Like golf? Like darts? Well, then today is your lucky day!

There are several sports and games that have a darts counterpart. Baseball, football, and tic-tac-toe to name a few. These are some of the best games to play because they bring in additional elements from their original form, that often make the game more than than just trying to get a high score.

One of the most under-rated of these types of games is golf darts. Most people have seen the special golf dartboard and think they need it to play. Well, we are going to skip that today and I am going to teach you how to play golf on a standard dartboard.

To play golf darts you want to finish the 9 or 18 rounds while scoring as low as possible. Each player will take turns throwing at the designated number and the number of strokes is determined by where the dart lands.

Let’s take a closer look.

Golf Darts Rules

Golf darts can be played with any number of players, and it can be played with 9 or 18 rounds. The 18 round version does take twice as long so consider that if you are playing with a large group.

Each round will focus on a different number on the board. In the first round, the players will be throwing at the one’s section, in the second round the two’s then, 3, 4, 5, and so on. 

Each player gets three darts per round. A player can decide to stop throwing after any of their three darts, but the last dart that hit the board is the only one that counts towards their score.

  • A dart that misses the target for that round is worth 5 strokes.
  • The larger singles section between the double and triple is worth 4 strokes.
  • The smaller singles section between the triple and the bullseye is worth 4 strokes.
  • The triple is worth 3 strokes.
  • The double is a hole in one.

Once a player decides their turn is over, or they have thrown all three of their darts, it is the next players turn to try the same. Once all players have completed the round, you move on to the next hole (number) and start again.

Remember this is golf, so at the end of all rounds, the player with the lowest score is the winner.

Scoring Golf Darts

Scoring for golf darts is as simple as it would seem. Start by writing the player names across the top of the board. Then write the numbers 1 to 9 or 1 to 18 down a column on the left-hand side.

Once gameplay has started, just mark the player’s score under their name beside the corresponding round. Once all rounds are completed, the total score for each player is summed up and the player with the lowest score wins.

If you like you can make 2 columns under each player’s names. In the first column, you can mark their score for that round and in the second column, you can keep a running total of their score for all rounds that have been played. This allows you to know who is winning at any given time.

Golf Dart Tips & Strategies

  • Play on your strengths. Remember, missing the double could net you 5 points. Sometimes it is better to aim for what you know you will hit.
  • Take bigger risks with earlier darts. If you miss the first 2 darts, you get a chance to redeem yourself. You can you the first and second to go for the lower scoring areas.
  • Watch other Scores. If you are far enough ahead, you can stop taking risky shots. If you are far behind, its time to start going for the hole in one.

Golf Darts Variations

No variations to play, that I know of. You can start a better player with a starting score if the player skill level is unbalanced.