The short answer
Quick picks
Ranked on published specs, not on play we have not done. Tap any row to jump to the full write-up further down this page.
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No photo 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. | Best overall | 7.8/10 | |
| 2 | No photo GoSports Classic Ladder Toss Game Set Two PVC-framed targets with built-in score trackers, six rubber bolos and a backpack-style case, with setup published at under two minutes. | Best PVC set | 6.8/10 |
Ladder toss is the game we recommend most often and the one where cheap and good look most similar in a photograph. Two ladders, three rungs each, six bolas. The difference between a set worth keeping and a set that annoys you is entirely in the frame and the bolas, and one of those is easy to check.
The mechanism
Why frame rigidity is the whole argument
Scoring runs 3 points for the top rung, 2 for the middle, 1 for the bottom. The top rung is the target and it is also the one furthest from the ground, which means it moves most when the frame flexes.
A flexed PVC ladder drops its top rung out of plane. You aim at a rung that is no longer where it was when you learned the throw, and the set feels inconsistent in a way that is hard to diagnose. A rigid frame removes the variable entirely.
That is the case for wood. The case for PVC is weight, price and a set that folds into a backpack — and for a lot of households that is the right trade.
| Element | Wood frame set | PVC frame set |
|---|---|---|
| Frame material | Finished wood | PVC tubing |
| Published wall thickness | Not applicable | Not published — 'thicker than economy' |
| Bolas | Real golf balls | 6 rubber |
| Score trackers | See product spec | Built into both targets |
| Carry | See product spec | Backpack style case |
| Published assembly time | Not published | Under 2 minutes |
| Published set weight | Not published | Not published |
| Toss line (commonly published) | 15 ft | 15 ft |
| Footprint | About 20 x 8 ft | About 20 x 8 ft |
Neither maker publishes a set weight, which is the number that would settle the wind question outright. And the PVC claim — “50% thicker than the leading economy set” — is relative to an unnamed competitor with no absolute figure behind it. We have quoted it as the claim it is rather than converting it into a millimeter figure.
Decision
Who should buy which
- A set that lives in the yard all summer: wood. Rigidity, golf-ball bolas, and enough mass that a breeze does not lay it flat.
- A set for camping, a car trunk or a beach: PVC. Published under two minutes to set up, a backpack case, and nothing you will mind scuffing. See yard games for camping.
- A set for a patio or garage with children: PVC with rubber bolas. Golf balls on hard standing bounce hard and unpredictably.
- An exposed, windy yard: neither, honestly. A ladder frame is the worst wind profile on this site — coastal and windy yards has the ground games that do not care.
Ownership
The wood question beyond ladder toss
A wood ladder toss set has the same ownership profile as every other untreated wood game here: it absorbs water, it grays in sun, and it splits if it lives outdoors for a season. That is a real cost against the rigidity benefit, and it is the same trade-off as Molkky, kubb and a wooden washer toss set.
The general version of this argument — with the finishes that actually help — is in wood vs plastic yard games and winterizing yard games. The game itself, and the full rules, are on ladder toss and ladder toss rules.
The picks in full
Every pick, with its published specs
Best overall
Yard Games Ladder Toss (Double Wooden Ladder Ball)
Yard Games
Our spec score
7.8/10
- Spec completeness
- 6/10
- Footprint clarity
- 8/10
- Durability
- 8/10
- Pack-down
- 8/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
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.
Skip this if
Skip this if you need the set to stand up in wind. A wooden ladder frame has a big sail area and no ground stakes.
What works
- Golf-ball bolas have real mass, so they wrap a rung instead of bouncing off
- Wood frame stays rigid where PVC flexes and drops the top rung
- About 160 sq ft of lawn — one of the smallest footprints on the site
What does not
- No published weight or packed dimensions
- Wooden ladders blow over in a breeze
Published specifications
- Footprint
- About 20 ft x 8 ft (about 160 sq ft)
- Toss distance
- 15 ft
- Scoring
- 3 top rung, 2 middle, 1 bottom; first to exactly 21
- Bolas
- 6, real golf balls
- Frame
- Finished wood
- Case
- Durable nylon carrying case
- Players
- 2 or 4
- Set weight
- —
Source: Derived from the commonly published 15 ft toss line plus a ladder and standing room at each end
Source: Commonly published ladder toss rules
Source: Commonly published ladder toss rules
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Yard Games product listing
Source: Commonly published ladder toss rules
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: Yard Games product listing
Best PVC set
GoSports Classic Ladder Toss Game Set
GoSports
Our spec score
6.8/10
- Spec completeness
- 4/10
- Footprint clarity
- 3/10
- Durability
- 5/10
- Pack-down
- 10/10
Scored on published specifications only. We have not played this set.
Two PVC-framed targets with built-in score trackers, six rubber bolos and a backpack-style case, with setup published at under two minutes.
Skip this if
Skip this if wind is your problem. A PVC ladder is the lightest frame in the category and GoSports publishes no weight for it, which is exactly the combination that ends up flat on the lawn on a gusty afternoon.
What works
- Built-in score trackers on the targets, which removes the single most common ladder toss argument
- Backpack-style case rather than a holdall — this is the most carryable game on the site after disc golf
- Rubber bolos are the right call for hard surfaces and for children
- Under two minutes to set up, published, and it folds down as fast
What does not
- '50% thicker than the leading economy set' is a relative claim with no absolute wall thickness behind it
- No published weight, and weight is what decides whether a ladder stays upright in wind
- Rubber bolos do not wrap a rung the way golf-ball bolos do, so the game is easier and less satisfying
Published specifications
- Targets
- 2, with built-in score trackers
- Frame
- PVC tubing, stated 50% thicker than the leading economy set
- Bolos
- 6 rubber
- Carry
- Backpack style carrying case
- Assembly
- Stated under 2 minutes
- PVC wall thickness
- —
- Target dimensions
- —
- Set weight
- —
- Toss distance
- —
- Bolo weight
- —
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Source: GoSports product listing
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Not published by the manufacturer.
Manufacturer listing: GoSports product listing
FAQ
Questions people actually ask
Is wood or PVC better for ladder toss?
Why does my ladder toss frame fall over?
Do golf-ball bolas matter?
How much space does ladder toss need?
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
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.
Guide
Ladder toss rules
Rung values, the 15-foot line and the exactly-21 finish — with the common house variants.
Guide
Wood vs plastic yard games
Pine, hardwood, resin, MDF and plywood — what each published material does over a season.
Picks
Toss & target games
Cornhole, Kan Jam, ladder toss and horseshoes — long narrow courts that fit a strip of yard.
Picks
Best yard games for small yards
Five games that fit under 30 feet of clear run, with published footprints for each.
Comparison
Cornhole vs ladder toss
33 feet and 38 pounds versus 20 feet and a nylon bag — the first-yard-game decision.
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.