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Ladder toss vs washer toss

The two throwing games for a yard that cannot hold cornhole. One stands up and catches the wind; the other lies flat and needs a little more length. Both play to 21, and only one of them has a published toss line.

By Sawyer V.Published September 11, 2026Last updated September 11, 2026
A ladder toss frame on a lawn with bolas on a rung

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Best small-yard toss game

Yard Games Ladder Toss (Double Wooden Ladder Ball)

A finished wood frame with real golf-ball bolas and a nylon case — the version that does not rattle apart the way tube-and-plastic ladder sets do.

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When a yard is too small for cornhole's 33-foot court, these are the two throwing games left. They fit different small yards, and the difference is geometry: one target stands up, the other lies down.

The comparison

Side by side

Ladder toss figures from the commonly published rules and Yard Games' published set; washer toss figures are commonly published conventions — the game has no governing body.
Ladder tossWasher toss
Distance15 ft toss line (commonly published)About 20 ft between boxes (convention)
FootprintAbout 20 x 8 ftAbout 26 x 6 ft (derived)
TargetA standing ladder frameA box on the ground
ProjectileBolas — real golf balls on the Yard Games setPlastic-coated steel washers
Scoring3 / 2 / 1 by rung; exactly 213 in the cup, 1 in the box; 21 by convention
Governing bodyNone — commonly published rulesNone
WindPoor — the frame is a sailGood — nothing stands up
Hard surfacesPlays on grass or hardA grass game

Short or narrow. Ladder toss is the shorter game at about 20 feet; washer toss is the narrower one at about 6 feet wide. A small square lawn suits ladder toss. A long, thin side yard suits washer toss — see side yards and narrow strips.

Ladder toss has the better endgame. Exactly 21, with rungs worth 3, 2 and 1, means a player on 20 needs a single bottom-rung wrap while their opponent needs three — and overshooting is punished. Washer toss plays to 21 by convention, and whether overshooting busts you is a house rule.

The case for ladder toss

Where ladder toss wins

  • The smallest yards. A 15-foot line fits almost anywhere, including a patio.
  • Hard surfaces. It plays on concrete and decking; washer toss does not.
  • A published toss line. Everyone plays the same distance.

Full page: ladder toss, and the frame decision in wood vs PVC ladder toss.

The case for washer toss

Where washer toss wins

  • Wind. Nothing stands up to blow over.
  • Narrow spaces. Six feet wide against eight.
  • Storage. The GoSports boxes latch together into one object you carry in one hand.

Full page: washer toss.

The other side

Where to buy the other one

The card at the top of this page covers one side of the comparison. This is our current pick for the other, ranked on published specifications rather than on play we have not done.

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Best overall

GoSports Premium Birch Wood Washer Toss Game

GoSports

Two solid birch targets that arrive fully assembled and latch together into one object to carry, with eight plastic-coated steel washers and a construction-grade PVC cup in each target.

Skip this if

Skip this if you wanted the dimensions on paper. GoSports states the set meets regulation size guidelines but does not publish a box size, a cup diameter or a throwing distance, so you are trusting the claim rather than checking it.

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FAQ

Questions people actually ask

Which needs less space, ladder toss or washer toss?
Ladder toss. Its commonly published toss line is 15 feet, for a footprint of about 20 by 8 feet. Washer toss boxes are commonly about 20 feet apart, for a derived footprint of about 26 by 6 feet. Ladder toss is shorter; washer toss is narrower.
Which is better in wind?
Washer toss, clearly. Its targets are boxes lying on the ground. A ladder toss frame is a tall target with no ground stakes, and a gusty afternoon lays it flat.
Do both games play to 21?
Yes. Ladder toss scores 3, 2 and 1 for the top, middle and bottom rungs and must finish on exactly 21. Washer toss scores 3 in the cup and 1 in the box and is normally played to 21 by convention, since it has no governing body.
Which is safer with children around?
Ladder toss, with rubber bolas. Washer toss throws small steel washers — GoSports publishes plastic-coated steel — which are hard and skip on landing. Golf-ball bolas are no toy either; for young children, a rubber-bola set is the safer choice.

Why you can check our work

We have not played these. Every figure above is copied from a manufacturer's published listing or a governing body's published rules, and named so you can verify it. Where a maker publishes nothing, the field is blank rather than filled in. How we pick explains the whole method, including what would change a recommendation.

Read next

Related pages

Two products laid side by side for comparison

Picks

Compare yard games

Twenty-one head-to-heads with the verdict first and the published specs behind it.

A wooden ladder toss frame set up on grass

Picks

Ladder toss

Roughly 20 by 8 feet, a 15-foot toss line and exactly 21 to win — the game for yards cornhole cannot fit.

A wooden target box on a lawn set up for a throwing game

Picks

Washer toss

Cornhole's geometry in about a third of the space — and the one game here with no governing body at all.

A wooden ladder toss frame beside a lawn game setup

Comparison

Cornhole vs ladder toss

33 feet and 38 pounds versus 20 feet and a nylon bag — the first-yard-game decision.

A bean bag board and a wooden target box side by side on a lawn

Comparison

Cornhole vs washer toss

The same 3-and-1 scoring to 21 — one with an ACL rulebook, one with regional conventions.

Sources

Every figure on this page is copied from one of these sources. If you find one that is wrong or out of date, tell us and we will fix it.