18 Holes
18 Holes Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Overview
- From Tee Box To Green
- Setup
- Playing A Round
- Playing From The Rough
- Chipping
- Super, Short, Shuffle And Wild Cards
- Hazards & Other Tiles
- Golfer Abilities
- Multiple Ways To Play
- Chaos Golf
- Chaos Teams & Golf Racing
- Kelly Golf
- Skins
- Stableford
- Solo Chaos Golf
- Stroke Play
- Your First Game
Overview
It has been ten years since that board meeting. Golf has never been more popular. Along with the invention of HOLOBALL™ technology, new ways to play golf have been created, and the sport is thriving. You are a golfer in this golden era of golf. Draft your clubs and then compete on the course with careful shot selection and intelligent hazard navigation.
The game plays over the 18 holes of a golf course—each hole requiring the player to use one or more clubs. After playing a club, players cannot use that club again until playing all other clubs. Golfers score points by reaching greens first. The winner is the golfer with the most points scored.
This book contains rules for many different modes including solo, two-player, golf racing and chaos golf. Each game mode lets you tailor the experience for your playgroups. The first part of this book covers the standard rule set called Match Play.
Contents of Box
- 49 course tiles
- 21 adjustment tiles
- 5 golfers
- 8 golfer cards
- 74 shot cards
- 18 flags & stands
- 34 club cards
- 24 solo chaos golf cards
- 18 1-point tokens
- 18 2-point tokens
- 18 5-point tokens
- 14 trees
- 1 solo turn marker
- 18 hole-in-one tokens
- Course Book
- This manual (rulebook)
Some game modes require a pen and paper for scoring (not included).
Course Tiles
Use these tiles to build the course you play on. There are 49 double-sided tiles you can use to create a new course each time you play.
The tiles have one of three levels of difficulty indicated using stars in the corner of each tile. Each tile has a number and an arrow that points in the main direction.
See the accompanying booklet for course designs and instructions on how to build courses.
Adjustment Tiles
These mini hexes can be placed on top of the course tiles to modify the difficulty of the course. For a more relaxed game, cover up the hazards with rough-side up tiles. If you're looking for a challenge, use the hazard side to adjust existing ones or add new ones.
Golfer Cards
Players select golfer cards that provide a unique special ability. The A-side abilities reduce the challenge while the B-side often contain some restrictions. You pick either A-side or B-side when playing.
Club Cards
Each club has a unique ability or tells you which shot deck to draw from. You can take only five clubs with you on the course. Once used, you cannot use it again until you have used all your other clubs.
Shot Cards
These cards are organised in five decks and represent the different distances and directions for your shots. Each contains cards that hit the ball left, right and in some cases, your choice of direction.
A flight map on each card helps you plot the passage of your ball. The orange hex marks where your ball lands. When hitting the ball from the rough, it travels one hex less. See "Playing From The Rough".
You also use shot cards to get out of bunkers. The bunker outcome icon is in the bottom right corner. See "Exiting Bunkers, Greens And Winning".
Green Markers / Score Tokens
The circular tokens serve a dual purpose. The front face has greens numbered 1 to 18. Since the course tiles don't have numbers on the greens, placing the tokens number-side up helps track the order of the holes.
In many of the game modes in 18 Holes, you use the tokens score-side up for scoring. These sides show point values of 5, 2 and 1. See "Multiple Ways To Play".
There are spare 1pt, 2pt and 5pt markers. These have no green numbers. Please put them in a safe place in case you need them.
Hole-in-One Marker
These are collected when you score a hole-in-one. In the event of a tie-break, the player with the most hole-in-one markers is the winner.
Solo Chaos Golf Cards
Use this deck of cards to organise the flow of the solo chaos golf and to adjust the difficulty. These cards have two different symbols. Single colour circles which represent turns where only the player scores and two-tone circles where both you and your automated opponents score. These are turns where your opponents can score. See "Solo Chaos Golf".
Solo Turn Marker
Used to track which turn you are on during a game of solo chaos golf.
Flags
These flags are placed onto greens to indicate where you are aiming. There is one for each hole numbered 1 to 18 and three spare (unnumbered) flags. Put the additional flags away for safekeeping.
Trees
These trees are decorations that you can put onto your course. Place them over tree hazards to make them more prominent. There are only 14 trees, so you'll need to move them along the course as you play.
Golfers
Each player has one golfer meeple that represents them on the course. There is no difference between them, so pick the colour you like best.
From Tee Box To Green
A game of 18 Holes is played on a course consisting of one or more holes. Most courses have 18 Holes although it's common to have shorter, quicker 9 hole courses. You score a point for each hole you win. You win a hole by reaching the green before your opponents. Multiple players score in the event of a tie.
The green is the small hex with a little black flag on it. A hole is made of course tiles. The top tile contains the green. The tee box is on the bottom tile. From the tee box to the green runs the fairway.
A hole will have you starting with your golfer on the tee box and the task is to get to the green. You play clubs that will move your golfer. You don't have to follow the fairway to the green. It can be a good idea though because your shots will go further when played from the fairway.
There are only a couple of tiles that you cannot land on. These are tree hazards and the clubhouse. The tree hazard will have a white fence around it. You can land on the fairways and greens of other holes and you can land on tiles that contain other golfers. All this thanks to HOLOBALL™.
