How to Play Golf Darts:
Every Version’s Rules Compared

By Geomorpho Studios · Updated October 13, 2026

What is golf darts?

Golf darts is a family of dartboard games that uses golf-style holes and scoring. Players aim to finish a course with the lowest score, but the targets and scoring rules depend on the version.

What golf darts is and how to play golf darts depend on which version you pick. Most versions turn a dartboard into a golf course where each hole is a target and the lowest score wins, but the golf darts rules differ a lot. Some count only your last dart and others add up every dart. Some play on any standard dartboard and others need a special board. Below are six ways to play, with what we like and don’t like about each.

1. What are the Golf Darts World Tour rules?

The rules are described in detail in Golf Darts World Tour rules, but in summary:

Golf Darts World Tour plays on any standard dartboard. Holes 1 to 18 are the course, and wedges 19 and 20 are water.

• Darts per hole: up to three. Stop whenever you like.
• Last dart counts: each dart replaces the score of the one before, even if it’s worse.
• Scoring: like real golf, scores are relative to par. Par is 0, a birdie is −1, a bogey is +1. Negative is good and positive is bad.
• Par-3, Par-4 and Par-5 holes: each hole has a par. Higher-par holes give more chances at a better score. A free course scorecard sets the pars, or the player who starts the hole calls it.
• Hole in one: only the inner double bull counts. It scores −2 on a Par-3, −3 on a Par-4 and −4 on a Par-5. The outer single bull is a bogey.
• Teams: play best ball, where only the team’s lowest score on each hole counts.

The keep-or-risk choice is what makes it fun. Land a birdie on a Par-4 and you can stop there, or throw again for an eagle and risk ending on a bogey.

The optional color-coded boards use the same wire targets as a standard dartboard, so practice on them carries over to any board.

Full rules: How to play Golf Darts World Tour · Watch: World Tour rules video on YouTube · Free scorecards: 17 free scorecards

2. What are the classic pub golf darts rules?

This is the version most people mean by “golf darts”, and the one most pubs and darts sites teach.

• Holes: hole 1 is the 1 wedge, hole 2 is the 2, and so on for 9 or 18 holes.
• Darts per hole: up to three. Only your last dart counts, so you can stop on a good score or throw again to try to improve it.
• Scoring: on the current hole’s numbered wedge, double = 1 stroke (a hole in one), treble = 2 and single = 3. A dart outside that wedge scores 5.
• Pars: every hole is effectively Par-3.
• Winning: the lowest total after 9 or 18 holes wins. Some groups give a stronger player extra strokes to even the game.

House rules vary. Some players count a miss as 4 instead of 5, and some let you throw only as many darts as you choose before the hole starts.

Best for: a quick game with anyone, no setup.

3. What are the Dolf golf darts rules?

Dolf is a dart golf game invented in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in 1999 by Keith and Michael Meyer. It’s run by the World Dolf Federation, which publishes official rules.

• Holes: 20, played in order from 1 to 20. Shorter 9-hole games are also played.
• Darts per hole: three, plus any bonus darts you earn.
• Every dart counts: unlike classic golf darts, your darts add up.
• Scoring: triple −2, double −1, single 0, and +1 for a dart outside the hole’s segment. Par is 0 on every hole.
• Bonus darts: the inner bull scores 0 and earns two extra darts. The outer bull (the 25) scores 0 and gives you the dart back.
• Winning: the lowest total wins. Ties are settled with a bull-throwing playoff.

The official rulebook has a few extra details. For example, once you’re at 0 or better on a hole, a bad dart can’t push you above 0.

Best for: league players who want an organised version with official rules.

4. What are the tee-box golf darts rules?

This version uses a standard dartboard and nine holes. It adds throwing positions on the floor, called tee boxes.

• Tee boxes: each hole has its own spot on the floor to throw from.
• Darts per hole: set by par: 1 dart on a Par-3, 2 on a Par-4, 3 on a Par-5. You throw them all unless you hit the bullseye.
• Scoring: your best dart counts. Your target wedge is a birdie, the wedges next to it are par, the next ones out are a bogey, and anywhere else is a double bogey. Each dart that misses the board adds a stroke.
• Bullseye: ends your turn. A bullseye on the first dart is a hole in one; a later bullseye scores according to the dart number and the hole’s par. The published rules say “bullseye” without specifying the inner or outer bull, so agree on that before playing.

Best for: groups who want to move around and change throwing distance.

5. What are the special-board golf darts rules?

Some golf darts games come with their own board printed as a golf course. Instead of the usual numbers and rings, you aim at random and irregular shapes representing fairways, greens and hazards.

• GOLFDARTS (Vat19): a magnetic board with magnetic darts. On each hole you hit a fairway, then its green, with up to six throws. Sand traps and water hazards cost a penalty stroke, and red “sweet spots” don’t count as a stroke. Nine holes; the lowest total wins.
• Bull’s golf dartboard: a bristle board printed as a nine-hole course with bunkers and water hazards. Instructions come with the board.

Best for: a gift or a family game room.

6. What is outdoor chipping golf darts?

More broadly speaking, golf darts might include backyard games such as GoSports Chip N’ Stick. Players chip sticky golf balls at a giant target on the ground, and the target looks like a dartboard. No actual darts are used.

Best for: backyard parties and golfers practising short chips.

How do the golf darts rules compare?