Mini golf house rules (agree these first)
Posted course rules beat this page. Use the table when the shop is quiet or the sign is missing, then say the 30-second script out loud so kids and adults share one card.
These are casual house rules for a family or friends round — not a claim that one association governs putt-putt at every track.
Cheat sheet
| Topic | Default for a friendly card |
|---|---|
| Stroke cap | 6 (some boards post 7). Pick up and write the cap. |
| How you win | Stroke play: add every hole. Lowest total wins. |
| Tee | Start on the pad or behind the painted line. |
| Turn order | Honor honors on the next tee, or “away” on the hole. Pick one. |
| Out of bounds | Per course. Ask the counter once if the sign is silent. |
| Ball moved by accident | Replace. No extra stroke. |
| Mulligans | Off by default. If on, cap how many before hole 1. |
| Pace | Let faster groups through. Cap exists so one hole cannot stall the park. |
30-second script (read this out loud)
“We write every stroke. Cap is six — or seven if that is what the sign says. At the cap you pick up. Out of bounds is whatever this course posted; if we do not know, we will ask once and reuse that. No mulligans unless we already said how many. Lowest total wins. If we tie, we tie. Ready?”
If someone wants a change, change it now. Mid-round rule edits are how a friendly card turns into a debate. Write the cap and the mulligan count on the top of a paper card, or set them on the browser scorecard before anyone tees.
Why agree this before hole 1
Mini golf looks simple until a ball jumps a rail. Without a shared cap, one player keeps swinging while the rest stand in the sun. Without a shared OB story, two honest people can both think they are following “the real rule.” There is no single real rule for every decorative pirate ship. There is the sign, the counter, and then your group.
Stroke play is the default because it matches a paper card: one number per hole, add them, lowest wins. Match play (“I won that hole”) is a different game. Do not mix them on the same grid.
Turn order is courtesy more than law. “Away” keeps the hole moving when people remember it. A fixed order (Player 1 always first) is easier for kids. Either is fine. Switching systems after a good putt is not.
Kids note
For mixed ages, keep the same cap as the adults so the math stays honest, and skip mulligan bargaining. A younger player can take a shorter tee or a closer spot if the group says so before the hole — that is a tee rule, not a hidden extra stroke. Cheer the putt that drops. Do not mark “winner” with a color only some kids can see; say the low total out loud.
If a child is done with a hole emotionally before the cap, pick up, write the cap, and walk. The card still works. The evening stays friendly. That is the point of a house rule.
What this page is not
It is not a tournament committee. It does not rank courses. It does not replace a posted board or a staff answer. If you came here to settle a rules-lawyering fight, use the cheat sheet, pick the kinder option, and play the next hole.
Want the grid itself? Open the scorecard. Want the longer “how do I write this down” version? How to score mini golf.