While you can land on most tiles in the game, not all are recommended. Some contain water which will cause you to miss a turn and others contain bunkers which you will have to get out of before continuing on. The dark green that is on every other tile is the rough and that will reduce the distance of your shots. See "Hazards & Other Tiles".
There are lots of ways to customise your 18 Holes experience. Different game modes give you different experiences and challenges. You can adjust courses to make them easier and harder. The eight golfers that come in the game let you make the game easier or harder on player basis. By trying the different options we're confident you'll find a gaming experience you will enjoy and come back to.
Setup
Build The Course
You can set up the course using one of the designs from the course booklet or design one of your own. The back page of the course booklet has instructions on how to create courses.
Once you have built your course, place a flag on each hole. Put the 1st flag on the green (right) for the first hole and continuing to the 18th green. If you're playing with trees, place them on the first 14 trees on the course. The tree hazards are the hexes with little white fences around them.
It's time for everyone to pick a golfer and draft clubs.
Select Golfer
Each player selects a golfer card to play. You can let the players pick the one and side they want or deal one out at random.
Each golfer card has an A-side and a B-side. The A-side golfers tend to make the game easier, and the B-side golfers tend to make the game harder.
Golfer selection happens before club selection as some golfers influence the club selection phase.
Draft Clubs
Players will draft for clubs until they have 5 each.
Shuffle the club cards. If playing a solo or two-player game, remove clubs that show 3+ or 5+ in the bottom right corner. In a 3 or 4 player game remove the 5+ cards.
Deal the same number of cards to each player. Any remaining cards are not used and are returned to the box sight-unseen.
Each player selects one club out of the cards dealt and places it in front of them, face down. They pass the remaining cards to the person on their left. Again, each player selects one card from the remaining four and places it face-down in front of them and passes the remainder to the left. Continue until all players have five clubs. This is their hand. Each player will also need space for a discard pile for used clubs in front of them.
If a player has The Shark, Iron Jane or Slugger see "Golfer Abilities" for rules that change the draft.
The draft is your first chance to gain an advantage. Course features determine the effectiveness of some clubs. Look at the course to see which clubs you think are going to be useful.
Begin Play
You are now ready to start playing. Place all the golfers on the tee box of the first hole. All players should have their clubs in their hands concealed from other players.
Take the 5 shot decks, these have C, 2, 3, 4 or 5 on the back. Shuffle and place within reach of all players.
Playing A Round
Each round of 18 Holes is divided into these steps:
Selecting Clubs
- Reset empty hands
- Select & reveal clubs
- Determine play order
On Your Turn 4. Complete one action
- A. Move one hex
- B. Play club card
- C. Attempt a big hit
- D. Exit bunker
- E. Reset your hand
- Discard club.
Reaching The Green 6. Score flags 7. Score hole-in-one tokens 8. Move all players to the next hole 9. Remove any hazard effects
Selecting Clubs
1. Reset Empty Hands
If you have no clubs in your hand, draw all your discarded clubs into your hand.
If you have a club in your hand that you cannot use, you may also reset your hand. e.g. you have the driver and are not on a tee box.
If you are playing Dorian's A-side, you may only reset your clubs before you tee off on a hole.
2. Select Club
Each player selects one club from their hand and places it face down in front of them.
When all players have done this, simultaneously reveal all clubs. Once done, players may not change their mind.
The player with Bunjil must use their power before placing a club face-down. If Bunjil is on their B-side and exposes a shot card, players who have placed a club face down may change their mind.
The player with Slick Rikesh on his A-side can use his power after the reveal and nominate another player's club to use.
3. Determine Play Order
Use the initiative order of each club to determine the play order. The club with the lowest initiative goes first. You can find the initiative in the top left corner of the club card.
If Slick Rikesh is using another player's club, Slick Rikesh plays immediately after the other player.
If Swift is on her A-side, she wins any initiative ties. If Swift is on her B-side, she loses any initiative ties. If Swift ties with Slick Rikesh who is borrowing a club, she wins on her A-side and loses on her B-side.
Looking at the clubs below, the 8 Hybrid has an initiative of 5, and that player takes their turn first. The next player is the person with the 6 Iron (initiative 12). The last player to take their turn is the person who played the 5 Wood (initiative 20).
On Your Turn
Following the play order, each player takes a turn.
4. Complete One Action
When it is your turn perform one of the following actions:
- A. Move one hex
- B. Play club card
- C. Attempt a big hit
- D. Exit bunker
- E. Reset your hand
After you have completed your turn, you discard your club.
4.A) Move One Hex
Unless in a bunker, you have the option of moving one hex. Place your golfer in one of the adjacent hexes. You cannot move onto a hex with a tree hazard or off the board. See "Hazards & Other Tiles".
4.B) Play Club Card
Depending on the club, you will be able to do one of the following:
- Draw 1 card from the shot deck shown on the card
- Draw 1 card from one of two shot decks shown
- Draw 2 cards from the shot deck shown on the card
- Move your golfer the number of hexes in a straight line
Written on each club is the option you have. Playing a club card involves three steps: draw, decide, move.
