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2 October 2026 · 9 min read

Minigolf rules: strokes per lane, number of lanes, scoring and how it differs from golf

After six strokes without a hole you write down seven: the world federation's rules on strokes, 18 lanes and scoring, the length of a round and the difference from golf.

Minigolf rules: strokes per lane, number of lanes, scoring and how it differs from golf — post image

In minigolf every stroke counts one point, and if the ball is not in the hole after six strokes you write down seven. There is no more than seven points on a lane. A round has 18 lanes, and the winner is whoever has the fewest points at the end. In the venues I read it takes 60 to 90 minutes. The numbers come from the rulebook of the world federation (WMF, Rule 9.1) and from venues whose pages I read on 2 October 2026.

How many strokes do you get per lane?

The world federation WMF writes in its worldwide sport rules: each stroke counts as a point. If the ball is not in the hole after six strokes, one point is added, and the highest score on a lane is seven. Anyone who stops playing a lane before the ball is in the hole also writes down seven (WMF 2.3, Rule 9.1). FantasyGolf in Winterthur gives the same rule: after six unsuccessful tries a seven is noted.

What happens at the lanePoints
The ball is in the hole with the first stroke1
The ball is in the hole with the fourth stroke4
The ball is in the hole with the sixth stroke6
The ball is not in the hole after the sixth stroke7
You stop the lane before the ball is in the hole7

Worked out for a whole round: with 18 lanes, 18 points is the lowest possible value, one stroke per lane, and 126 the highest (18 times 7). On courses of the Miniaturegolf system the record according to the WMF is 18 strokes (WMF, Key Facts).

How many lanes does a minigolf round have?

According to the WMF a tournament course has 18 lanes that are clearly marked and numbered. Two indoor venues from the post Indoor minigolf in Switzerland show the same: FantasyGolf has the lanes played in the order 1 to 18, and Galaxy Golf in Rümlang has 18 lanes in five rooms. The WMF names the aim at each lane in its first rule: to get the ball from the teeing-off area into the target in as few strokes as possible.

The Swiss federation SwissMinigolf lists in its rulebook a sports regulation 2025, the international sport rules of the WMF (2.3) and the standards for four lane systems: concrete, miniature, felt and MOS (WMF 2.4, 2.5, 2.6 and 2.12).

How is it scored, and who wins?

In stroke play the winner is whoever has the lowest total score. In match play the winner is whoever wins the most lanes, and a lane is won by whoever has the fewest points on it within the group (WMF 2.3, Rule 9.2). If there is a tie for the first three places there is a sudden-death play-off that as a rule begins at lane 1 and goes on until there is a difference (Rule 9.3). In tournaments you do not write down your own points: a playing partner in the group, the lane referee or a score-keeper does it (Rule 10.3). For a family game it is enough to use what FantasyGolf writes: the player with the lowest total score has won. How match play works in golf is in Match play rules explained.

The routine at the lane: tee-off, placing, order

Every lane begins in the teeing-off area. The ball is moved only with the putter and played only from rest, and before the stroke you address the ball with the putter held in both hands (WMF 2.3, Rules 8.1, 8.3 and 8.8). You finish the lane with the ball with which you began it (Rule 7.1). At FantasyGolf only one ball per player is allowed at a lane. What else applies at FantasyGolf:

SituationRule at FantasyGolf in Winterthur
The ball has not overcome the obstaclenew stroke from the tee-off area
The ball stays at an obstacle or at the boundaryplace or play it at most 20 cm away from it
The ball leaves the lane after overcoming the obstacleplace it without an extra point where it left the lane, at most 20 cm from the boundary
Several ballsonly one ball per player and lane

The distances are not the same everywhere. At FantasyGolf it is at most 20 cm from the obstacle. For adventure golf the WMF allows up to 30 cm from the obstacle and up to 20 cm from the boundary. So ask for the venue's rules before you start.

