The Short Version

The best backyard golf games need almost no gear: a chipping target, some practice balls, and a putting surface cover all seven games below. Start with chipping HORSE, which is free if you own wedges and towels, or a putting duel, and save the backyard nine for a weekend afternoon. The reason they're worth playing isn't a training theory, it's simpler than that: a scoreboard keeps you doing reps you'd otherwise quit after twenty.

House rules vs official rules: most of the games below are GolfLaunchLab house rules, invented to be played in a normal yard, and they're labeled that way. Where a product ships with its own published rules, we describe the manufacturer's version and link to the official page rather than making one up. Prices and stock were checked in July 2026 and change often. This is a research-and-analysis guide; we have not lab-tested any product here.

#1: Putting Duels (BattlePutt)

What it actually is: the GoSports BattlePutt ($169.99†) is one 11-foot putting green, not two mats, and it ships with two putters, two golf balls, and 12 cup caps. GoSports describes it as supporting two to four players in a two-on-two team format.

How the official game works: per GoSports, players putt at the opposing team's cups, and when a putt is made a cap goes over that cup to show it's been scored. Teams alternate turns until one team has made all of its putts. It's pong-inspired, so the win condition is clearing the other side's cups, not racing to a point total. GoSports includes its standard rules plus optional party rules in the box. If you've read elsewhere that it's two mats sharing one hole, or that both players fire simultaneously and the first ball in wins, that's wrong, and it was wrong on this page until we checked the official listing.

The free version: two putters, two balls, and any cup-sized target on a putting mat. Alternate putts, first to clear an agreed number wins. That one's ours, not GoSports'.

Why it's worth playing: putting with someone watching is different from putting alone. Whether that transfers to a competitive round is not something I can prove to you, but the reps happen, and reps you actually do beat reps you plan.

#2: Chipping HORSE

The game (house rules): exactly like basketball HORSE. Player one calls a shot, something like "off the deck, over the chair, land it in the net," and if they pull it off, everyone else has to match it or take a letter. Five letters and you're out.

The gear: a chipping net as the primary target. The $44.99† Callaway Chip-Shot Net folds flat and is plenty. Add foam practice balls if there are windows anywhere in the flight path.

Why it's worth playing: calling a shot before you hit it forces you to commit to a trajectory and a landing spot instead of making the same comfortable chip forty times. That's a reasonable argument for the format, not a measured result.

#3: The Ladder (Closest to the Pin)

The game (house rules): set three targets at different distances, say towels, baskets, or buckets at 10, 20, and 30 feet. Each round, everyone hits one ball at each target. Closest to each target scores a point; landing on a towel or in a basket scores three. First to fifteen wins.

Why it's worth playing: three targets at three distances means you can't groove one swing length. You have to change carry distance on every shot, which is the part of wedge play that's hardest to practice on a driving range where every shot goes to the same 150-yard sign.

Make it harder: assign each target a required trajectory. Low runner to the near towel, standard to the middle, high and soft to the far one.

#4: The Backyard Nine

The game (house rules): design a nine-hole course around your yard with foam balls. The flower bed is a water hazard, the swing set is out of bounds, hole four doglegs around the shed. Each hole is a start point and a target, whether that's a bucket, a towel, or a tree base. Par is whatever you say it is, scorecards are mandatory, and disputes go to whoever owns the yard.

The gear: foam practice balls are non-negotiable here, because real balls and fences disagree. Anything else that can be a target.

Why it's worth playing: deciding where the trouble is and how to route around it is course-management thinking in miniature. It's also the game most likely to get a nine-year-old to spend two hours with a wedge, which is the actual point.

#5: Chip-the-Target

The game (house rules): pick any chipping target, set a scoring value for landing in it, and play cancel-scoring like cornhole. If both players hit the target in the same round, the points cancel and nobody scores. Play to twenty-one. This is our invented format, not a manufacturer's game.

What to chip at: the GoSports Chipster ($28.29†) is a compact pop-up chipping net with a pyramid design and a side net that catches most errant shots. It is a training target rather than a scoring board, so you create the point system for the game. A standard chipping net works just as well for this format.

