In the game of beersbee, when a player hits the bottle directly with the Frisbee, some rules give an extra point for knocking off the bottle directly instead of hitting the pole, though that’s not the most common way to play.
Sunday, May 24, 2015 | 2 a.m.
If you’re looking to bring some friendly competition to your summer cookout, toss games are an easy way to do it. Beer pong and cornhole have gained popularity in recent years as a way to add enjoyment to backyard gatherings and pregame tailgates. But they aren’t the only toss games gaining traction. Here are three more relatively inexpensive ways to keep people engaged at a party.
BEERSBEE
Also called frisnock, frisbeener
4 players, all ages or 21+ (if drinking)
Get set up
Buy it: A Frisbee, which can cost as little as $5, is the easy part. Poles can be trickier. Several online sites sell beersbee poles for about $30, but many of them stick directly into the ground. That’s not ideal in the desert, so building your own structure is the best option.
DIY it: It’s relatively simple. Buy two plastic buckets, a bag of sand, two 5-foot sections of PVC pipe and two PVC couplings at a hardware store. Cut a hole through the tops of the buckets and slide the pipe through them. Fill the buckets with sand to stabilize the poles. Add couplings to the top of the pipe, so the bottles have a place to sit. Any bottle will work, but those that don’t dent or shatter easily are best.
How to play
Originally conceived as a drinking game, the goal is to knock a bottle off a pole with a Frisbee. A match requires four players (two teams of two) and two poles stationed at least 20 feet from each other. Players alternate throwing the Frisbee at the other team’s pole to try to knock off their bottle. The defensive team must catch the Frisbee with one hand — the classic version forces each player to hold a beverage in their off hand — and stay behind the poles until the Frisbee passes or makes contact.
Scoring: One point is awarded to the throwing team whenever the bottle or Frisbee hits the ground. If both fall on a single turn, the team gets a bonus point, for a total of three points. If the defensive team fails to catch the frisbee, it’s a one-point penalty, and crossing the pole line is a three-point forfeiture. Games are played to 11 points, though matches often are played in a best-of-five or best-of-seven competition.
Uncatchable: A Frisbee throw that is below the shins, far above the head or more than a step to the outside. No point is awarded for the Frisbee hitting the ground if it’s not an accurate throw.
Medal game: A game that’s played to 15 points instead of 11, often the championship match of an all-day competition.
Learn more: Visit poleish.com.
WASHER TOSS
Also called Texas horseshoes, wash pitching, washoes
2-4 players, all ages
Get set up
The necessities: Washer discs typically are an eighth of an inch thick and 2 1/2 inches wide with a 1-inch hole. They range in price from $5 to $20. Washer boards or boxes can differ in shape, size and number of holes. Some have recessed holes, others have raised holes; some have one hole, some have three holes. Washer boards with one or three holes range from $50 to $150.
The extra stuff: If you want to splurge, bombatwashers.com also sells accessories: a pickup magnet for $13.50, a score tower for $29.95 and a beverage tower for $39.95. The company also sells customized washers, such as themed for the college football program you follow.
How to play
Earn points for tossing a metal washer about 20 feet toward a 4-inch hole on a washer board. Games are played to exactly 21 points. A washer in the cup is five points. The washer closest to the outside of the cup is one point.
If you score 11 points before your opponent scores, you win by a “skunk.”
If you score 17 points before your opponent has two points, you win by “whitewash.”
The lingo
Diddle: When determining throwing order, each player takes one pitch toward the cup. Whoever is closest pitches first.
Hammer: When a player lands a washer in the cup on top of his opponent’s washer.
Bust: Scoring higher than 21 points. If a player busts, his points drop to 11 or 15, depending on the variation of washer played.
Full term: When a player scores at least two points, meaning he can’t be skunked or whitewashed.
Cupper: When a washer lands inside the cup.
Learn more: Visit washers.org.
LADDER GOLF
Also called ladder toss, lasso golf, Läderbölen
2-4 players, all ages
Get set up
But it: Official ladder golf sets sell for $70 and up and have ladders made of wood, but sets made from PVC pipe are common. PVC sets typically include two ladders and six bolas and can be found in stores for $40 to $50.
DIY it: For the ladders, buy 18 feet of 3/4-inch PVC pipe, six 3/4-inch T joints and two 3/4-inch elbow joints, and for the bola, buy 12 feet of 3/8-inch nylon rope to cut and thread through drilled golf balls.
The most common rules have players take turns throwing a bola, which is two golf balls attached to a rope about a foot long, at a ladder with three rungs that’s placed 15 to 20 feet away. Each team gets three bolas, and the object is to toss them underhanded so they connect and wrap around one of the ladder’s rungs. The bottom rung is worth one point, the middle worth two and the top worth three. The bola can bounce off the ground as long as it ends up on a rung.
Scoring: Each round is scored by subtracting the smaller point total from the larger one. Games are played to exactly 21 points, so if a turn results in a player or team going over the limit, no points are awarded. Good defensive players can knock an opponent’s bola off the rung.
Switch it up: Variations of the game have a player throw all three bolas in a row before the opponent’s turn, and some people award bonus points for landing all three bolas on the same rung, landing a bola on each of the three rungs or wrapping the entire length of a bola around a rung.
The lingo
Zelda: A game that ends 21-0 and earns you automatic bragging rights for the rest of the day.
Toss line: The established distance you have to stay behind when throwing. It’s usually 15 feet for standard games and 20 feet for experienced players, but five paces is perfectly acceptable for a casual backyard game.
Hat trick: Landing all three bolas on the same rung without any opponent bolas on the rung.
Learn more:Visit laddergolf.com.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy