HAZARDS

PUTTLE hazards

PUTTLE hazards are the obstacles on each daily 3D mini-golf course. The island's edge is the scoring trap. Everything else changes how the ball rolls, flies, or waits. Play at https://puttle.golf.

Hole shapes: PUTTLE maps. Which world you are in: PUTTLE worlds. Stroke rules: PUTTLE scoring.

What costs a stroke

• The edge — every hole floats in the sky. Roll off and it is +1, then you play again from where you putted. Some rails are open on purpose: the outside of a fast lane, the downstream side of a creek, the downwind side of a wind gap.
• Creeks — a shallow ford whose current drags the ball toward an open lip. Too soft and you are swept over the waterfall (+1). Some holes stack two, flowing opposite ways.
• Vortexes — a whirlpool, sinkhole, ice vortex, or black hole in a wide stretch. It pulls toward its eye and curls the ball round. Before daily #121 the eye sits to one side and swallows a slow ball (+1): skim past with pace or go wide. From daily #121 the eye sits on the natural line and swallows any ball that rolls over it, at any pace: take a lane either side, with enough pace that the pull can't reel you in.
• Brinks — from daily #121, some corners have a gap in the outer rail over a drop, marked by hazard bollards and a striped edge. A paced ball curls round on the banking past the gap; a firm putt straight at it sails off (+1). The outside of a banked hairpin just past its apex, the mouth of a glass spiral, and the crest of a moon bridge are open the same way.
• Drawbridges — from daily #121, a castle gatehouse stands over a moat, and the drawbridge is the only way across. It lowers and lifts on the hole's clock. Cross while it is down; a ball still on the deck when it lifts goes in the moat (+1). Lamps on the towers show green while it is down, flash amber just before it lifts, and show red while it is up.

What changes the roll

• Rails — the ball banks off them. Many cups sit around a bend, so the rail is often the line.
• Bank boards — from daily #121, some corners have a sprung board across the outside of the bend, with a target on its face and the carom line painted on the turf. Roll into the target and it banks the ball down the next leg. Give it pace: a soft putt dies in the narrow stretch just after it.
• Sand slows the ball. Ice makes it glide. Boost pads speed it up.
• Hills, moguls, and ramps — the ball climbs, slows, and curls on the slope.
• Terraces — from daily #121, most holes after the opener climb or drop a step or two, with faint stripes across each ramp. A climb asks for more pace, a drop for less.
• Sidehills — from daily #120, some straight lanes lean to one side; painted chevrons point down the slope. A rolling ball breaks toward the low rail, so aim up the hill.
• Bumpers — pinball posts that kick the ball away with extra energy.
• Pegs, chicanes, keyholes, and bunkers — dressing on the other legs of a hole, so there is always something to play around. From daily #121 a keyhole is a flat wall with one narrow opening: line it up straight, because a glancing ball dies on the wall.
• Turntables — a flush spinning disc that curves the ball with its surface. A stopped ball gets flung off; nothing orbits forever.
• Forks — a divider splits the fairway: a narrow fast lane with an open edge, or a wide safe lane with sand.
• Springboards — a low wall with a pad before it. Roll over the pad going forward and it hops the ball over the wall, or thread the gap by the rail.
• Conveyor belts — from daily #121, a stretch of moving belt that switches direction on a rhythm. Green arrows mean it runs with you; red arrows mean it runs against you, so putt firm or wait for green. Some belts climb a terrace, like a ski slope's magic carpet. A ball never stops on a belt; it rides it off one end.

Launchers

• Jumps and spirals — too soft and you roll back; too hot and the cup will not take it. From daily #121 a spiral's mouth is open on the outside, so a hot ball can sail off the lip.
• Loops — a loop only asks you to reach its launch strip: the glowing chevrons straighten the ball and fire it round (from daily #125, Saturday 3 October 2026; earlier dailies have no strip, and there a loop wants a near-full-power putt).
• Pick a pipe — a wall of three doors. Each drops into a glass pipe that pours onto the green below: bronze to the far rim, silver beside the cup, and the narrow gold door straight into the cup.
• Sky Cannon — sink the ball in the hopper and it is fired across the sky to an island green. The barrel swivels on the hole's clock, so time the putt.
• Warp portals — a ring on the inside of a bend that opens now and then. Thread it while it is open and you come out ahead.
• Gold rings (the Gamble) — from daily #134, many finales carry a shortcut marked by a gold ring, barely wider than the ball and always open — about one in three from daily #138, where it comes after the hole's last toy. Where it hangs in a brink's gap, a putt through its middle lands on the green and one either side is off the island (+1). Where it stands on the inside of a bend, a miss just goes the long way round.

Cup settings

From daily #120, greens after the opener can guard the cup with a setting, so the last putt is a puzzle of its own. From daily #121 a setting is an event: about one course in three has one, and never behind a toy you have to time.

• 🏰 Castle cup — a low wall rings the cup with one doorway, turned away from where you come in. Curl round to the door, or bank in off the green's rim.
• 🚏 Picket cup — a row of posts across the front of the cup, with gaps a little wider than the ball. Thread one, or curl round the end.
• 👑 Bumper crown — three bumpers round the cup. They kick like pinball bumpers: come in soft, or ride a kick home.
• 🛡️ Screen wall — from daily #121, one short, low wall across the line in, just short of the cup. There is no straight putt: bank it in off the back rim, or lay up beside the cup and putt in from the side.

