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Official Rule Book

Need to brush up on your yard game knowledge? We've got you covered.

From classics, like Bocce and Cornhole, to some (perhaps) lesser-known games like Kubb and Molkky, find out everything you need to know to play all of your favorite yard games right here!

Yard Game Olympics - August 2019

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Click here to download a printable version of the full Rule Book (PDF)

Bocce Rules
Bocce Ball

SET-UP / GAME PLAY

Split up into 2, 3 or 4 teams; each team or individual has two bocce balls of one color.

 

To start the game, one team (determined by a coin toss) tosses the pallino (small white ball) anywhere on the playing field.

 

Players from each team then alternate throwing their bocce balls, trying to get their balls as close to the pallino as possible.

 

Play continues until each member of each team has thrown his or her bocce ball.

 

 

SCORING

 

After all the bocce balls have been tossed, the team with the bocce closest to the pallino wins the frame and earns 1 point (2 points if the bocce is touching the pallino).

 

The team that won the frame tosses the pallino and play continues. Try to keep the same throwing order throughout the game.

 

The first team to reach 10 points wins!

Can Jam

SET-UP / GAME PLAY

 

Set buckets 50 feet apart; partners face each other from opposite sides

 

Both partners complete one throw each before the next team’s turn*

*For the very first throw of the game, only one partner throws the disc before passing to the other team

 

Play continues until one team reaches EXACTLY 21 points

 

SCORING

 

1 point for hitting the bucket with partner’s assistance (one hand only)

 

2 points for hitting the bucket with no assistance

 

3 points for discs hit into the bucket

 

SLOT* = GAME OVER

 

*Top Slot: If a player throws disc into the top of the bucket without assistance, it counts as a "slot"

GOING OVER

 

If a team exceeds 21 points, the points from that play are deducted from their current score

 

Example: a team has 19 points and accidentally dunks a bucket (3 points); their score is reduced to 16 points (19-3)

 

OVERTIME

 

If a team reaches 21 points, the opponents have the number of chances it took the first team to reach 21 to tie the game and go into overtime

 

The team that tied the game chooses whether to throw first or second during overtime

 

Each team gets one turn; highest score wins

 

SPECS/MATERIALS

 

Buckets: Height=21.25”, Diameter=14.5”, Front Slot=15”x3”

Disc/Frisbee: 10.5” diameter

Cornhole 

SET-UP / GAME PLAY

 

Boards are placed 27 feet apart

 

Team partners face each other from opposite boards

 

Opponents alternate tosses until all 8 bags are played

 

Players can throw from anywhere behind the front of the board

 

The highest scoring team from the previous throw plays first in the next round

 

 

 

SCORING

 

The first team to reach 21 or more points wins

 

Bag on the board = 1 point*

*Any bag that bounces on or touches the ground does not score

 

Bag in the hole = 3 points

 

Cancellation scoring: The team with the highest score adds the difference of both scores to their total

 

 

 

 

 SPECS/MATERIALS

 

Cornhole Boards: 2’x4’ CDX plywood & 2x4s; finished with weather-resistant polyurethane

Bags: regulation 6”x6” weather-resistant bags made with 12-ounce durable duck canvas and filled with recycled plastic pellets. Weight 14-16 ounces

Holes: 6” diameter

Jenga

SET-UP

 

Build a tower by placing three blocks per story. All blocks must be perpendicular to each other

 

GAME PLAY

 

Players take turns removing blocks. Blocks must be below the top three levels

 

Only one hand can be used while removing blocks. You can tap the structure in order to find out which pieces are loose

 

If you’ve moved a piece you didn’t want to, you must put it back before taking out another

piece

 

Players must always complete the top level with three blocks before starting another one

The last player who put the block on top before the tower collapsed wins

 

 

 

 

SPECS/MATERIALS

 

Blocks: 10.5” 2x4 pieces, stained and finished

Kubb

SET-UP

 

Place the king in the center of the playing field, with 5 Kubbs placed at regular intervals along each baseline

 

Kubbs standing in their starting position on the baseline are called “Baseline Kubbs”

 

Kubbs thrown in the middle of the field, during gameplay, are called “Field Kubbs”

 

GAME PLAY

 

To decide which team starts, one person from each team throws a stick as close to the king as possible, without hitting it. The team with the stick closest to the king starts

 

Sticks must always be thrown vertically and underarm

 

Team A throws six sticks, from their baseline, at their opponent’s Baseline Kubbs

 

Kubbs that are successfully knocked down are then thrown by Team B onto Team A’s half of the pitch*. Team A then stands the field kubbs upright

 

*Any field kubb that is touching another kubb can be stacked on the other, thereby giving an advantage to the throwing team

 

Play then changes hands and Team B throws the sticks at Team A’s kubbs, but must first knock down any standing field kubbs. Again, kubbs that are knocked down are thrown back over onto the opposite half of the field and then stood upright

 

If either team leaves field kubbs standing, the kubb closest to the king now represents that side’s baseline, and throwers may step up to that line to throw at their opponent’s kubbs.

