Our latest poll gives interesting information about the favourite playing systems of our website readers. Four playing systems clearly stand out as favourites of the international minigolf community: beton (27% of votes), adventure golf (20% with golf ball + 5% with special balls), felt (24% of votes) and eternite (17% of votes).

Our poll reveals that minigolfers whose favourite game is adventure golf, typically love to play with a golf ball, instead of special minigolf balls. This can be difficult to understand for many minigolfers: how can some people love a hard and rough golf ball, when we have all those smooth and soft special balls around! I try to give some possible reasons, so you can maybe learn to understand your fellow minigolfers, why they enjoy playing with a golf ball:

• The sweet simplicity of having a golf ball in pocket, and nothing else to worry about. A carefree and relaxed day out at the minigolf course. Hot or cold weather, rain or sunshine, no problem.
The feeling that your game is a part of golf, the historical game, the multi-billion sport. You have official equipment of the game, you are one with the big sport. You are big.

America is not the only country where these thoughts and feelings are popular among minigolf players. Many hard-boiled European minigolfers have adopted some or all of these positive ideas and feelings about golf-style adventure golf.

For WMF, adventure golf has been a headache, because golf freaks want to play with golf rules (or golf equipment) instead of WMF rules and WMF-approved special balls. Golf rules are different from WMF minigolf rules, but not dramatically. Not a reason to call the game a different sport.

Here is a list of some Royal & Ancient golf rules which are most relevant to minigolf, compared with WMF versions of the same rules. Personally, I greatly appreciate the freedom and independence that golf rulebook leaves to tournament organizers. A rulebook can never replace common sense, but an unnecessarily detailed rulebook can sometimes hinder common sense from being used.



The course

• GOLF
  • Tournament organizers (or professional tour leagues) independently approve the courses that they want to use for a competition. No centralized global approval of courses.
• WMF
  • All competition courses in all countries must be inspected and approved by WMF.

Number of holes in the course

• GOLF
  • Competition courses should preferably include 18 holes, but any number of holes fewer than 18 is allowed, if the tournament organizer so decides. [Courses with fewer than 18 holes are used mainly in amateur golf of lower skill levels.]
• WMF
  • All competition courses must have 18 holes.
• Sweden & Finland
  • Minigolf courses must have 18 or 12 holes.
• Great Britain
  • Minigolf courses with any number of holes can be used in competitions.

Size of the hole or target

• GOLF
  • The hole must be 108 mm in diameter, and at least 102 mm deep.
• WMF
  • (The target can be a round hole, square hole, gate, or other structure defined as the target.)
  • Felt rule: Diameter of the hole is 10 cm, if not specified otherwise in standard lane drawings.
  • General rule: If the target is a hole, its diameter must not exceed 120 mm.
  • MOS rule: Diameter of the hole can be between 10 cm and 15 cm. [Interestingly, this exceeds the maximum limit 12 cm of the general rule.]

Maximum score per hole

• PROFESSIONAL GOLF (R&A)
  • No limits for maximum score per hole.
• AMATEUR GOLF (USGA)
  • For top-class players with handicap 9 or lower, maximum score for each hole is 2 points over par of the hole:
    • 5 points at par 3 holes.
    • 6 points at par 4 holes.
    • 7 points at par 5 holes.
    • 108 points for a full round (at a typical course of 18 holes with average par 4).
  • For players with handicap 10 ... 19, maximum score for each hole is 7 points (regardless of par of the hole).
  • For players with handicap 20 ... 29, maximum score for each hole is 8 points (regardless of par of the hole).
  • For players with handicap 30 ... 39, maximum score for each hole is 9 points (regardless of par of the hole).
  • For players with handicap 40 or more, maximum score for each hole is 10 points (regardless of par of the hole).
• WMF
  • 7 points is maximum score for each hole.
  • 126 points is maximum score for a full round of 18 holes.
• PPA
  • No limits for maximum score per hole.