Things the hole remembers

From daily #141 (Monday 19 October 2026), and in practice now, some holes change while you play them and stay changed until you hole out:

• 🔘 Switch gates — a wall across the lane with a narrow slot by one rail, and a pressure plate on the turf before it. Part of the wall is a gate, built just like the rest of it, and nothing on the hole says which part: roll over the plate and the gate sinks into the turf for the rest of the hole. The plate comes with a lever in Sunset Mesa, a stone lantern in Blossom Isles and a seashell in Coral Deep, and in Pixel Park it is a big red button. Some plates have a bumper standing guard in front, so come at them from the side, and some later holes have two walls in a row. Or thread the slot.
• 🔨 Smash walls — a thin wall across the lane with a narrow slot by one rail: ice in Frostpeak, crates in Sunset Mesa, glass in Neon Nights, a sandcastle in Lagoon Atoll, coral in Coral Deep, toy blocks in Pixel Park (paper screens, crystal, dominoes, mud or planks elsewhere). Hit a panel square and hard and it shatters and stays down for the hole; a soft hit just bounces back. The corner after a smash wall is often a brink, so smash it at a pace that won't fly the gap.
• 🎱 Billiard greens — a cup setting: one to three loose balls lie on the green, one a stride short of the cup on the line in. Knock one into the cup for a gem, knock it out of your way, or carom off it. Pool balls in Neon Nights, marbles in Backyard Giants, snowballs in Frostpeak.

Moving toys (the hole's clock)

Windmills, gates, spinners, pendulums, ring vaults, drawbridges, and conveyor belts move on the hole's clock — the same motion for everyone on that date. A ring vault locks the cup inside two rings that turn together, their doorways lined up: wait for the channel to swing round to you, then roll it through at a steady pace. Time the gap, bank around it, or wait a beat; there is no shot clock.

Rides (from daily #141)

From daily #141 (Monday 19 October 2026), some holes carry the ball and some greens move. They are in practice now.

• 🛶 Ferries — a raft, ice floe, hover pad or sliding block (in Canyon, a mine lift) waits at a dock while its lamp is green, then carries the ball over a gap. Roll off the dock while it is away and you fall in (+1).
• ⚖️ Seesaws — roll past the plank's middle and it tips you down to the next dock; come in hot and it flicks you into the open corner past it (+1).
• 🌊 Tide lanes — in Lagoon and Coral Deep, a low shortcut by the sea floods on a clock and washes you off its open edge (+1). The gauge shows the tide.
• 🎠 Carousel cups — the cup turns round a disc in the green, so putt to where it will be. A ball that stops on the disc turns with it.
• 🏴‍☠️ Rocking greens — a pirate deck (Lagoon), a garden swing (Backyard Giants) or a pinball table (Neon) rocks from side to side, so the break changes as it goes.

The toy chest (from daily #137)

From daily #137 (Thursday 15 October 2026), and in practice now, nine more obstacles turn up on holes 2 to 5. Most courses have one or two of them, some more, a few none.

• 🚂 Level crossings — railway tracks cross the lane, and a train runs out of a tunnel on one side, over the lane and into the tunnel on the other, then back again. The signals flash and the bell rings before each one comes. Cross between trains: a train that hits your ball costs a stroke (+1). The ball can't stop on the track, and the rails are open where it crosses. A steam train in Sunset Mesa, a bullet train in Neon Nights, a tram in Lagoon Atoll, a mine cart in Crystal Caverns, a toy train in Backyard Giants and Tabletop, and a train of blocks in Pixel Park.
• 🪵 Crumbling bridges — a narrow, curving bridge of planks over a gap. Each plank gives way a moment after the ball rolls onto it, so a ball that dawdles goes down with it (+1); the outside rail is open in the middle, so a ball that comes in too hot runs off the edge (+1). Keep it rolling at a steady pace. The planks float back for your next putt.
• 🎳 Bowling lanes — six pins stand in a triangle in the lane. Bowl through them, or slip by a rail. A knocked pin skids to a stop where it falls and lies there for the rest of the hole, so it can block your next putt. All six in one putt is a strike.
• 🚪 Trapdoors — hatches set in the lane drop open in a wave, one side then the other, and rattle just before. Roll over the shut ones: a ball over an open hatch falls through (+1). Wooden hatches in most worlds, ice in Frostpeak, metal in Neon Nights, Cosmic Drift and Crystal Caverns, stone in Coral Deep and on Mount Olympus, a board-game square on Tabletop and blocks in Pixel Park.
• 🗜️ Crushers — a heavy block hangs in a frame over the lane. It shudders, then slams down across the lane. Go under it while it's up: it squashes a ball it lands on (+1). A stone block in most worlds, an ice block in Frostpeak, a hydraulic press in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, a gym weight in Backyard Giants, a giant die on Tabletop and a brick in Pixel Park.
• 🥊 Pistons — plungers punch out of the rail and knock the ball off the open edge across the lane (+1). Their lamp flashes amber first. Time it, or hug the open edge, out of their reach. A log ram, a boxing glove (Backyard Giants, Tabletop, Lagoon Atoll), a block (Pixel Park) or a metal ram.
• 🆙 Pop-up posts — posts lie flush in the lane and spring up as the ball comes near. A firm putt is past before they're up; a slow one runs into them. Bamboo, bollards, logs, crystals, neon tubes, coral, pegs, bones, columns or blocks, by world.
• 🥅 Goalkeepers — a low wall across the lane with a goal in it, and a keeper who slides across to block your putt. It's only so quick: a firm putt into a corner of the goal beats it. A goalie in most worlds (in a gnome's hat in Backyard Giants), a penguin in Frostpeak, a robot in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, a dinosaur in Dino Valley, a meeple on Tabletop and a block figure in Pixel Park.
• 🐹 Gopher cups — a cup setting: someone lives in the cup and pops up now and then. While it's up, the cup is shut and it bats away a ball that arrives. Time your putt to get there as it ducks back down. A tanuki in Blossom Isles, a prairie dog in Sunset Mesa, a penguin in Frostpeak, a crab in Lagoon Atoll, an alien in Cosmic Drift, a mole in Backyard Giants, an owl on Mount Olympus.