For most clubs, you draw your shot cards, decide which direction to hit and then move your golfer in that order. When drawing from the chip deck, you must decide the direction before you draw a card. See "Chipping". When playing a wood, you do not draw any cards as your club always moves a set distance in a straight line.
Draw A Single Shot Card
Most clubs let you draw one card from a single shot deck.
Some clubs give you multiple decks to choose from, but you may still only draw one card.
Pick the deck and draw the top card. If the drawn card has special effects (super, short or shuffle), then follow the instructions written on the shot card. Place each additional shot card you draw on top of the previous one. Once you have finished drawing, use the shot card to work out where to move your golfer.
For more information on special cards, see "Super, Short, Shuffle And Wild Cards".
If the deck is empty whenever you go to draw, shuffle the discard pile and turn over to form a new deck. Do not shuffle cards you drawn this turn into the new deck.
If you are playing Lucky you may perform your ability and redraw a card at this point.
Drawing Multiple Shot Cards
When drawing 2 shot cards, you get to pick which of the shot cards you want to use.
Place each shot card side-by-side. If one of the shot cards asks you to draw more cards (super, short, shuffle), you may choose to follow the instructions on those cards and place the new cards over the card that required the draw. When you have finished drawing, you must pick one from the top cards visible. You use the selected card to move your golfer.
In the example below, Gustav has ended up drawing 3 shot cards. He must choose one of the top two visible cards.
Move Your Golfer
The flight plan shown on your shot card indicates the travel of the ball. The golfer icon on the shot card is where your golfer is at the start of the shot. Move your golfer along the numbered hexes until you reach the orange finishing hex. You do not have to hit it towards the green or along the fairway.
If your flight plan travels through a hex with fenced trees, then you must stop before entering any hex with the trees. Your ball has hit the trees and has stopped.
If you landed in a hazard (bunker, lake), then follow the rules on "Hazards & Other Tiles".
If you started your turn in the rough hex, see: "Playing From The Rough".
Changing Your Mind
If you have not taken your finger off your golfer, you may alter the direction you have hit the ball.
4.C) Attempt A Big Hit
Sometimes you need more distance. You can hit your club further than the options displayed on the club card. To do so, on your turn, announce to the group that you are performing a BIG HIT. You now draw one more card than usual, and all cards must be from the deck one higher than the highest numbered deck shown on your club card.
After you have drawn your cards, hand them to the player to your left. They discard one of the shot cards. Of the cards that remain, you choose one to play.
Any super, short, or reshuffle cards play as usual. A super means your Big Hit is even bigger than expected and a short will likely disappoint during your time of great need.
Not every club allows you to attempt a big hit, for example, clubs that already draw from shot deck #5. In the top corner of each club is a symbol that indicates whether you can use it for a big hit. In the example, the driver has a No Big Hit icon while the 9 Iron shows you can do a Big Hit.
Big Hits
If your club allows you to draw from shot decks #3 and #4, then you draw two cards from shot deck #5. You may not draw two cards from shot deck #4.
If your club card allows you to draw 2 cards then you must draw 3 cards. In this case the other player will discard 1 and you will pick from the remaining 2.
4.D) Exit Bunker
When you land in a bunker, you must get out before continuing play. Before drawing a shot card, you must decide the direction you hope to move. This rule is the same as chipping (see "Chipping"). The hex you chose to move into is your target hex.
Draw a single shot card from one of the decks shown on the card. Instead of looking at the flight path of the shot card, look at the bunker outcome icon in the bottom right corner.
There are four outcomes shown below. From left to right these are:
- remain in the bunker
- move to the left of your target hex
- move to your target hex
- move to the right of your target hex
If you exit the bunker, move your golfer to the hex as determined by the bunker icon.
When the club you have chosen to play is the sand wedge, you consider the bunker as rough. You do not need to perform the exit bunker action. If your sand wedge is in your hand or your discard pile, it does not protect you from bunkers.
Sebastian finds himself in a bunker (A). He declares he is hitting towards the green (arrow). He draws a shot card, and the revealed bunker outcome shows the ball going to the right. He follows the bunker icon and moves to the right (B) of the direction he declared.
4.E) Reset Your Hand
You may choose not to hit the ball and reset your hand. Return all your discarded clubs to your hand. If you are playing Dorian's A-side, you may not reset your hand at this point.
5. Discard Club
Your turn ends here. Place the club you used on your discard pile. If you play a card that never expires, return it to your hand. e.g. Slugger's Driver or Dorian's A-side club. If you are playing Slick Rikesh's B-side or Dorian's B-side, skip this step.
Reaching The Green
6. Score Flags
When a player reaches the green, they take the flag. If multiple players reach the green in the same round, then one player takes the flag and the others a 1-point token.
7. Score Hole-In-One Tokens
If you scored a hole-in-one, take a hole-in-one token. A hole-in-one is scored on your first turn for the hole when you hit from the tee box and land on the green.
8. Move To The Next Hole
After the players have received their green tokens, move all players to the tee box of the next hole.
9. Remove Any Hazard Effects
Any players that were about to miss a turn because of a water hazard have this status removed.
Winning The Game
At the end of the course, each player counts the number of flags and 1-point tokens they have. Each flag and token is worth 1 point. The player with the most points wins.
