What is BlongoBall?

The object of the game is for players to cast their bolas around the rungs of a "ladder".

Alternate names BlongoBall goes by an impressive number of alternate names. Although a comprehensive list is elusive, some of the variants are: Ladder Golf, Bolo Toss, Goofy Ball, Norwegian Horseshoes, Top Toss, Snakes, Hillbilly Golf, Polish Golf, Horseballs, Tower Ball, Bolo Golf, Gladiator, Bola, Snake Toss, Ladder Ball, Ladder Toss, Bolo, Pocca Bolo, Rodeo Golf, Dingle Balls, Bolo Polo, Cowboy Golf, Redneck Golf, The Snake Game, Willy Ball, Slither, Zing-Ball, Snakes & Ladders, Hillbilly Horseshoes, Flingy Ball, Norwegian Golf, Monkey Bars Golf, Swedish Golf, Polish Horsehoes, Dandy Golf, Montana Golf, Australian Horseshoes, Ladder Game, Monkeyball, Rattlerail Toss, Golfball Horseshoes, Arizona Golf Balls, Spin-It, Ball Dangle, Dangling Balls, Bolo Ball, Poor Man's Golf, Pig's Nuts, Laundry Ball, Cow Balls, Testicle Toss, Rack My Balls, Ball and Strings, Wrappyrounds, Chaski and Drunken Golf.

Playing the game

Without a national or international governing body to deliberate rules and determine standards, there are variations in almost every aspect of the game.

Equipment

The bola is a length of cord attached to two objects, one at each end. It is only important that the objects at each end are equivalent and the lengths of the cords are the same. Typical games are made with balls and braided string, but a large washer or a monkey's fist knot also serve the purpose when tied with any available flexible cord. Golf balls are often used in home-made games, and commercial versions are of similar size but use a softer material. To differentiate teams, the cords (or the objects fastened to them) used by each team are a different color.

Each ladder consists of three horizontal bars with equal vertical spacing, often constructed of PVC pipe. Ladders may be equipped with a base to stand alone or be mounted on stakes. Each rung of the ladder has a point value, and each bola left hanging on a rung at the end of a round scores that many points.

Equipment List

A complete game set will typically include:

• * Three bolas per person or team
• * Enough bolas for three people or teams
• * Two ladders
• * A bag or box to carry the game

Setup

BlongoBall requires a long, narrow playing area. Ladders are placed approximately "ten paces" apart. To make the game easier, children are often allowed to set the distance with their own stride. The width required depends on the skill level of the players; the people waiting for the throwers will want to be safe.

For the first round, a coin toss, a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, or some other suitably random method, is used to decide which team will toss first. The team scoring highest in the previous round is the first to toss in the next round.

BlongoBall is played in rounds, each round consisting of one player from each team tossing bolas. The first player tosses one bola, followed by a player from each remaining team. Bolas can be tossed in any way the player chooses, as long as they are tossed individually.

The foul line is an imaginary line at the front edge of the ladder's base. If the ladders are mounted on stakes, without bases, the ladder itself becomes the marker for the foul line. Players must not step across that line during a throw, or the results of that throw will be reversed (other bolas that were moved will be restored to their position before that throw).

Tournament Play

Casual games can have decisions made by consensus when an unusual situation is encountered. A tournament should have rules that are more formalized, or at least should have a few decision-makers on hand to discuss matters and provide a ruling.

In the interest of time, the individual games of a tournament can be shortened to fifteen points.

Common ways to organize a tournament in which only two teams play at a time are with a tournament bracket.

For tournaments where a faster pace is desired, a round-robin tournament could be organized with more than two teams playing in each game. In typical tournament situation where teams compete in a game that involves only one other team at a time, a round-robin tournament involving 16 teams would require 120 games be played. However, ladder ball can be played with more than two teams at a time, and since the chart for a round-robin tournament does not have one game depend on the results of the previous games, six results can be charted from a single game with four teams.

For example:
Four teams are playing together on a single pair of ladders. After a few rounds, Team Plaid achieves the winning score. Team Plaid is recorded as having beaten the other teams and retires from the game.
After several more rounds, Team Stripes finishes first among the three remaining teams. Team Stripes is then recorded as having beaten the remaining two teams, and retires from the game.
After a few more rounds, Team Solids gets to the winning score, and is recorded as having beaten the remaining team.

With only four sets of ladder ball, played with up to four teams each, a full round-robin tournament with 16 teams could be completed in only 10 games.

In the case of a tie,

• * All teams involved in the game play additional rounds until one team leads by two points.
• * In games where a winning score must be matched exactly, additional rounds could be played with all teams involved in the game. The teams that tied would be forced to drop below the winning score and attempt to get back to the winning score in the following rounds. All other teams would simply go for the winning score.