How to play Mini Golf
- Tee off. Each hole starts on the tee, the dark green mat at one end. The flag marks the cup.
- Putt. Drag back from the ball, away from where you want it to go, and let go. The further you drag, the harder you hit it.
- Keep putting. Each putt is one stroke. Your ball stays where it stops, and you putt again from there until it drops into the cup.
- Take turns. On each hole the players take turns to play it out: one player putts until their ball is in, then the next player tees off. Who goes first moves on by one player every hole.
- Count your strokes. The scorecard after each hole shows everyone's strokes. After nine holes (or five), the lowest total wins.
The nine holes
Arrows on the green show which way a slope runs. Par is the number of strokes a good player needs.
| Hole | Name | Par | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Putt | 2 | A straight start that narrows in the middle, with a bumper right in the gap |
| 2 | Corner Bank | 2 | The green turns a corner. An angled wall in the far corner can bank your ball round towards the cup |
| 3 | Bumper Garden | 2 | Three big round bumpers on the way up, and three small ones guarding the cup |
| 4 | Side Hill | 2 | The far half of the green slopes to one side, cup and all. Aim uphill of the cup |
| 5 | Duck Pond | 3 | A pond lies between the tee and the cup. Take the narrow path round it, or bank off the wall |
| 6 | Zigzag | 3 | Two walls stick out from opposite sides, so the ball has to zig and then zag |
| 7 | Sand Castle | 2 | A castle in the middle and three sand traps round the cup. Sand stops a ball quickly |
| 8 | Keyhole | 3 | A wall across the green with one narrow gap, and the gap runs uphill: too soft and the ball rolls back |
| 9 | Volcano | 3 | The cup sits on top of a round hill. Too soft and the ball rolls back down; too hard and it runs over the top |
Choose 5 holes on the page for a quicker game: the first five holes, par 11. All nine are par 22.
Scoring
- Every putt is a stroke. Holing out in one putt is a hole in one.
- Water costs a stroke. A ball that rolls into the water counts as a stroke plus one penalty stroke, and you putt again from the spot you putted from.
- Six strokes at most. If your ball still isn't in after six strokes (penalty strokes count), it's picked up and the hole scores 7. That keeps a tricky hole from taking all day.
- Lowest total wins. After the last hole, the player with the fewest strokes wins the game. If two or more players share the lowest total, the game is a draw.
The scoreboard above the course shows each player's total, and in yellow their strokes on this hole so far. The player whose turn it is has a yellow ring.
The cup
A ball drops into the cup if it's slow enough. The closer to the middle of the cup it rolls, the faster it can be and still drop. A ball racing over the cup skips across it, losing some speed and bending a little round the rim. So a firm putt straight at the middle is safest, while a ball that only clips the edge has to be dying.
Controls
| Device | How to putt |
|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | Put your finger anywhere on the course, drag back away from where you want the ball to go, and let go |
| Mouse | Click anywhere on the course, drag back, and let go |
| Keyboard | ← → to aim, ↑ ↓ for power, hold Shift for small steps, then Space or Enter to putt |
As you pull back, a coloured band stretches back from the ball, white dots show the way it will roll and the ring round the ball fills up with power. The dots only show the start of the putt: where it bounces and stops is up to you. Let go with almost no pull to cancel a putt. With the keyboard, each stroke starts aimed straight at the cup.
With 2 Players (or 3 or 4), hand the device over when it's the next player's turn. Everything is in the open in mini golf, so there's nothing to hide. On a wide screen the course is turned on its side, so it fills the screen.
Computer levels
The computer sees the same hole you do. It picks its putt by trying putts out on a copy of the hole with the same physics as the game, in every direction and at a range of strengths, and judging how many more strokes each would leave. Then it putts with a hand that isn't perfectly steady. The totals below are averages over all nine holes (par 22).
| Level | How the computer plays |
|---|---|
| Easy | Only looks at putts roughly towards the cup and doesn't plan its way round walls or water. A shaky hand. About 27 strokes. |
| Medium | Tries putts in every direction, banks off walls and judges the distance left round walls and water. It fine-tunes its best three putts and mostly allows for its shaky hand. About 23 strokes. |
| Hard | Tries more putts, fine-tunes more of them and fully allows for its hand slipping, so it prefers putts with room for error. A steadier hand. About 20 strokes. |
| Expert | The most putts tried, the most fine-tuning and the steadiest hand. About 17 strokes, with plenty of holes in one. |
Against the computer with 3 or 4 players, the other seats are all computer players at the level you chose.
Tips to win
- Use the walls. A ball comes off a wall at roughly the angle it went in, a little flatter and slower. When a bumper or a corner is in the way, bank it.
- Pace beats power. A ball that reaches the cup slowly drops in even if it's a little off line. One that charges at it has to be dead centre.
- Don't be greedy near water. On Duck Pond, three safe putts round the pond still make par. A splash costs you two strokes.
- Read the arrows. On a slope, aim uphill of the cup and let the slope bring the ball down to it.
- Give the Keyhole some weight. The gap is uphill. A putt that only just gets there rolls back down to you.
- Soft on the Volcano. Putt just hard enough to reach the top. Watch how far the first player's ball runs, then adjust.
- Count to six. If you're on your fifth stroke, play the safe putt. Being picked up costs 7.
About mini golf
Short putting courses go back a long way. The St Andrews Ladies' Putting Club in Scotland was founded in 1867, and its putting green, known as the Himalayas, is still in use. Courses with obstacles, tunnels and ramps became a craze in the United States around 1930, when thousands of them opened across the country, including courses on rooftops in New York. In Britain it's often called crazy golf, and it's also known as miniature golf.
This game keeps the common rules of a family round: everyone plays the same holes, each putt counts as a stroke, water costs a penalty stroke and the lowest total wins. Real courses set their own stroke limits; here it's six strokes, and the hole then scores 7.
Questions
What is par in mini golf?
Par is the number of strokes a good player is expected to need on a hole. Here, holes 1 to 4 and 7 are par 2 and the rest par 3, so a round of nine holes is par 22. Finishing a hole in fewer strokes is "under par".
Is mini golf the same as crazy golf?
Yes. Crazy golf is the name used in Britain, often for courses with especially wild obstacles. In America it's usually mini golf or miniature golf. The game is the same: putting only, round obstacles, fewest strokes wins.
What happens if my ball goes in the water?
It costs a stroke plus a penalty stroke, and you putt again from where your ball was before. If that takes you to six strokes or more, your ball is picked up and the hole scores 7.
What's the most strokes you can take on one hole?
Seven. After six strokes without holing out, the ball is picked up and the hole scores 7.
Can 3 or 4 people play?
Yes. Choose 3 or 4 players before you start. Everyone takes turns on the same device, Orange, Purple, Green and Blue. Against the computer, you can also choose 3 or 4 players to play against two or three computer golfers.
Can I play mini golf online against the computer?
Yes. Press vs Computer and choose a level, from Easy, which wobbles a lot and doesn't plan bank shots, to Expert, which gets plenty of holes in one.
Is Mini Golf free?
Yes. It's free in your browser, with no download, no sign-up and no ads during a game.
Updated 10 November 2026