In the event of a tie, count up the hole-in-one tokens. The player with the most hole-in-one tokens wins the tie-break. If players are still tied, those players share the win.
Playing From The Rough
When you start your turn on a rough tile, your shot travels a reduced distance.
For clubs that go a fixed distance (woods), this is represented by a second hex on your club with a rough symbol. Below: the 5-Wood goes 2 hexes when played from the rough and 3 from a fairway.
For clubs that draw from shot decks, there is a rough symbol on your shot card. Use this instead of the orange hex when determining the final destination for your golfer.
Rough is considered any tile that does not have a fairway on it. A water hazard is deemed to be rough (after you have missed a turn). A water hazard on a fairway ("Hazards & Other Tiles") is considered fairway. Most of a golf course is rough. General advice is to stay out of it.
All hybrid clubs (3 Hybrid, 5 Hybrid and 8 Hybrid) suffer no penalties when hitting from the rough.
All shot cards drawn from the chip deck suffer no penalties when hitting from the rough. There are no rough symbols on these cards (they always travel 2 hexes).
Mackenzie (white disc) finds herself in the rough. She plays a 2 Iron, and that lets her draw from Shot Deck #4. The shot card curves left. When plotting out her movement, she uses the rough symbol on the shot card to work it out. Because of the reduced distance, she moves two hexes straight and then one to the left to land where the rough marker on the shot card shows. In this example, she has landed back on the fairway—a good position for her next shot.
Chipping
The chip deck is different from the other shot decks. These shot cards give you the option of going over trees, don't suffer a rough penalty, and come with one constraint. You have to declare the direction you're going to chip before you draw any cards.
Declare A Direction
This rule means picking any one of the six directions leaving the hex and telling the other players. You can either describe it: "hitting towards the water" or point to it. You may not change your direction after you have drawn a shot card.
Draw Shot Cards
Once you have declared your direction, you draw your cards as usual.
Move Your Golfer
The main change to the move your golfer phase is you have already declared which direction you are hitting the ball. Move your golfer as usual with one exception.
If the hex adjacent to your golfer is a tree you chip over it and land in the orange destination hex. You still cannot land on trees, if your target hex is a tree hazard then you land on the hex you would have chipped over. If that is also a tree hazard, your golfer does not move.
Brock finds themself in an awkward position with trees blocking progress up the fairway. They play their trusty 9 iron and point to the tile they intend to chip over (arrow). It's a safe play as most cards from the chip deck will put them on the fairway. They then draw a shot card from the chip deck to see what fate has dealt them. It pays off, and they get a shot card that drifts right putting them back onto the fairway and in an excellent position for their next shot.
The Lob Wedge is a unique club in that you do not need to declare the direction you're going to hit the ball before you play it.
Super, Short, Shuffle And Wild Cards
Super And Short
With the super and short cards, you put them down on the table and then draw a replacement shot card and place it over the top of the super or short card. Draw a replacement card from the deck listed on the super or short card.
These cards chain, so it's possible to end up back in the deck that you started from or, to go from Shot Deck #2 to Shot Deck #5.
A super hit from the chip deck that results in a draw from a shot deck other than the chip deck loses its ability to go over trees.
Shuffle
When you draw a shuffle card, put all current discards from this shot deck back in and shuffle them. Place this card on the table and draw a replacement card and place on top. Always draw the replacement card from the same deck.
Cards that you have drawn so far this turn, e.g. super cards or other cards from clubs that let you draw 2 cards, are not put back into the deck.
If you draw a shuffle card and there is no discard pile, you do not need to shuffle the deck. You still need to draw a replacement card.
Wild Cards
When you draw a card with multiple outcomes on it, you can choose which one you want to use. If one of the options is out-of-bounds, then you must take the only option that remains in play.
See "Hazards & Other Tiles" for more information on out of bounds.
Longest Drive Card
When you draw and play this shot card, keep the longest drive card. This card is your memento that you hit the longest drive in the game, and if you don't win today, at least you're going home with something. Not the card, you understand, that stays in the box. You get the sense of smug satisfaction of having hit the longest drive.
This shot card travels 6 hexes in a straight line. It stops at trees as other shot cards do.
Hazards & Other Tiles
Bunker
The bunkers hazard applies to all turns where you start in that hex. When you are in the bunker, you have to get out. See "Exit Bunker".
You may use the Sand Wedge to treat bunkers as rough.
Green
Your destination. Depending on the game mode, the players that reach the green first win the round. When playing from the green of another hole consider the tile fairway.
Rough
Shots from this hex go one less hex. After drawing your shot look for the rough icon on the shot card. This symbol is where your ball lands. See "Playing From The Rough".
Out-Of-Bounds & Clubhouse
Whenever your ball leaves the course, it is out-of-bounds. The ball is also out-of-bounds when it goes out-of-bounds for part of its flight and returns to a tile. When you are out-of-bounds, your golfer remains where they hit the shot. Return your club to your hand; your turn is over.
Landing on the clubhouse is also considered out-of-bounds unless of course, you are playing onto the 19th.
Note: The diamond corner pieces of the course tiles are in-play, you can land on them.