Failure to finish playing a hole

• PROFESSIONAL GOLF (R&A)
  • If the player quits playing a hole, before he has played the ball into the hole, he is disqualified from the competition.
• AMATEUR GOLF (USGA)
  • Players should quit playing the hole, when they have reached the maximum score for the hole.
• WMF
  • If the player quits playing a hole, before he has played the ball into the hole, he gets 7 points as score for the hole.
• PPA
  • If the player quits playing a hole, before he has played the ball into the hole, he is disqualified from the competition.

Deciding a tied score

• GOLF
  • Tournament organizers have the right to choose, how tied scores will be decided in the tournament.
  • Recommended possible ways to decide a tied score:
    • Accepting tied score as the final result.
    • Sudden death play-off, hole by hole.
    • Play-off over a fixed number of extra holes (9 holes, 18 holes, etc.).
    • Comparing the results of last 9 holes in the competition (or last 6 holes, etc.).
• WMF
  • In case of a tied score, the first three ranks in each competition category are decided with a sudden death play-off.
  • Other ranks in the tournament are decided by the smallest difference between the best and the worst rounds, then between the second best and the second worst rounds, etc. If this method does not bring a difference between players, tied score is accepted as the final result.
• Sweden
  • In case of a tied score, the first three ranks in each competition category are decided with a sudden death play-off. For all other ranks in the competition, tied scores are accepted as the final result.

Returning the ball to previous position

• GOLF
  • In all situations, a player has the right to return his ball to the place from where he played his last stroke, receiving one penalty point.
• WMF
  • Returning to previous position is not allowed by the rules. [Useful situations: Missing a putt from under the hill at German slide on felt. The ball stopping behind 2nd obstacle at Boxes or Optical Illusion on felt. With old felt rules: missing a putt so that the ball rolls downhill back to start of lane.]

Moving the ball from obstacles

• GOLF
  • If the ball stops in a place where an immovable obstruction (a stone, tree, etc.) interferes with the player’s stance or intended swing, the player can lift the ball and drop it to the nearest place that is free from interference and is not nearer the hole than the current location of the ball. No penalty points are given to the player.
  • If the ball goes to a water hazard, the player can continue playing from where the ball is (if possible) without receiving penalty points, or accept one penalty point and continue playing from any chosen place directly away from the hole behind the point where the ball entered the area of the water obstacle.
• WMF
  • When a ball stops near the border wall of the lane, it can be moved 20 cm away from the wall (or less, if the player so chooses).
  • When a ball stops near an obstacle other than the border wall, it can be moved away from the obstacle 20 cm, 30 cm or 50 cm (depending on the situation, as described in rulebook) or less, if the player so chooses.

Ball out of bounds

• GOLF
  • If a ball leaves the playing area of the hole, the ball is returned to the place from where the last stroke was played, and the player gets one penalty point.
• WMF
  • If a ball leaves the playing area, after correctly passing the border line, it is placed at the point where it left the playing area. (Some minigolf lanes do not have a border line, and all strokes must be played from the start area.) Penalty strokes are not given in any cases, where the ball leaves the playing area.

Dress code

• GOLF
  • Not defined in rules of the game. Defined independently by each golf course, tournament organizer, or professional league. [Many golf courses and tournament organizers require a tailormade polo shirt, and tailormade trousers or shorts or skirt.]
• WMF
  • Players must wear uniform team clothing from the waist upwards, and "sport shoes". (Some versions of WMF regulations emphasize that players must be dressed in "sportswear". During the 2008 season WMF regulations specifically banned denim jeans as "not sportswear".)

Time limits

• GOLF
  • Tournament organizers have the right to set an obligatory maximum time limit for playing a round, a hole, or a stroke. [No examples or recommendations for time limits are given in the rules.]
• WMF
  • Time limit is 60 seconds for each stroke, and 10 seconds extra time when the group moves to the next hole.
• Great Britain
  • Time limit is 30 seconds for each stroke. [Some years ago the time limit was 45 seconds in Great Britain.]

Penalties for breaking the time limit

• GOLF
  • Tournament organizers can decide, which of these two penalty scales they will use:
    • 1st offence: 2 penalty points. 2nd offence: Disqualification from competition.
    • 1st offence: 1 penalty point. 2nd offence: 2 penalty points. 3rd offence: Disqualification from competition.
• WMF
  • 1st offence: Admonition. 2nd offence: 1 penalty point. 3rd offence: 2 penalty points. 4th offence: Disqualification from competition.

