Objective

The objective of the game is to earn the lowest number of total strokes after playing 18 holes of dice golf. Players earn a stroke every turn as they attempt to move the ball closer to, and eventually in to, the cup at the end of the hole. Players must weigh the benefits of avoiding hazards with short, easy shots against the potential to shave a stroke off their score by taking riskier, longer shots.

Components

Standard Components and Markers

· 5 x standard 6-sided dice

· 4 x player marker tokens (small cube)

· 12 x mulligan tokens (poker chips)

· 1 x pencil

Cards

· 2 x tee cards (double sided)

· 4 x fairway cards (double sided)

· 2 x green cards (double sided)

· 1 x score card

Tee	Fairway	Green

Printable Files

· Easy cut cards

· Cards with bleed

· Jumbo sized cards with bleed (recommended)

· Printable Instructions

Setup

Each player is given a colored token to track their position on the cards, along with three mulligan tokens. Write each player’s name on the scorecard.

If a specific course layout is to be played (see appendix) then it is decided ahead of time. Otherwise, determine the par value (3,4,5, or rarely 6) for each of the 18 holes ahead of time (typically with an average par value of 4 for the course).

Playing a Hole

Construct the Hole

1. See the score card to determine the par for the hole (3,4,5, or rarely 6)

2. Deal one tee card and one green card randomly, on a random side

3. For each par above three, deal one fairway card randomly, on a random side

4. Arrange the cards so that the fairways line up at the borders between cards

Place Tokens on Tees

1. If a player has fewer total strokes than every other player, they place their token on the farthest tee spot

2. If a player has more total strokes than every other player, they place their token on the closest tee spot

3. All other players place their token on the middle tee spot

Play Order

· Each player’s turn counts as a stroke – because turns are not taken in order, players must keep a mental tally of strokes taken so far on the current hole

· The player who is farthest from the hole has ‘honors’ and takes the next turn – play continues at the current hole until all players have ‘holed-out’ while putting or accumulated par+3 strokes on the hole (triple bogey)

On a Player’s Turn

1. If your token is in the water or out of bounds (outside of the card grid):

· Move the token to the edge of the hazard ‘at the point where it entered the hazard’ – use your judgement and get consensus from all players

· Add one extra stroke, as a penalty, to your score for this hole

2. If your token is on the putting track, see the Putting section, otherwise, see the Lofted Shot section

End of Hole

After all players have finished putting the hole is complete.

1. Record the number of strokes earned by each player on the score card

2. Each player earns a mulligan token for every stroke they earned less than the par value for the hole

3. Pick up all the hole cards and return them to their respective piles

Lofted Shots

Lofted shots are used to advance the player’s token along the hole, with the ultimate goal of getting it onto the green as close to the flag as possible.

Carry Distance

1. Pick a target location on the hole – your shot will land here (and possibly bounce/roll onwards) if your swing is perfect!

2. Count the Carry Distance from your current location to your target location 10 yards per grid mark in either direction

3. Consult the club chart based on the Carry Distance

· Not all clubs can be used from every terrain – see base curve risk chart

· Players can elect to add extra distance to a given club in exchange for an extra curve risk for every 10 yards added

Carry Distance	Club	Swing Dice	Run Dice
220+	Driver	5	5
210	2-Wood	4	5
200	3-Wood	4	5
190	4-Wood	3	5
180	5-Wood	3	4
170	2-Iron	3	4
160	3-Iron	3	4
150	4-Iron	2	3
140	5-Iron	2	3
130	6-Iron	2	3
120	7-Iron	2	2
110	8-Iron	2	2
100	9-Iron	2	2
10-90	Wedge	1	1

4. Move your token to the target location

Swing Dice

1. Roll a number of dice based on the value of the Swing Dice column in the club chart

· Add an additional die if hitting from woods or bunker

2. Interpret the results of each die individually by using the swing die chart:

Die Value	Effect
1	-10 yards carry distance
2	+10 yards carry distance
3	+1 curve risk
4	Nothing
5	Nothing
6	Nothing