Variation
We devised the out of bounds rule because most players could not navigate the out-of-bounds space without a grid. But some players can. If the players all agree to use this variation then you may allow players to hit through out-of-bounds. Landing in out-of-bounds is always out-of-bounds.
Tee Box
The tee box is where each hole starts. These tiles indicate the par and how many large course tiles to add before the green. See the last page of the course booklet for more information on building courses.
Trees
Trees stop the flight of your ball. Move your ball one hex backwards along the flight path. If the next hex is a hazard, follow the rules for that hazard.
Note: only trees with a fence around them stop the flight of the ball.
Water (And Fairways With Lakes)
Water hazards apply when the ball ends its flight on that hex. You miss your next turn. Lay your golfer down. On your next turn, stand your golfer up and skip the round. On the turn after that, you can play.
You play your next shot from the water tile. Play the water tile as rough unless it is a fairway with a lake. In that case, it is considered fairway.
The Shark ignores this hazard and plays the underlying tile.
Golfer Abilities
There are eight different golfers in 18 Holes, and each of them brings a different experience. Each golfer has an A-side and a B-side. The A-side makes the game easier and the B-side makes the game harder. There is an A or a B in the bottom right-hand corner.
Bunjil
A-side
Immediately before Bunjil selects their club to play, they may look at the top card of one deck once. Turn Bunjil sideways (landscape) to indicate their power as used. The player must not show the card to other players. Return the card face down to the top of the shot deck.
When the hole has ended, turn Bunjil back to the portrait orientation.
Bunjil may only look at shot decks for cards they could legitimately draw from.
B-side
As per A-side plus Bunjil has to decide to either keep the shot card and use it on their next shot or return the card to the top of the shot deck, face up for all players to see.
If Bunjil keeps the card, then the player must play a club that can access that shot deck.
Dorian
A-side
After the card draft, before the first hole, the player with Dorian tells the rest of the group which of their clubs never expire. Whenever you use this club, return it to your hand instead of being discarded.
Dorian may not reset their clubs during a hole but may reset their clubs at the end of a hole if their hand only contains their club that never expires (and meets the rules for a hand reset).
B-side
Dorian never discards their clubs after use. Dorian may only take three clubs during the draft.
Iron Jane
A-side
Before the Club Draft, the player with Iron Jane selects their clubs from the clubs available. Shuffle the remaining cards and deal them to the other players.
B-side
As per the A-side plus Iron Jane may only carry four clubs. Iron Jane may not take two of the same club.
Lucky
A-side
During play, once per hand, Lucky may redraw a shot card. To do this, the player with Lucky tells the playing group and then turns Lucky sideways (landscape) to indicate their power as used. The player then draws a new shot card from the same deck as the previous one. Lucky must play the new card.
While Lucky is oriented in landscape you cannot use this power.
When resetting your hand, return Lucky to the portrait orientation.
B-side
As per A-side plus when using Lucky's ability, the player discards one of their other clubs. If the player has no other clubs, they may not use Lucky's power.
You may only perform Lucky's power once per hole.
Slick Rikesh
A-side
After all players have revealed their club cards, Slick Rikesh may use another player's chosen club. Slick Rikesh's club initiative is the same as the original owner's club and plays immediately afterwards. Slick Rikesh may only use his power once per hole.
Rotate Slick Rikesh sideways (landscape) to indicate their power as used. Reset to portrait position after each hole.
B-side
The player with Slick Rikesh only picks one card during the draft and may pick that club from any round of the draft.
During play, Slick Rikesh will play their club as usual (to determine initiative) and may then select any discarded club of another player to use. If there are no discarded clubs, Slick Rikesh must play their club.
Slugger
A-side
Slugger must carry the driver. Remove this card from the deck before the Club Draft and give it to the player with Slugger. Slugger will select four clubs during the draft, skipping the last turn.
During play, you never discard the driver. Return it to your hand.
B-side
As per the A-side plus Slugger must use a Wood or Driver on all tee boxes. Yes, including par-3s.
Swift
A-side
During the Determine Play Order step, subtract one from the initiative of the club played by Swift. If Swift's initiative ties with another player, Swift goes first.
B-side
During the Determine Play Order step, subtract one from the initiative of the club played by Swift. If Swift's initiative ties with another player, Swift goes after that player.
The Shark
A-side
Water hazards are of no concern to The Shark, including those on fairways. Treat them as per the underlying tile.
B-side
As per A-side plus The Shark may not carry any wedges.
Wedges include Pitching Wedge, Sand Wedge and the Lob Wedge.
During the Club Draft Phase, a player who has The Shark must pass if the only available clubs are wedges. The Shark can pick from the remaining cards after the draft.
Multiple Ways To Play
18 Holes, like golf, has a variety of different game modes. The primary method described in this book keeps all players competing for each hole. Golf is a tough game where it can be hard to catch up if you fall behind. If you like that kind of game or want a more realistic golf experience, then you may be interested in Golf Racing, Stroke Play or Stableford.
If your group prefers games that keep everyone competing for each point, then try Match Play and Skins.
Some variations stray a bit further from the fairway. These are for people who want a less traditional golf experience. The Chaos Golf variations and Kelly Golf fit this description.