All but the gopher are pieces in the 🛠 Hole Builder too.

Domino runs, wishing wells and water carries (from daily #141)

From daily #141 (Monday 19 October 2026), and in practice now, three more obstacles turn up on holes 2 to 5. About one course in three has one of them.

• ⛓️ Domino runs — a giant tile stands in the lane by one rail, a row of tiles waits on a shelf beside it, and a tall slab stands across the end of the lane at the lip of a gap. Knock the first tile over with a firm, square putt and the whole row topples: the slab falls across the gap and stays down as a bridge for the rest of the hole. A soft knock only wobbles it. The slab is too tall to chip over, and a ball over the open gap drops in (+1). Dominoes on Tabletop, ice slabs in Frostpeak, standing stones in Tír na nÓg, wafers in Candy Kingdom, books in Backyard Giants, glowing tiles in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, blocks in Pixel Park.
• 🪙 Wishing wells — the lane runs into the rim of a coin funnel. The ball circles in, faster and lower, drops through the middle, rides a glass pipe under the gap and pops out on the green below, heading the way it was circling. Your pace sets how many laps it goes round, and so where it lands; roll in too hot and it hops the rim (+1). A stone well with a windlass in Tír na nÓg, a whirlpool basin in Lagoon Atoll, a bronze bowl on Mount Olympus, a crater in Cosmic Drift, a candy dish in Candy Kingdom.
• 💧 Water carries — a corner with no inside rail, just a pond. Chip across it to cut the corner, usually a stroke saved; come up short and you are in the water (+1). Or putt the long way round the outside rail, which leans out a little, and stay dry. Koi and lilies in Blossom Isles, a frozen pond with floes in Frostpeak, tar in Dino Valley, chocolate in Candy Kingdom, a pool of stars in Cosmic Drift.

The fair's rides (from daily #155)

From daily #155 (Monday 2 November 2026), and in practice now, three fairground rides turn up on holes 2 to 5. About half of all courses have one.

• 🎡 Ferris wheels — the lane ends at a dock under a high ledge, and the way up is a wheel. Its cars come round past the end of the dock: roll off the edge as one passes and it carries the ball up and over and tips it down a chute onto the lane above. Roll off between cars and you drop into the pit under the wheel (+1). A carnival wheel in Neon Nights and most worlds, a waterwheel in Blossom Isles and Tír na nÓg, a mine's bucket wheel in Sunset Mesa, Crystal Caverns and the Rocky Mountains, a ring station in Cosmic Drift, a candy wheel in Candy Kingdom, a hamster wheel in Backyard Giants and a wheel of blocks in Pixel Park.
• 🔄 Railway turntables — the lane runs onto a bridge across a round pit, and the bridge swings to and fro, stopping where it lines up with the way in, the way on, the way in again and a short spur with a gem at its end. A lamp shows green while it waits lined up with each. Roll on while it's lined up with you; miss it and you drop into the pit (+1). Ride it round and putt off when it points where you want to go. A bar stands across any end that isn't lined up, so a firm putt comes back off the far end and a ball riding it can't fall off. A locomotive turntable in Sunset Mesa, the Rocky Mountains and most worlds, a lazy Susan on Tabletop, in Candy Kingdom and at the Yōkai Festival, a record player in Backyard Giants, a revolving stage in Neon Nights, a capstan in Asgard and a platform of blocks in Pixel Park.
• 🏝️ Drifting greens — the green is a raft drifting round a pond, close to the apron for a few seconds of each lap and then out of reach. No putt gets there: lay up on the apron and chip on as it comes by. Short or long is the pond (+1). Once you're aboard, the cup drifts with you. A lily pad in Blossom Isles, Tír na nÓg and the Sands of Egypt, an ice floe in Frostpeak, a raft in Lagoon Atoll and most worlds, a lantern boat at the Yōkai Festival, a cloud on Mount Olympus, a donut in Candy Kingdom, a hover pad in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, a shell in Coral Deep, a leaf in Backyard Giants and a block in Pixel Park.

Target boards, balloon walls, car washes and one-way flaps (from daily #155)

From daily #155 (Monday 2 November 2026), and in practice now, four smaller obstacles turn up on holes 2 to 5. About three courses in five have at least one of them, and the car wash keeps mostly to Backyard Giants and Neon.