Adventure golf: what the WMF sets for obstacle lanes

For lanes with obstacles the WMF has a chapter of its own, 2.7 Adventuregolf. It sets dimensions and placing rules:

TopicWMF provision in 2.7
Lane dimensionslength 3 to 40 m, width at least 1 m
Holediameter 10 to 12 cm, if the target is a hole
Tee-off areaa marked area on every lane
Coursefor international purposes only courses with 18 lanes
Ball near the boundaryplace it only with the hand or the putter, up to 20 cm from the boundary
Ball near an obstacleplace it only with the hand, up to 30 cm from it
Ball leaves the laneno penalty strokes
Hazard such as water, gravel or sandtwo options: play out of the hazard or play the next stroke from the position of the previous stroke

Where the general rules do not fit, a written course rule applies. According to the WMF it is the definite guideline for players and referees on that lane. Which venues exist in Switzerland, with prices and hours, is in the post Indoor minigolf in Switzerland.

How long does minigolf take?

Galaxy Golf gives about 90 minutes for the 18 lanes, depending on how many players are in a round. That is roughly 5 minutes per lane. Rollers gives 60 to 90 minutes for a game. In tournaments the first player of a group has 70 seconds for the first stroke at a lane, and every further stroke must be played within 60 seconds (WMF 2.3, Rule 11.3). How long a round of golf takes is in Pace of play and the length of a round of golf.

What is the difference between golf and minigolf?

The table sets the R&A's rules for golf (Rules of Golf, 2023 edition) next to the WMF's rules for minigolf:

GolfMinigolf
Clubsno more than 14the putter, minigolf and golf putters are allowed, other golf clubs only if the rules of the system allow it
Round18 or fewer holes18 lanes
Holediameter 108 mmin adventure golf 10 to 12 cm
Scoringall strokes and penalty strokes count, whoever needs the fewest in total winseach stroke one point, after six strokes at most 7 points
Penalty strokescount towards the totalin adventure golf none when the ball leaves the lane

So the hole is about the same size: 108 mm is 10.8 cm. For the ball the WMF allows minigolf and golf balls with a diameter of 37 to 43 mm and under 120 grams, and for the putter a face of at most 40 square centimetres (WMF 2.3, Rules 3 and 4). If you want to move from minigolf to golf you find the basics in Golf rules for beginners, the words in Golf terms explained and the penalties in Penalty strokes in golf.

What this means for you

  • Say before the start that seven points are written down after six strokes, so that everyone plays by the same rule.
  • Ask for the venue's rules: the distance for placing is 20 cm at FantasyGolf and, in WMF adventure golf, up to 30 cm from the obstacle.
  • Finish the lane with the ball with which you began it, as the WMF requires.
  • Allow up to 90 minutes for 18 lanes.
  • In the family a playing partner can write down the points, as the WMF requires in tournaments.

Further in the directory

The comparison of minigolf and the simulator, with prices and rules for children, is in Indoor minigolf or golf simulator, and how early children start golf in Golf for children in Switzerland. If you want to try golf with a club, start with the page golf simulator for beginners. The map shows all venues by canton.

Frequently asked questions

How many strokes do you get per lane in minigolf?

By the WMF rules each stroke counts one point. If the ball is not in the hole after 6 strokes, one point is added, so the maximum per lane is 7. Anyone who stops the lane earlier also writes down 7 (WMF 2.3, Rule 9.1).

How many lanes does a minigolf course have?

According to the WMF a tournament course has 18 numbered lanes. Galaxy Golf in Rümlang also has 18 lanes, and FantasyGolf in Winterthur has the lanes played in the order 1 to 18. Adventure golf courses also need 18 lanes for international purposes.

How long does a round of minigolf take?

Galaxy Golf gives about 90 minutes for 18 lanes, depending on the number of players. Rollers gives 60 to 90 minutes. In tournaments the first player of a group has 70 seconds for the first stroke at a lane, every further stroke 60 seconds.

What is the difference between golf and minigolf?

In golf you play with no more than 14 clubs, in minigolf with the putter. A round of golf has 18 or fewer holes, a minigolf course 18 lanes. In golf all strokes and penalty strokes count, in minigolf after 6 strokes at most 7 points per lane.

Are there penalty points when the ball leaves the lane?

Not in adventure golf: in 2.7 the WMF says penalty strokes are never used when the ball leaves the lane. FantasyGolf places it without an extra point where it left the lane, at most 20 cm from the boundary.

Sources