3. Move your token forward or backward depending on the total modification to the Carry Distance

Curve Dice

1. Determine your base Curve Risk level from the terrain at the starting point of the shot and the club used:

	Wedge	Iron	Wood	Driver
Tee Box	1	1	2	2
Fairway	1	2	3	N/A
Rough	1	2	4	N/A
Woods	2	4	N/A	N/A
Bunker	2	4	N/A	N/A

2. Add any additional curve risk earned from the swing dice to determine the total curve risk

3. Roll two curve dice and add their values, then consult the row on the curve chart corresponding to the curve risk of the shot to determine the total curve of the shot

Risk	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1
2
3				↖			↗
4			↖↖					↗↗
5		↖↖↖				X			↗↗↗
6	↖↖↖↖									↗↗↗↗

4. Move your token left or right a number of grid spaces based on the total curve result

· If the token is now in sand or water end your turn

· Rolling a 7 at risk level 4 and above is a complete miss – move your token back to its starting position! Unless you started in woods, immediately end your turn

Run Dice

· Roll a number of dice based on the value of the Run Dice column in the club chart

· Determine the total bounce distance and total roll distance based on the value of each individual die according to the run die chart:

Die Value	Effect
1	+10 yards bounce
2	+10 yards roll
3	+10 yards roll
4	Nothing
5	Nothing
6	Nothing

· Move your token forward (or backward if your token is in the woods!) based on the total bounce distance – if the token is now in woods, sand, or water end your turn

· Move your token in the same direction as the bounce based on the total roll distance, one grid space at a time

· You need 20 yards of roll distance to move one space through the rough or against a slope arrow (uphill)

· You only need 5 yards of roll distance to move one space along a slope arrow (downhill)

· If at any point you roll into woods, sand, or water end your turn

On the Putting Green

If your token is currently on the green, move it to the putting track on the green card based on its distance from the flag

· Distance is calculated as 10 yards per straight grid space, 15 yards per diagonal, with the total rounded down to the closest 10 yards

· If the token is on the same grid space as the flag then set its location on the putting track based on the club used:

· Driver/Wood: 5 yards

· Iron: 3 yards

· Wedge: 10 yards, and immediately take a stroke-free putt

Putting

Putting takes place on the putting track along the side of the current green card. When putting players continue to try and advance their ball to the flag, with the ultimate goal of sinking their putt (‘hole-out’) and finishing the hole.

1. Roll a pair of dice and add their values to calculate your putting accuracy

2. Calculate your new position on the putting track based on your old distance (row) and putting accuracy (column) in the putting chart:

Distance	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1 yard
2 yards					Hole-out!
3 yards										1 yard
5 yards
10 yards										2 yards
20 yards										3 yards
30 yards										5 yards

3. Move your token to the new position on the putting track - if you hole-out, remove your token because you have completed the hole

Mulligans

If a player is ever unhappy with their own dice roll, they can elect to spend one of their mulligan tokens to reroll any number of the dice from that roll, leaving the remainder unchanged. The new result must be used, and a second mulligan token cannot be spent on this roll.

At ‘the turn’ (after hole #9) each player earns one mulligan token for every additional stroke they have scored compared to the current winner.

Scoring

You earn one stroke for every turn that you take in a hole. These strokes are recorded on the score card throughout the game. At the end of the game, the player with the fewest strokes wins.

Quick Reference Guide

Lofted Shot Sequence

1. Select target carry distance then move token

2. Roll and evaluate swing dice then move token

· +1 die if hitting from woods or bunker

3. Roll and evaluate curve dice then move token

4. Check landing terrain for hazards

5. Roll and evaluate run dice then move token

· Rolls are affected by terrain and slope

Hazards and Terrain

· Water, Off-Card: Add one stroke penalty, move token to the edge of the hazard where it entered