• 🎯 Target boards — a board stands against one rail with a target painted on it, and a gate shuts the lane ahead but for a narrow slot by the other rail. Bank a firm putt off the bullseye and the gate drops for the rest of the hole; the board is lively, so a bank aimed at the gate goes straight on through. A dunk tank in Backyard Giants, Neon Nights, Candy Kingdom, Lagoon Atoll and Tabletop, where whoever sits over the water drops in; a gong at the Yōkai Festival; a shield in Asgard, Tír na nÓg and on Mount Olympus; a bell everywhere else.
• 🎈 Balloon walls — two or three rows of balloons across the lane, too close together for a ball to slip between. Every balloon the ball touches pops with a little kick and stays popped for the rest of the hole, so a firm putt pops itself a lane, and a soft one stops at the first balloon and leaves the gap for your next putt. Glowing balloons in Neon Nights and Crystal Caverns, foil in Cosmic Drift and on Mount Olympus, blocks in Pixel Park, paper balloons at the Yōkai Festival.
• 🧽 Car washes — mostly in Backyard Giants and Neon Nights, now and then in a few other worlds: a tunnel over the lane with a curtain of strips at each end that slows the ball, spinning brushes by alternate rails that push it back toward the middle, and a rinse jet by the exit that blows it back up the lane while it's on (its lamp shows red). Go firm, and go while the jet is off.
• 🐾 One-way flaps — a corner split in two by a divider. The inside lane is a pocket that cuts the corner, behind a wall with a cat flap in it (saloon doors in Sunset Mesa, Rocky Mountains, Dino Valley and the Sands of Egypt) that swings one way only. Through the flap is a shortcut, but you can't come back out that way, only through the slot at the pocket's far end. Or take the long way round the outside lane.

Pace lanes (from daily #155)

From daily #155 (Monday 2 November 2026), and in practice now, three lanes turn up on holes 2 to 5 that each test how hard you putt. About one course in three has one.

• 🛷 Bobsled runs — the rails stop and the lane curls up into a U-shaped channel through two or three banked turns. A ball with pace rides high round each turn; too soft and it dies in the channel, too hot and it rides up over the lip (+1). A chip can't cross the lip either. A bobsled in Frostpeak, a log flume in Sunset Mesa and Tír na nÓg, a water slide in Lagoon Atoll, a skate bowl in Neon Nights, a rain gutter in Backyard Giants, a lava tube in Dino Valley, a sugar-glass chute in Candy Kingdom.
• 🪭 Fan tunnels — a covered stretch of lane, so nothing chips in over the top, with a big fan at its far end. It spins up, blows back down the tunnel for a couple of seconds and winds down; its lamp is green in the lull. A soft putt caught in the blast is blown back out of the mouth. Go in the lull, or go through at full pace. A leaf blower in Backyard Giants, a wind tunnel in Cosmic Drift, a smithy's bellows in Asgard, a paper fan at the Yōkai Festival, a turbine in Neon Nights.
• 🏄 Wave lanes — a shallow pool across the fairway, with swells rolling back toward the tee one at a time. Meet a swell softly and it washes you back out; go in just behind one, or with pace enough to punch through. A wave pool in Lagoon Atoll, a surge channel in Coral Deep, rolling dunes in the Sands of Egypt, a chocolate swell in Candy Kingdom.

Pocket tables, clock faces and breathing cups (from daily #155)

From daily #155 (Monday 2 November 2026), and in practice now, a hole after the opener can have a green that is its puzzle. Nearly half of courses have one.

• 🎱 Pocket tables — the green is a pool table with lively cushions and six pockets. Only the pocket under the flag is the cup; roll into any other and it's a scratch, and the ball comes back to the spot by the table's mouth (no stroke, but the ground is lost). Bank off the cushions, and use side spin. Billiard felt, a red card table on Tabletop, a garden table in Backyard Giants, a neon table in Neon Nights, a stone basin on Mount Olympus and in the Sands of Egypt, an ice table in Frostpeak, a jade table at the Yōkai Festival.
• 🕰️ Clock faces — the cup sits in the middle of a clock and its two hands sweep round it as low walls: the long hand slowly one way, the short hand faster the other. Slip in between them. A garden clock, a sundial in the Sands of Egypt and on Mount Olympus, a pocket watch in Backyard Giants, a neon clock in Neon Nights, a ship's compass in Lagoon Atoll.
• ⭕ Breathing cups — the cup opens bucket-wide for about a second, then closes to barely bigger than the ball; the ring round it glows green while it's open. Get there while it's open: a firm putt at the small cup lips out. A camera iris, a giant clam in Coral Deep, a flytrap in Dino Valley, a donut in Candy Kingdom, a sci-fi iris in Cosmic Drift, a shutter in Neon Nights.

Labyrinth boards, rope bridges and gear trains (from daily #155)

From daily #155 (Monday 2 November 2026), and in practice now, three pieces that tilt or turn come up on holes 2 to 5. About one course in six has one of them.

