How to Make a Ladder Ball Game
Ladder ball is a great family game, perfect for gatherings both big and small. Anyone of any age can play. It's fun for spectators and players alike. You can play as individuals or teams. Best of all, building your own ladder ball set is easy and the end result is sturdier than what you might buy ready-made in a store. Once you have built your ladder ball set, all you need is a little open space and at least two people ready to have a good time.
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Things You'll Need
- PVC pipe---5 10-foot pieces, 1 inch diameter.
- 12 corner connectors
- 12 T-junction connectors.
- Nylon rope---9 18-inch pieces
- 18 golf balls in three different colors---6 of each
- Power drill
- Saw
Instructions
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Build Your Own Ladder Ball Set
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1
Use a handsaw, jigsaw or table saw to cut the PVC pipe. You'll need 14 2-foot lengths and 16 1-foot lengths. Don't worry about rough edges---they'll all be covered by the connector pieces.
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2
Assemble two ladders. Begin with one 2-foot length of pipe. Attach an l-connector to each end. Add a 2-foot piece of pipe to the open end of each l-connector. Attach a T-connector to the open ends or each piece of pipe. At this point, if you lay the piping flat, the single branch of the T-connectors should point up and be directly across from each other.
Attach a 1-foot length of pipe to each open connection of the two T-connectors. Complete the base by adding l-connectors to the ends of the flat 1-foot pieces. Join them with one more 2-foot piece of pipe, creating a rectangular base.
Attach T-connectors to each 1-foot length of pipe jutting up from the rectangle you've just completed. The T-branch should point into the middle of the rectangle. Join the two T-branches with a single piece of 2-foot pipe. Attach a 1-foot piece of pipe to the open ends of the two T-connectors. Create the second rung in the same way.
For the top rung, attach an l-connector to the top of each remaining 1-foot piece of pipe and then join the l-connectors with a single piece of 2-foot pipe.
Repeat these steps to build the second ladder.
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3
Drill a hole through the middle of each golf ball. Ladder ball uses bolos made from golf balls and nylon rope. Take two golf balls of the same color and one length of rope. Thread the two golf balls onto the rope. Tie a knot in the rope on both sides of each golf ball, securing one golf ball at the each end of the length of rope.
Repeat until you have three bolos for each color golf ball. -
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Set each ladder 15 to 20 feet apart. You can vary the distance as much as you want based on the age of the players.
The first player stands even with one ladder and throws their bolos at the opposite ladder. Then the next player throws, and then the next (if you're playing with three players).
Count the score after everyone has thrown. If your bolo gets knocked from the ladder by a subsequent player's throw, you don't get points for it. Each bolo that catches on the top rung is worth 5 points. The middle rung is worth 10 points. The bottom rung is worth 15 points. You can make up scoring variations based on your own preferences.
Score the points for the round and then throw in the opposite direction. The lowest scoring player for the round throws first in the next round.
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1
Tips & Warnings
If you can't find different colored golf balls, you can use spray paint and paint two sets of white balls different colors.