If you want a solo experience, then try Solo Chaos Golf, Stableford or Stroke Play.
If you want a two-player game, then try Chaos Teams: our dedicated two-player experience. Or, one of Match Play, Skins, Stroke Play, Stableford or Golf Racing.
Each game mode comes with a section that describes the game mode, how many players it supports and when you might be interested in this game.
Index of Variations:
- Chaos Golf
- Chaos Teams
- Golf Racing
- Kelly Golf
- Skins
- Solo Chaos Golf
- Stableford
- Stroke Play
Match Play
18 Holes as described in this rule book. Players compete to win each hole independent of their performance on prior holes. The winner is the player with most holes won.
Plays: 2 - 5 players
Play this mode when... You want the classic 18 Holes experience or you're looking for a quicker game that ensures all players can compete for each hole. In Match Play, having one bad hole will not ruin your game.
How To Win: 1 point for the first player to reach the green. Multiple players score the points if they reach the green on the same round. In the event of a tie, the player with the most hole-in-one tokens wins.
Rule Variations: None
Parts Needed For Scoring: Flags and large green tiles for scoring; Hole-in-one tokens
Chaos Golf
Tee off in any direction and score the holes in any order. Golf where we removed the constraints of playing from hole to hole in order. Highest score wins.
Plays: 3 - 5 players
Play this mode when... You have a group of people who like something a bit less like golf and a bit more chaotic. This version of 18 Holes reduces the influence of luck in the game.
How To Win: Each player's score is the sum of their collected 2 and 5 point tokens. Highest score wins.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Match Play except when in conflict with the rules below.
Setup
For best results, design a tightly packed course with all the multi-green hexes included. Ignoring the fairway tile requirement (e.g. +1 tile) yields good results.
Place a 2 and a 5 point token on each hole. Make sure the hole number is the same for both. The hole sequencing does not matter. For best results, have the 5-point token orange side up and the 2-point token hole number-side up. Doing so helps makes the greens stand out a bit more.
Game Play
Players may hit in any direction and try to claim any hole in any order.
When landing on a tee box, the player may take another turn. This chains and allows for faster travel across the course. Any extra turns are taken in initiative order after all players have finished their initial round.
Scoring
The player who first lands on the green takes the large scoring token (5 points) and the second person receives the smaller token (2 points). There is no tie-break and initiative order is used to determine who takes the 5 point token.
The person who took the large scoring token cannot take the small token for the same hole. Use the hole numbers on the score tokens to check.
Once someone has claimed the last 5-point token, the game ends at the end of that round. Any remaining 2-point tokens are ignored.
The player with the most points wins.
Parts Needed For Scoring: 5-point tokens; 2-point tokens
Fast Travel
During Chaos Golf, if you end your turn on a tee box, you may take an extra turn at the end of the round. Take any extra turns in initiative order. If two players end their turn on a tee box, the player with the lowest initiative takes their extra turns first.
On your extra turn, you may choose to play any of your available clubs as usual. Each club played is discarded.
If you have no clubs in your hand, then you may not take any additional turns.
If you end an extra turn on a tee box, you may take another extra turn. You can keep doing this until you run out of clubs.
Chaos Teams & Golf Racing
Chaos Teams
A two-player variant of Chaos Golf. Each team has two golfers and five clubs. They nominate which golfer they are moving after they have drawn their shot card.
Plays: 2 players
Play this mode when... You like Chaos Golf and there are only two of you.
How To Win: One point for each flag claimed. The highest score, after all holes completed, wins or if a team reaches 10 flags.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Chaos Golf except when in conflict with the rules below.
Setup: Place only one flag on each green. The order is not significant.
Game Play: When a golfer lands on a tee box, that golfer must be the one that receives the additional turn.
Scoring: The game ends when all flags are claimed or one team has scored 10 flags. The team with the highest score wins.
Parts Needed For Scoring: Flags
Golf Racing
It's golf, but it's a race! Everyone starts on the first tee box, and they have to complete all 18 Holes to win.
Plays: 2 - 5 players
Play this mode when... When you want the Stroke Play experience and you don't have a pen. In this mode the entire course is the scoring track.
How To Win: The first player to reach the 18th green after reaching each green in order wins.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Match Play except when in conflict with the rules below.
Game Play: A player may progress to the next tee box only after reaching the prior green. As such players end up spread across multiple holes in the race for the 18th.
Scoring: Players must visit every green in order. The first player to reach the 18th green wins. In the event of a tie, the player with the most hole-in-one tokens is the winner.
Parts Needed For Scoring: None
Kelly Golf
Each player has a target green that they are trying to reach. Players score points for each target green reached.
Plays: 2 - 5 players
Play this mode when... You like chaos golf and fetch quests, and you want to add a little bit more uncertainty into the game.
How To Win:
- 3 points for each secret green claimed.
- 2 points for claiming the secret green of another player.
- 1 point for any other green.
The highest score wins.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Chaos Golf except when in conflict with the rules below.
Setup
- Place a flag on each green.
- Place the 1-point small green markers point-side up on the table, shuffle.
- Place the 2-point tokens in a pile near the board.
- Each player draws two 1-point tokens keeping one and returning the other. Players keep their target secret.