• 🧩 Labyrinth boards — the lane opens onto a wide board that rocks on its own, side to side and end to end, like the tilting marble-maze game. Two walls make you weave through a gap by one rail and then one by the other, past three or four holes. The board's top is slick, so the ball keeps running toward whichever side is low; a ball rolling firmly runs over a hole, a slow one drops through (+1). Wood in most worlds, ice in Frostpeak, glowing lines in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, marble on Mount Olympus, sandstone in the Sands of Egypt, slate in Tír na nÓg, cave rock in Crystal Caverns, red lacquer at the Yōkai Festival, chocolate in Candy Kingdom, blocks in Pixel Park.
• 🪢 Rope bridges — the lane narrows onto a bridge of planks hung on ropes over a gorge. It sags a little and sways side to side on its own, most in the middle, where it has no curbs: cross as it swings level, or aim a little up the slope, or the ball runs off the low side (+1). Bamboo at the Yōkai Festival, chains in Crystal Caverns, gold ropes on Mount Olympus and in the Sands of Egypt, vines in Dino Valley, driftwood in Lagoon Atoll and Coral Deep, glowing ropes in Neon Nights.
• ⚙️ Gear trains — two or three big gears lie flush in a wide lane, meshing and turning opposite ways, each round a hub post on the middle line. A ball rolling over a gear is dragged round with its teeth, so pass each hub on the side that is turning forward and the train carries you on; the wrong side throws you back or into the rail. Brass in most worlds, gold on Mount Olympus and in the Sands of Egypt, bronze in Tír na nÓg, iron in Asgard, crystal in Crystal Caverns, red lacquer at the Yōkai Festival, peppermint in Candy Kingdom, ice in Frostpeak, neon in Neon Nights.

Power-up pads (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, about two courses in five have a stretch of fairway split into two lanes with a pad in each. Roll over a pad and your ball changes for the rest of that putt, and is your own ball again once it stops. One of the two pads suits what comes next, so pick your ball before you pick your line. A token of each ball spins over its pad.

• 🔴 Rubber — a glossy red ball that comes off rails, posts and boards with nearly all its pace. Good for a bank round a corner.
• ⚫ Iron — a dark iron ball. Rails go dead, and currents, wind, belts, fans and turning floors hardly move it. Good across a river or a wind gap.
• 🧲 Magnet — striped red and blue, and pulled into the cup from much further out. Good for a long putt at a guarded cup.

The pendulum wave (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, a hole after the opener can be built round a pendulum wave. About one course in fifteen has one.

• 🎐 Pendulum waves — six pendulums hang in a row down the lane and swing across it, the first the shortest and each after it a little longer, so each swings a little slower than the one before. Let go together, they drift out of step into a snake, then waves, then two rows crossing, and every thirty seconds they line up again. A bob that catches the ball knocks it back. Watch for a gap that runs right through the row and go, or wait between two of them for the next one. Paper lanterns at the Yōkai Festival, wrecking balls in Sunset Mesa and Crystal Caverns, anchors in Lagoon Atoll and Coral Deep, gumdrops on licorice in Candy Kingdom, little planets in Cosmic Drift, acorns in Backyard Giants, shields in Asgard, bronze bobs everywhere else.

Don't wake the bear (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, about one course in three has something big asleep on a ledge beside the lane, somewhere on holes 2 to 5, with a gem by its nose.

• 🐻 Sleeping bears — roll past it gently and it sleeps on. Rush past and it wakes, stretches, steps over the rail just past its nose and paces across the lane there, rail to rail, for the rest of the hole. A firm putt that is well past it before it's up is fine; one that comes up short leaves you timing your next putt round it. It never costs a stroke: it's a wall that walks. A grizzly in the Rocky Mountains (in blocks in Pixel Park), a cave bear in Crystal Caverns, a walrus on an ice shelf in Frostpeak, a crocodile on the riverbank in the Sands of Egypt, a cat on a cushion in Backyard Giants, a troll under a little bridge in Asgard, a powered-down robot dog on its charging pad in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, a tanuki on a straw mat at the Yōkai Festival, a baby triceratops in its nest in Dino Valley, a sea lion on a rock in Lagoon Atoll and Coral Deep, a panda on bamboo in Blossom Isles, a coyote in Sunset Mesa, a teddy bear on Tabletop and in Candy Kingdom, a lion on Mount Olympus and a wolfhound in Tír na nÓg.

Stepping stones (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, a pond can cross the fairway, most often on the last hole. About one course in ten has one.

• 🐸 Stepping stones — the rail breaks off where the lane meets the pond, with a low curb across the gap, and three flat stones lie in the water on the way across. Each stone has a low rim, so a chip that lands on it stays there. Chip from the curb to a stone, from stone to stone and onto the far bank. Miss a stone and the ball is in the pond (+1), back where you chipped from. A putt can't cross: the curb stops it dead. The dry way is the lane round the bank, through deep sand that eats a putt's pace, and it costs about a stroke more. Lily pads in Blossom Isles, lotus leaves in the Sands of Egypt, ice floes in Frostpeak, turtle shells in Lagoon Atoll and Coral Deep, the giant's stones in Tír na nÓg, candy buttons on chocolate in Candy Kingdom, floating blocks in Pixel Park, upturned flowerpots in a paddling pool in Backyard Giants, poker chips on Tabletop, column drums on Mount Olympus, round shields in Asgard, glowing pads in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, and river stones elsewhere.

The log crossing (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, a river can cross the lane, most often on the last hole. About one course in thirteen has one.