Borrowing clubs or putters

• GOLF
  • A player must not borrow any club from other players on the course.
  • However, team partners may share the same clubs, if the total number of clubs carried by the partners does not exceed 14 (which is the maximum allowed number of clubs).
• WMF
  • No limitations for borrowing or carrying any number of clubs or putters.

Tees

• GOLF
  • A tee must not be longer than 10.16 cm.
• WMF
  • A tee of any length can be used at hole number 7 of Bongni standard courses, in all situations except when the ball is on putting green.
  • [Note: hole number 7 of Bongni courses sometimes has a safety gate installed near the start area, so close that a normal full swing is not possible with a golf iron club, when using a small golf tee, without the iron club hitting the safety gate during follow-through swing.]

Size of ball

• GOLF
  • Diameter of the ball must be at least 42.67 mm.
• WMF
  • Diameter of the ball must be between 37.0 mm and 43.0 mm.

Weight of ball

• GOLF
  • Weight of the ball must not be greater than 45.93 g.
• WMF
  • Weight of the ball is not limited by rules.

Approved and licensed balls

• GOLF
  • If the tournament organizers so decide, they can require that only such balls are used in the competition, which are listed on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls issued by Royal & Ancient.
• WMF
  • In all competitions in all countries, only such golf balls or minigolf balls are allowed, which are approved or licensed by WMF.

Colour of ball

• GOLF
  • The colour of balls is not defined or limited in the rules.
  • (However, tournament organizers can require the players to use white or nearly white balls, by using their right to require that only such balls are used in the competition, which are listed on the current List of Conforming Golf Balls issued by Royal & Ancient. All balls currently on the list are white, or a nearly white shade of other colours.)
• WMF
  • The colour of balls is not defined or limited in the rules.

Colour of the course

• GOLF
  • Colour of the course is not defined in the rules. [Golf courses are made of natural materials, which usually have the same typical colours everywhere.]
• WMF
  • Colour of minigolf courses is not defined or limited in the rules.
• Finland
  • The rulebook gives non-obligatory recommendations for the colour of felt courses.

Changing the ball

• GOLF
  • Players can freely change the ball when they move to the next hole, but not between strokes while playing at a hole.
  • However, if the tournament organizers so decide, they can require that a player uses the same brand and model of ball during one full competition round (18 holes).
• WMF
  • Players can freely change the ball when they move to the next hole, but not between strokes while playing at a hole.

Cleaning the ball

• GOLF
  • A ball on the putting green can be lifted and cleaned, if the player so decides.
  • When the ball is not on the putting green, it is not allowed to clean the ball. A player who cleans his ball while it is outside of the putting green, receives one penalty point.
• WMF
  • A player always has the right to lift and clean the ball before playing a stroke.

Manipulating the ball

• GOLF
  • Foreign material must not be applied to a ball, for the purpose of changing its playing characteristics.
• WMF
  • No limitations for applying foreign material to the ball. [Chalk is commonly applied to minigolf balls, when playing eternite or Bongni beton courses.]
  • When the ball has passed the border line, it is not permitted to warm it up or cool it down, or by any other means change its properties.

Cleaning or manipulating the course

• GOLF
  • The line of putt must not be touched, except if:
    • Removing loose dirt or any loose foreign material from the putting green.
    • Repairing damage caused by a ball falling on the putting green.
    • Repairing an old abandoned hole, which has been filled with turf.
  • When the ball is outside of the putting green, the player must not improve or allow to be improved:
    • The position of his ball.
    • The area of his intended stance or swing.
    • His line of play to the hole.
    • The area where he will drop or place the ball.
    • Wetness or dryness of the playing area.
• WMF
  • It is permitted to remove wetness and dirt from the playing area, also while the ball is still moving.
  • (According to the latest WMF policies, in future it will not be allowed to apply chalk or other foreign materials to the lanes or walls.)
  • It is not permitted to make any changes to the permanent structure of the lanes.