Game Play
Each player may hit in any direction and try to claim any hole.
When there is only one token left in the bag, the player draws that one token.
Scoring A Target Green
When a player reaches their target green, they reveal their target green token face up and take the flag off the board and put it back into the box. Take a 2 point token and put it with your score. Add the 1-point token you were using as a secret target to your score.
Draw two replacement 1-point tokens, keep one as your next target and return the other.
Scoring Another's Target Green
If someone claims your target, hand them your 1-point token. Draw two replacement 1-point tokens, keep one and return the other.
If you claim another player's target green you score their 1-point token and the flag from the green.
Scoring Any Other Green
Remove the flag from the green and add it to your score.
Final Scoring
The game ends immediately after a player scores the last green. Sum the value of your scored tokens. The flags are worth 1 point. Highest score wins.
Parts Needed For Scoring: Flags; 2-point tokens; 1-point tokens
Skins
It's like Match Play, except each green is worth either 1, 2, or 5 points. Players need to consider the value of each hole when picking their clubs and taking their shots. Tied holes jackpot.
Plays: 2 - 5 players
Play this mode when... You like match play, and you want to add another dimension. The club draft and club selection process change as players try to have their best clubs available for tackling the high-value holes.
How To Win: The player with the most points wins. Greens are worth 1, 2 or 5 points based on the value of the token on it. Multiple players score if they all reach the green on the same turn.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Match Play except when in conflict with the rules below.
Setup (Do this before club selection.)
- Place a 5 point token on the 18th green.
- Give each player a 5 point token and have them select a green to place it on.
- Turn all the 1 and 2-point tokens point-side down. Shuffle. Select a token for each green without one. Place the tokens point side up so all players can see the value of each green.
Scoring
Players who reach the green claim the token that is on the green. If multiple players reach the green on the same turn, move all scoring tokens to the next green. The value jackpots!
The player with the most points wins. Tie break using elimination rounds.
Elimination
If the 18th hole was a tie and the result will decide the winner, move the scoring tokens from the 18th green to the 1st green. If the result won't determine the winner, then the player in the lead wins.
All players that tied are moved to the 1st tee box. Reset everyone's hand and remove any hazard effects.
Play as normal with the winner taking the remaining jackpot and the game ends when the jackpot is claimed.
If there is a tie, only the players that tied progress to the next hole. The other players are eliminated.
Parts Needed For Scoring: 5-point tokens; 2-point tokens; 1-point tokens
Stableford
Stableford is a more forgiving scoring system than Stroke Play as it limits how badly you can do on a single turn. It also sets a cap on the maximum you can score per hole.
Plays: 1 - 5 players
Play this mode when... You want a more authentic golfing experience and a scoring system that is more forgiving than traditional golf.
How To Win: Most points wins. Stableford is a scoring system where you get 2 points for achieving par. Score bonus points for beating par (under) and lose points for scoring above par. The highest score per hole is 4, 5 or 6 depending on if it's a par 3, 4 or 5. The lowest score per hole is zero (0).
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Match Play except when in conflict with the rules below.
Game Play: When a player reaches the green, they wait for everyone else to complete the hole before moving on.
Scoring: Score each hole as you complete it. Count your turns (including missed turns and out of bounds) and compare to the course par rating.
| Points | Reason |
|---|---|
| 2 | Base Score for each hole |
| +1 | For each turn under par. For example: on a par 4 if you took 3 turns to reach the green, you score +1 bonus point (a total of 3 points) |
| -1 | For each turn over par. For example: on a par 4, if you took 5 turns to reach the green you lose 1 point (for a total of 1 point) |
Zero (0) is the lowest a player can score on a hole. Alternatively, you can use this table to look up your score for each hole.
| Hole Par | Turns | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 5+ | 0 |
| 3 | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 4 | 6+ | 0 |
| 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | 7+ | 0 |
| 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | 5 | 2 |
| 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 | 1 | 6 |
Solo Chaos Golf
Chaos Golf against three fast scoring opponents. Three opposing golfers score if you let them. You need to out-score them before they acquire six greens each.
This game mode uses the solo chaos golf deck.
Plays: You and three automated opponents.
Play this mode when... You like Chaos Golf and you are the only one who wants to play.
How To Win: Each player's score is the sum of their collected 2 and 5 point tokens. Highest score wins.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Chaos Golf except when in conflict with the rules below.
Setup
On one side of the playing board, place a golfer for each of your three opponents. Shuffle the pink 1-point tokens and put them in three stacks of six tokens each. Place one stack in front of each opponent. The tokens should be hole-side down. Place your golfer on the starting tee box.
Skip golfer cards. Your automated opponents won't use them either.
Skip the draft. Pick the clubs you think will win. With the remaining clubs, shuffle and deal 5 to each AI face down.
Build a deck of Solo Chaos Golf cards based on the difficulty you want. You need at least six green icons in the pack. See "Building A Solo Deck" for instructions on how to build a deck.
Game Play
Reveal the top 1-point token for each opponent. This hole is the one they score at the next combined scoring phase.
Reveal the top card of the Solo Chaos Golf deck and place the solo turn marker above the first symbol. Use the turn marker to track your progress.