• 🪵 Log crossings — two or three rows of logs drift across the river, each row its own way, all coming round together. Once a cycle they line up across the middle: roll across then, or stop on a log, ride it and putt off before it carries you into the culvert (+1). A gap is the river (+1, back to the near bank). Full power doesn't help, and a net over the middle stops a chip. Logs in most worlds, ice floes in Frostpeak, turtles in Lagoon Atoll and Coral Deep, crocodiles in the Sands of Egypt and Dino Valley, hover barges in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, chocolate bars in Candy Kingdom, lantern boats at the Yōkai Festival and blocks in Pixel Park.

The piñata (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, about one course in four has a piñata hanging over the lane on one of holes 2 to 5, with the hole's gem inside it.

• 🪅 Piñatas — it hangs still over the middle of the lane. Brush it and it starts to swing, wider the harder you knock it, and slows down over the next half minute, so a clumsy putt leaves you a pendulum to time on the next. Hit it full on with a firm putt and it bursts in a shower of confetti: the gem drops out onto the turf and the lane is clear for the rest of the hole. A paper kusudama ball that splits open and drops streamers at the Yōkai Festival, a donkey in Sunset Mesa and Backyard Giants (in blocks in Pixel Park), a gummy bear in Candy Kingdom, a disco ball in Neon Nights, a glowing star in Cosmic Drift, a snowflake in Frostpeak, a bunch of coconuts in Lagoon Atoll, a pufferfish in Coral Deep, a speckled egg in Dino Valley, a giant die on Tabletop, and a classic star piñata with streamers everywhere else.

Cliff-top greens (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, a hole after the opener can end on a green at the edge of a drop. About one course in seven has one.

• 🧗 Cliff-top greens — there's no rail behind the cup. The turf runs out at the island's edge between two striped bollards, and the cup sits near the back, so there's no safe long side: too firm and the ball goes over (+1), back where you putted from. A gentler putt is enough, because the cup's pull takes a ball that dies beside it. A sea cliff with gulls below in Lagoon Atoll and Tír na nÓg, a mesa in Sunset Mesa, a granite cliff in the Rocky Mountains, the edge of a cake in Candy Kingdom, the edge of the table on Tabletop, a bank of clouds on Mount Olympus, a crater's rim in Cosmic Drift, a glacier's lip in Frostpeak, a windowsill in Backyard Giants, and the island's own rock elsewhere.

Big Mouth (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, a hole after the opener can be built round a big face. About one course in ten has one, most often on the last hole.

• 👄 Big Mouth — the face stands across part of the lane, its eyes following the ball, and its tongue is a ramp up to its mouth. The mouth opens and shuts on a slow beat. Roll up the tongue while it's open and the ball rides up through the head, out of the top and down onto the green beside the cup. Hit it shut and it spits the ball back down the tongue. The way round is beside the face, through a bunker most of the time, and on round the rest of the hole. It's timing, not power. A frog in Blossom Isles, a cactus in Sunset Mesa, a snowman in Frostpeak, a clown in Neon Nights, a whale in Lagoon Atoll, an alien in Cosmic Drift, a grouper in Coral Deep, a garden gnome in Backyard Giants, a T. rex skull in Dino Valley, a pixel monster in Pixel Park, a nutcracker on Tabletop, a beaver in the Rocky Mountains, a comedy mask on Mount Olympus, a cave bat in Crystal Caverns, a gingerbread man in Candy Kingdom, a troll in Asgard, a faience hippo in the Sands of Egypt, a lion-dance head at the Yōkai Festival, a Highland cow in Tír na nÓg, a pig at Harvest Homestead and a jack-o'-lantern in Haunted Hollow.

The creature pack (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, four small creatures can turn up on holes 2 to 5, each dressed for its world. About one course in three meets at least one.

• 🐕 Dogs on a chain — a dog trots its patch by its kennel, just outside the rail. Let the ball crawl to a stop inside its chain's reach and it runs the ball down and drops it by its kennel: no stroke, but you play from there. Roll by with pace, or creep along the far rail, out of its reach. A sheepdog in Tír na nÓg, a husky in Frostpeak and the Rocky Mountains, a robot dog in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, a puppy with a slipper in Backyard Giants, a pixel pup in Pixel Park, a pet stegosaurus in Dino Valley, a shiba at the Yōkai Festival, a saluki in the Sands of Egypt, a wolfhound in Asgard, and a pup or a puppy elsewhere.
• 🐊 Snappers — jaws in both rails, staggered down the lane, snap shut in turn. A ball caught as one snaps is swallowed (+1), and shut they're a wall. They snap in a wave: putt at a steady pace just after the first one opens and each one is open as you get there. Crocodiles in the Sands of Egypt and Dino Valley, sharks in Lagoon Atoll, orcas in Frostpeak, giant clams in Coral Deep, flytraps in Blossom Isles and Crystal Caverns, wind-up chattering teeth on Tabletop and in Candy Kingdom, robot jaws in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, snapping turtles elsewhere.
• 🦆 Duckling crossings — a line of ducklings waddles across the lane and back all hole long. Bump one and the ball bounces off: no stroke, but it spoils your line. Go through the gap behind the last one. Penguins in Frostpeak, ants with crumbs in Backyard Giants, toy soldiers on Tabletop, a camel train in the Sands of Egypt, sheep in Tír na nÓg, rovers in Neon Nights and Cosmic Drift, turtle hatchlings in Lagoon Atoll and Coral Deep, ducks elsewhere.
• 🔦 Searchlights — a beam sweeps the lane round its post. A rolling ball it touches is lifted back to the start of the stretch; a ball at rest it leaves alone. Go past on the side it isn't looking at. A lighthouse in Lagoon Atoll, Tír na nÓg and (in peppermint) Candy Kingdom, a stage spotlight in Neon Nights, a radar sweep in Cosmic Drift, a miner's lamp in Crystal Caverns, a desk lamp on Tabletop and in Backyard Giants, a lamp on a post elsewhere.