Why it's worth playing: cancel-scoring means a good chip can erase your opponent's good chip, so there's a consequence attached to every shot. It's also the format non-golfers pick up fastest, since the whole game is "get it in the thing."

#6: Night Golf

The game (house rules): any of the games above, after dark. Glow-in-the-dark foam balls and a couple of string lights or lanterns around the targets turn the same yard into a different course. Keep it to chipping and putting distances, because full swings and darkness are a bad combination.

Why it's worth playing: because it's fun, and fun is what makes you do it again on Thursday. I'm not going to dress that up as a training effect. You'll see claims that low light sharpens feel or improves contact; I haven't found evidence for that and I'm not repeating it.

Safety note: know where every person and window is before anyone swings, and use foam or limited-flight balls only.

#7: Putting Skins

The game (house rules): the classic gambling format shrunk to a backyard green or a long mat. Each hole is a putt from a spot the winner of the last skin chooses. Make it while everyone else misses and you win the skin. Ties carry over, which is where the drama lives. Play for quarters, chores, or the last slice of pizza.

Why it's worth playing: carryover is the mechanic that makes it work. A four-footer worth five carried skins feels different from a four-footer worth nothing, and that's about as close as a backyard gets to manufacturing pressure.

One note on all seven: they're better on a real surface. A backyard putting green upgrades skins and duels from novelty to genuine practice, and a proper chipping net turns HORSE and the ladder into something you'll do on a random Tuesday. Build the arena once and the games take care of the reps.

Sources

About this guide: every game format labeled "house rules" is our own invention, offered as a suggestion rather than as an official format. Product descriptions come from the manufacturers' official pages linked above. GolfLaunchLab has not lab-tested any product here and makes no claim that these games measurably lower scores. Two product photos in our catalog were found to show the wrong products and have been pulled rather than replaced with anything generated. Prices were checked in July 2026 and can change. Amazon links are affiliate links and earn a small commission at no cost to you.

FAQ

It depends who's playing. For two, a putting duel is the most replayable, and the GoSports BattlePutt packages that as one 11-foot green with two putters, two balls, and 12 cup caps for two to four players. For a group of mixed skill, a chipping target game wins because non-golfers can compete immediately. For solo practice disguised as a game, the closest-to-the-pin ladder with three targets is the one that makes you change distance on every shot.
GoSports describes it as pong-inspired: teams putt at the opposing side's cups on a single 11-foot green, a cap goes over each cup as it's made, and teams alternate turns until one side has made all of its putts. The set includes standard rules plus optional party rules. It is one mat, not two, and it supports two to four players in a two-on-two format.
Not an official one. GoSports describes the Chipster as a compact pop-up chipping net with a pyramid design and a side net to catch errant shots, aimed at training aim on both lob shots and chip-and-runs. It publishes no rings, point values, or game rules, so any scoring you play with it is a house rule you've made up. That's fine, it just isn't the manufacturer's game.
Chipping HORSE, the ladder, a chip-the-target game, and putting skins all work in a yard about the size of a parking space, since they're chipping and putting games. Use foam practice balls anywhere near windows or neighbors. The backyard nine needs the most room, though it still works in a small yard if every hole is a chip rather than a pitch.
A chipping target, practice balls, and a putting surface cover all seven. A folding chipping net runs a few tens of dollars, foam practice balls are cheaper still, and a putting mat or built green is the biggest single line item. Towels and buckets substitute for most targets, so chipping HORSE and the ladder cost nothing if you already own wedges.
For putting games, yes, always. For chipping games, only with a proper net and real clearance from windows, cars, and people; foam or limited-flight balls are the right call for anything airborne in a normal yard. The backyard nine should be foam-only, because it deliberately routes shots around the whole property.

Keep Reading

Backyard Golf Ideas9 setups worth building
Backyard Putting GreenThe home course for these games
Best Chipping NetsThe target for half these games
Best Practice Golf BallsFoam and limited-flight for tight yards
Best Putting MatsThe indoor arena
Putting Tips That StickWin the games, keep the strokes