· Bunker: no bouncing or rolling

· Woods: bounces are backwards, no rolling

· Rough: half-speed rolling

Club Chart

Carry Distance	Club	Swing Dice	Run Dice
220+	Driver	5	5
210	2-Wood	4	5
200	3-Wood	4	5
190	4-Wood	3	5
180	5-Wood	3	4
170	2-Iron	3	4
160	3-Iron	3	4
150	4-Iron	2	3
140	5-Iron	2	3
130	6-Iron	2	3
120	7-Iron	2	2
110	8-Iron	2	2
100	9-Iron	2	2
10-90	Wedge	1	1

Swing Die Chart

Die Value	Effect
1	-10 yards carry distance
2	+10 yards carry distance
3	+1 curve risk
4	Nothing
5	Nothing
6	Nothing

Base Risk Chart

	Wedge	Iron	Wood	Driver
Tee Box	1	1	1	1
Fairway	1	2	2	N/A
Rough	2	2	4	N/A
Woods	3	4	N/A	N/A
Bunker	3	4	N/A	N/A

Curve Chart

Risk	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1
2
3				↖			↗
4			↖↖					↗↗
5		↖↖↖				X			↗↗↗
6	↖↖↖↖									↗↗↗↗

Run Die Chart

Die Value	Effect
1	+10 yards bounce
2	+10 yards roll
3	+10 yards roll
4	Nothing
5	Nothing
6	Nothing

Landing on the Green

Distance from flag: 10 per straight grid, 15 per diagonal, rounded down – or if landing directly on the flag:

· Driver/Wood: 5 yards

· Iron: 3 yards

· Wedge: 10 yards, immediately take a stroke-free putt

Putting Chart

Distance	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
1 yard
2 yards					Hole-out!
3 yards										1 yard
5 yards
10 yards										2 yards
20 yards										3 yards
30 yards										5 yards

Mulligan Tokens

· Spend to re-roll any number of dice (keeping the remainder) once on a single roll

· Earned after completing hole #9, or when scoring under par on any hole

Example Hole Playthrough

Stroke One: Tee Shot

Starting from the middle tees, the target position for the first shot is just past the bunker, leaving a lot of room for error. The target is 200 yards down, plus 10 yards right (210 yards target carry distance: using the 2-wood club).

· Swing Dice: 1 3 4 4

· Curve Dice: 4 5

· Run Dice: 1 1 3 3 6

The swing and curve dice caused the carry (lofted portion of the shot) to land shorter (by 10 yards) and to the right (by 20 yards) of the planned target.

The bounce advanced the ball 20 yards. It took one roll dice to move the first 10 yards (the rough and slope cancel out), but the second roll die moved the ball 20 yards because of the slope on a fairway.

Stroke Two: Fairway Shot

The target carry for the second shot is the space just in front of the flag, hoping that the run pushes it in for a birdie! The target is 100 yards down, plus 10 yards left (110 yards target carry distance: using the 8-iron club).

· Swing Dice: 1 4

· Curve Dice: 3 5

· The Run Dice were not rolled

The swing and curve dice caused the carry to land shorter (by 10 yards) of the planned target, in the sand trap bunker.

Because sand traps do not allow bounce or run, the turn ends here.

Stroke Three: Bunker Shot

The target carry for the third shot is the flag, which is just 20 yards down (20 yards target carry distance: using a wedge).

· Swing Dice: 4 5

· Curve Dice: 2 2

· Run Dice: 1

The swing and curve dice caused the carry to land 20 yards to the left of the target, on the green.

The run dice caused the ball to roll an additional 10 yards on the green. The ball is now on the green 25 yards from the hole (one straight and one diagonal space) so it is moved to the 20 yard space on the putt tracker.

Stroke Four: Putt

The putting dice were rolled: 4 5

The token was advanced to the two yard space on the putting tracker.

Stroke Five: Putt

The putting dice were rolled: 2 3

The token was removed from the card and the player scored a five (on a par 4 hole).

Analysis

The player took a risk on stroke two to try and complete the hole in three strokes (to earn a mulligan token!). Maybe the player should have spent a mulligan token to re-roll their 1 on the swing die. Or maybe the player should have been less greedy and aimed straight for the pin, almost guaranteeing at least par (4) for the hole. What would you have done differently?