 

Play continues until a team knocks down all field kubbs, baseline kubbs and, finally, the King

 

SPECS/MATERIALS

 

Kubbs: 2.75”x2.75”x5.5” stained and finished wood

King Kubb: 3.5”x3.5”x12” stained and finished wood

Sticks: 12” long 1” wooden dowel, stained and finished

Ladder Golf

SET-UP

 

Ladders are set up about 15 feet apart

 

Partners face each other from opposite sides

 

 

GAME PLAY

 

The first player tosses all 3 bolas before the next player tosses his/her bolas

 

The winner of the round earns the first toss in the next round

 

Game is played to EXACTLY 21 points

 

If a player goes over 21 points in a round, the points for that round don’t count

 

In the event of a tie, as many overtime rounds are played as needed until one team ends a round 2 points ahead of the other (the 2-point rule only applies in overtime rounds)

 

 

SCORING

 

3 points for the top step

 

2 points for the middle step

 

1 point for the bottom step

 

1 bonus point for hanging all 3 bolas from the same step or by hanging a bola on all 3 steps

 

 

 

 

SPECS/MATERIALS

 

Ladders: 42” tall, 23” wide; Leg/base width 24”

Bolas: 2 golf balls connected by 6” of nylon rope

Molkky

SET-UP

 

Skittles are arranged as pictured below:

 

7  9  8

5  11  12  6

3  10  4

1  2

 

GAME PLAY

 

On a rotating basis, all players throw the throwing dowel (the Molkky) on the skittles

 

The throwing player receives either the sum of the fallen skittles (if more than one fall), or the number of points marked on the skittle (if only one falls)

 

The first team to reach exactly 50 points wins

 

ADDITIONAL RULES

 

After each turn, all fallen skittles are placed exactly on the spot where they fell

 

A skittle only counts as “fallen” if it does not lie on another skittle or on the Molkky

 

If no skittles are hit after a throw, it is considered a strike. If a team has 3 strikes in a row, that team is automatically out

 

If a team throws more than 50 points, they fall back to 35 points

 

 

 

SPECS/MATERIALS

 

Skittles: 7” stained and finished (2”) dowel rod

Throwing Dowel: 9” stained and finished (2”) dowel rod

Washers

SET-UP / GAME PLAY

 

Boards are placed 10 feet apart

 

Team partners face each other from opposite boards

 

Opponents alternate tosses until all 6 washers are played

 

Players can throw from anywhere behind the front of the board

 

The highest scoring team from the previous throw plays first in the next round

 

SCORING

 

The first team to reach 21 or more points wins

 

Washers can flip, bounce and roll before landing in a hole. However, a washer may not roll, bounce or flip off a person or the ground

 

1 point for the nearest hole

 

3 points for the middle hole

 

5 points for the farthest hole

 

Cancellation scoring: The team with the highest score adds the difference of both scores to their total

 

 

SPECS/MATERIALS

Boxes: 16”x48” CDX plywood & artificial turf

Washers: 1/8” thick, 2.5” diameter

Holes: 4” diameter

Yard Pong

SET-UP / GAME PLAY

 

Fill 12 5-gallon buckets about halfway with water and set them up in triangle formation with 6 buckets on each side

 

Teams play on the same side, across from their opponents

 

Each player on a team throws once, aiming for the other team’s buckets

 

If a ball goes in a bucket, that bucket is removed

 

Teams are allowed ONE re-rack per game

 

Once one team eliminates all the other team’s buckets, they win!

 

REBUTTALS / OVERTIME

 

If a team eliminates all their opponent’s buckets, the opposing players each get one chance to tie. Players shoot until they miss

 

3 buckets per side in triangular formation are used in overtime and the winning team throws first

 

Overtime game play is the same as normal game play

 

ADDITIONAL RULES

 

Players must throw from BEHIND the last row of buckets on their side

 

If 2 buckets are made in the same turn, the throwing team gets the balls back

 

If a ball bounces back towards the throwing team, both teams can battle for the ball. If the throwing team recovers the ball, the person who recovered it can attempt a trick shot (behind the back or between the legs)

 

No interference

 

No “island”, “heating up” or bounce rules

Can Jam
Cornhole Rules
Jenga Rules
Kubb Rules
Yard Pong Rules
Washers
Molky Rules
Ladder Golf Rules
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