted if the course is already covered with leaves or other things in advance. It is everyone's responsibility to ensure that the course is playable before striking. The rule applies: Every player is responsible for the cleanliness of the course. 

Where do you play from after the first stroke?

The first stroke is always played from the teeing area. The ball may be placed anywhere within the teeing area. A ball is considered in play as soon as it has been correctly played from the tee and is moving on the course towards the hole. The obstacles must be overcome on the prescribed path. An obstacle is overcome when the ball touches or has already touched the boundary line (red line) with its point of contact. The course is completed as soon as the ball is in the hole or if it is not in the hole after a maximum of 6 strokes. 

If the ball is not in the hole after the first stroke, there are various scenarios from which the ball is played again. Here, it matters whether the ball has already overcome the obstacle or the red line. 

Once the ball crosses the obstacle or the red line,
play continues from there if the ball comes to rest.

Here we have summarized the different scenarios for you on how to continue playing after the first stroke: 

Scenario	How to continue playing:
1) The ball has already crossed the obstacle or the red line and remains playable on the course.	Play continues from where the ball came to rest.
2) The ball has overcome the obstacle or the red line but lies directly against the board or the obstacle, making it difficult to play.	The ball may be moved at right angles to the placement mark. The placement mark is drawn approx. 20 cm from the board and approx. 30 cm from the obstacle. If there is no mark, you can orient yourself by placing the ball approx. one club head length from the board or two from the obstacle.
3) The ball has overcome the obstacle or the red line but rolls back over the line or the obstacle.	The obstacle is considered overcome, and you may place the ball back where it rolled back over the red line or through the obstacle. Here, too, the rule applies to place the ball 20 cm from the board and 30 cm from the obstacle, as in scenario 2.
4) The ball leaves the course after overcoming the obstacle or the red line.	The ball is put back in play where it left the course. Here, too, the rule applies to place the ball 20 cm from the board and 30 cm from the obstacle, as in scenario 2. There is no penalty stroke if the ball leaves the course.
5) After the stroke, the ball is not in the hole and has neither overcome the obstacle nor the red line.	The ball is played again from the teeing area.
6) The ball was struck and left the course before the obstacle or the red line was overcome.	The ball is played again from the teeing area. There is no penalty stroke if the ball leaves the course.

 

If the ball has picked up dirt during play, you may pick it up and clean it after it has come to rest. However, you must mark the ball's position, for example with the club, so that you can put it back in the correct place. 

 

Quick Take: As soon as the ball has overcome the obstacle or the red line with your stroke, play continues from where the ball comes to rest or left the course. This is with due regard to the rule that the ball may be placed 20 to 30 cm from the board and the obstacle. If the target was not reached and the ball has not overcome the obstacle or the red line, the next stroke is made from the teeing area.

 

How do the procedure and playing order work? 

Tournament procedures, requirements, and structures are defined in the organizers' announcements. There are differences in the tournament formats. However, it generally applies that the courses are always played in the prescribed order and in the tournament groups. Each player has 60 seconds for a stroke. The time starts as soon as the previous player has finished the course. An exception applies to the first player in the group, who has 90 seconds to ensure that the course is clean and playable. 

It is important to show mutual respect and fairness in the pairings. The score is always recorded by the fellow players so that it cannot be manipulated by oneself.  Rule violations in competition are consistently handled by on-site referees, with warnings, penalty points, and in extreme cases, disqualification. 

Conclusion: What rules must be observed in mini golf?

At its core, the game principle of mini golf remains simple: get the ball into the hole with as few strokes as possible, with a maximum of six attempts per course (otherwise seven points are awarded).

It becomes particularly clear that, in addition to the basic rules, there are numerous detailed regulations that ensure fairness and a smooth process. These include, for example, correct play from the tee, dealing with obstacles, behavior in case of out-of-bounds, and clear rules for the stroke itself (no pushing or influencing the ball).

For tournament players, stricter rules also apply, for example, regarding ball selection, playing time, and behavior on the course. These ensure comparability and professionalism in competition.

Overall, the article shows: Mini golf is easily accessible, but has more depth than one initially thinks. Those who know the basic rules can start playing immediately, and those who delve deeper into it will find a precise and quite demanding set of rules for competition. 

 

 

This article was written by One Putt Minigolf.
- The mini golf outfitter for pros and beginners -