There are two types of scoring phase symbols on the cards. A filled circle with "player only scoring" written under it, and a two-toned split circle for the combined scoring round.
During player only scoring rounds you play as usual and can score any green you can reach.
At the end of every turn marked by the combined scoring icon, perform the combined scoring phase. See "Combined Scoring Phase" for more information.
After the scoring phase, move the solo turn marker one space to the right. Before moving the token, if there are no more spaces on the card, reveal a new card from the top of the Solo Chaos Golf Deck and place your turn marker above the first spot.
Fast travel is permitted if you land on a tee box. Take your extra turn after your opponents have their turns and the scoring of any greens. Your opponents don't fast travel.
If you want to do a Big Hit, shuffle the shot cards you have as options and discard one at random.
Scoring: When you or an opponent scores the last 5-point token, end the game after that round. The player with the most points wins.
Combined Scoring Phase
After you have moved your golfer and before you score any greens, look at green targets for each opponent. For the greens that you are not on, give the largest token remaining on the green to the opponent.
If you are competing for a green, flip the top club of the opponent that is in contention. If your opponent's card has a lower initiative value compared to you, they take the 5-point token, and you receive the 2-point token. Otherwise, you score the 5-point token and your opponent scores the 2-point token.
If you want to know whether you're going to win a green, you may reveal the club card of an opponent to see their initiative. You may only do this after you have determined which club you are going to play and before moving your golfer.
Building A Solo Deck
Before you play, you need to make a deck that represents the difficulty of the game. The more player scoring rounds in the pack, the easier it is. Tweak the deck so that each game provides a challenge.
In the top right corner of each solo chaos golf card is the difficulty score for the card. The higher the value of the card, the harder your game. You can add multiple cards to the deck. Their combined score is the rank of the deck. The higher the deck rank, the greater the challenge. The five cards to the right represent a deck of rank 17.
At the bottom of each card is a little flag indicator that tells you how many combined scoring rounds are on this card. Every Solo Chaos Golf deck needs at least six combined scoring rounds. You can have more than six combined scoring rounds if you want to, all this does is add more uncertainty into the deck. The difficulty rank changes to a range, i.e. 21-25.
Each course provided in the game also comes with a solo par score. If you build a deck equalling this score, you have what we designers believe is a challenging experience. If you can win with a higher rank, congratulations!
If you're struggling to get a win, then reduce the rank of the deck to make sure you're still having fun.
Stroke Play
Traditional golf. Your objective is to reach the 18th green with the lowest score. You score 1 point for each turn you take, turn missed, and out of bounds.
You'll need a pen and paper for this one.
Plays: 1 - 5 players
Play this mode when... When you want a traditional golf experience.
How To Win: Players score one point for each club card played, water hazards landed in, or out of bounds. The player with the lowest score wins.
Rule Variations: Use the rules for Match Play except when in conflict with the rules below.
Game Play
When a player reaches the green, they wait for everyone else to complete the hole before moving on.
Players who land in the water do not miss a turn, but add one to their score.
Players who end up out of bounds add one to their score.
Scoring
With pen and paper, use tally marks to track each players turn.
Each course will have a par score. Even if you don't win today, beating par is an achievement.
Keep a record of your scores. When you come to play the same course again, try and beat your previous best.
Your First Game
To get to playing 18 Holes as quickly as possible, follow these instructions for your first game.
Setup
If you've not removed the course tiles from the punchboards, grab punchboard #01 and turn it front side up. It's written on the board in the bottom right corner. If you need to build the course from tiles, open up the course booklet and recreate the Starter Course.
Place a flag on each green as depicted on the layout. You will need five flags, take these from other punchboards. You will need five trees, assemble these and place over the tree hazards. These are the small hexes with fenced off trees.
Sort the shot cards into their respective decks (C, 2, 3, 4 and 5), shuffle each deck and put within reach of all players. Next, take the club cards, these have the 18 Holes logo on the back (and do not say solo). In the bottom left corner of some of the cards is a small A, B, C, D or E.
Give the first player the As, the second the Bs, etc. These pre-made hands let you skip the drafting phase.
Skip the golf persona cards. You should now have 5 clubs each, a small course built and five decks of shot cards. You can get straight into playing.
Play
If a player has no clubs in their hand, they move their discarded clubs to their hand. If you have the driver and are not on a tee box, you may also reset your hand.
Each player selects a club from their hand and places it on the table face down. When all are ready, reveal your clubs.
Players take a turn in order from the lowest value initiative to highest. The initiative is in the top-left corner.
On your turn, you can perform one action. For most turns, you will follow the instructions on your club cards and draw shot cards from one of the decks.
For shot decks numbered 2-5 you draw a card and then decide which direction you wish to hit the ball. When you're drawing a card from the chip deck tell your playing group which direction you are hitting beforehand.
Once you have drawn your card, move your golfer up to where your ball landed. Then turn the club you have used face down.
If you land in a hazard, see "Hazards & Other Tiles".
Scoring
When a player reaches the green, give all players that reached the green that turn either the flag or a 1-point score token. If you score on your first turn for the hole, take a hole-in-one token.
The player with the most flags and score tokens after five holes wins. The player with the most hole-in-one tokens wins the tie-break.