Hands-on toys (from daily #162)

From daily #162 (Monday 9 November 2026), and in practice now, five worlds have a toy you work with your own hand while the ball rolls: tap the screen (or press Space) at the right moment, or hold it down. About two courses in five in those worlds have one, on holes 2 to 5. Your taps are saved with the putt, so a ghost, a friend in your room and a replay play them back exactly.

• 🏓 Flippers (Neon Nights and Pixel Park) — the outer rail of a bend is open over a drop, with a pinball flipper at the near end of the gap. As the ball rolls up to the gap, tap and the flipper kicks it back into the lane and on down the next leg. Tap too early or too late and the ball goes over (+1).
• 🥌 Curling sheets (Frostpeak) — a long sheet of ice drags at the ball and curls it toward a side whose rail is open over a drop. Hold while the ball is on the ice to sweep: it runs on straight and fast. Let go to let it curl. Sweep a hot putt all the way and the corner after the sheet takes it over the edge.
• 🏹 Catapult cups (Asgard and Mount Olympus) — roll into the catapult's bucket and its arm winds back and forth. Tap to let go: the further it's wound, the further it throws, and about three-quarters wound lands it on the green. Wait too long and it lets go by itself, unwound.

World specials

Each world swaps a classic toy for its own obstacle (Dino Valley and Mount Olympus swap two, Candy Kingdom four, Asgard, the Sands of Egypt, Yōkai Festival, Tír na nÓg, Clockwork Skies, Treetop Hideout, Seaside Boardwalk and Savanna Safari three), and from daily #120 nearly every course visits its world's special at least once. Dino Valley, Pixel Park, Tabletop, Rocky Mountains, Mount Olympus, Crystal Caverns, Candy Kingdom, Asgard, the Sands of Egypt, Yōkai Festival, Tír na nÓg, Clockwork Skies, Treetop Hideout, Seaside Boardwalk and Savanna Safari are open in practice, and in the daily from #155 (Monday 2 November 2026) for Dino Valley and Pixel Park, from #162 (Monday 9 November 2026) for Tabletop, from #169 (Monday 16 November 2026) for Rocky Mountains, from #176 (Monday 23 November 2026) for Mount Olympus, from #183 (Monday 30 November 2026) for Crystal Caverns, from #190 (Monday 7 December 2026) for Candy Kingdom, from #197 (Monday 14 December 2026) for Asgard, from #204 (Monday 21 December 2026) for the Sands of Egypt, from #211 (Monday 28 December 2026) for Yōkai Festival, from #218 (Monday 4 January 2027) for Tír na nÓg, from #225 (Monday 11 January 2027) for Clockwork Skies, from #232 (Monday 18 January 2027) for Treetop Hideout, from #239 (Monday 25 January 2027) for Seaside Boardwalk and from #246 (Monday 1 February 2027) for Savanna Safari:

• 🌸 Moon bridges (Blossom) — a steep arch over a koi canal. Too soft rolls back; too firm takes off at the crest. From daily #121 the arch curves and its rail is open at the crest, so a flier lands in the canal (+1).
• 🏜️ Dust devils (Canyon) — a wandering swirl that grabs the ball and eats its pace.
• ❄️ Wind gaps (Frost) — a timed crosswind over an open downwind rail. Go in the lull.
• 🌃 Laser gates (Neon) — solid only while lit. They flicker before they fire.
• 🏝️ Blowholes (Lagoon) — vents on a causeway that erupt in a wave. An eruption stops the ball and tosses it back; follow the wave through.
• 🪐 Zero-G jumps (Cosmic) — low gravity over the gap, so a well-struck ball floats across the void. From daily #123 a tractor beam catches a ball that rolls up the ramp with a bit of pace and carries it across.
• 🫧 Bubble lifts (Coral Deep) — the lane narrows to a lip over a trench and a column of bubbles rises to a shelf beyond. Roll off gently and it floats you up; blast it and you sail through into the coral face (+1).
• 💦 Sprinklers (Backyard Giants) — a sprinkler in the middle of the lane whose jet sweeps round, hosing whatever it catches; beside it both rails open over the edge. Go while the jet is round the other way.
• 🦕 Long-necks (Dino Valley) — a long-necked dinosaur stands beside the fairway and swings its neck and head across the lane like a pendulum. Time your putt to slip past as the head swings away. A finale can have two, one from each side.
• ⚫ Tar pits (Dino Valley) — a wide pool of bubbling tar across most of the lane. It drags at any ball rolling through and pulls it toward the middle, and a ball that reaches the middle sinks (+1). Skirt it close to a rail, with pace.
• 🍄 Mushroom hops (Pixel Park) — two low block walls across the lane, each with a gap by alternate rails, and a bouncy mushroom in front of each. Roll over a mushroom going forward with pace and it bounces you over its wall and on over the next, letting you off gently however hard you hit it; or zigzag through the gaps by the rails.
• 🐍 Snakes & Ladders (Tabletop) — a game board across the lane in place of the switchback: a ladder gap, a steep ramp that wants pace, and two snake doors that slide a ball rolling through them down a snake pipe back to the foot of the board. Nothing on it is timed; it tests your pace.
• 🪨 Rockslide (Rocky Mountains) — in place of the conveyor belt: boulders tumble down a climb in turn on the hole's clock, so you time your putt up the slope.
• ⚡ Lightning gates (Mount Olympus) — in place of gates: Zeus's bolts leap between pairs of columns across the lane. A lit bolt is solid, and the orbs crackle and spark before it strikes, so slip through between strikes.
• 🪽 Pegasus (Mount Olympus) — wherever the Sky Cannon would be: sink the ball in the golden hopper and Pegasus carries it across the sky to the island green. He turns as he leaps, so watch the arc.
• 💎 Stalactites (Crystal Caverns) — in place of gates: rows of crystal stalactites hang from rock arches over the lane and drop one row after another, and a fallen one is solid. They shiver just before they fall, so roll under while they're up.
• 🍫 Chocolate river (Candy Kingdom) — in place of the creek: thick chocolate eats your pace as you cross and carries a slow ball over the chocolate falls (+1). Putt firm, or aim upstream.
• 🍬 Taffy pull (Candy Kingdom) — in place of hills and moguls: bands of taffy stretched across the lane pull a soft putt back and fling it. A firm one snaps through, or chip over.
• 🍡 Gumball run (Candy Kingdom) — in place of the conveyor belt: giant gumballs roll down a chute from a gumball machine on the left, middle and right lines in turn. Climb with pace just after one has passed.
• 🥤 Soda geysers (Candy Kingdom) — in place of the spinner: soda vents fizz up and erupt in a wave. A caught ball is stopped and tossed back.
• 🚣 Longship oars (Asgard) — in place of gates: a longship floats beside the lane and three oars row across it together. In the water they sweep back toward you and bat the ball away, then lift clear and swing forward. Go while they're up, or slip past the blades' tips by the far rail as a stroke ends.
• 🌈 The Bifröst (Asgard) — in place of plank bridges and hills: a rainbow bridge over a chasm that fades out a piece at a time, in a wave running away from you. Race ahead of the wave or follow it across; where it has faded, the ball falls through (+1).
• 🔨 Hammer swing (Asgard) — in place of pendulums: great mallets swing across the lane like pendulums, often in pairs. Time the putt.
• 🪲 Scarab rollers (Sands of Egypt) — in place of sliding gates: great dung balls, a scarab walking on top of each, roll from rail to rail across the lane, a pair in opposition, and wait a moment at each rail. Go behind one as it leaves a rail, or through the middle as they cross; one that meets you knocks you aside.
• ⏳ Quicksand (Sands of Egypt) — in place of the vortex: a pool of sand that drags at the ball and eats its pace, and swallows it in the middle (+1).
• 🏜️ Sandstorm (Sands of Egypt) — in place of the spinner: a timed crosswind through a gap between dunes that blows a ball off the open edge (+1).
• 🎋 Deer-scarers (Yōkai Festival) — in place of sliding gates: bamboo arms fill with water, tip down across the lane with a tok and lie there a beat, one after another in a wave. Ride the wave as each one lifts, or zigzag through the gaps they leave by alternate rails.
• 🎏 Koi waterfall (Yōkai Festival) — in place of the ramp: roll off the lip gently and you climb the falls like a koi, up onto a shelf; blast it and you sail into the rock (+1).
• 🐈 Lucky cat (Yōkai Festival) — in place of pendulums: a giant maneki-neko on a beam over the lane bats its paw across it. Time the putt.
• 🍄 Fairy rings (Tír na nÓg) — in place of sliding gates: two or three rings of toadstools lie in a glen, just off the middle on alternate sides, and the fairies dance in each ring in turn. Roll through a ring while its fairies dance and they whisk the ball back to the glen's mouth — no stroke lost, but the ground is. Slalom round them, or time a straight run while they're dark.
• ⬢ Giant's Causeway (Tír na nÓg) — in place of plank bridges and hills: a span of hexagonal basalt columns over the sea that sink under the waves and rise again, in a wave running away from you. Race ahead of the wave or follow it across; over a sunken column the ball falls into the sea (+1).
• 🌀 Triskele (Tír na nÓg) — in place of the spinner: a great stone triple spiral turns flat over the lane on its hub, its three arms reaching to a hand's width of the rails, so the gaps come round more often than a spinner's. Slip past by a rail as an arm swings clear.
• ⚙️ Escapement gates (Clockwork Skies) — in place of sliding gates: brass pallets drop across the lane from either rail by turns, tick, tock, as the escapement rocks. Go through the gap while its pallet is up, or along the middle as they change.
• 🕰️ Cuckoo clock (Clockwork Skies) — in place of the windmill: roll in at the clock's door while its pendulum swings across in front of it. Slip through as the bob swings away.
• ⏱️ Balance wheel (Clockwork Skies) — in place of the spinner: a brass bar swings to and fro across the lane like a watch's balance, never all the way round. Go by the rail it has just left, as it turns back.
• 🪢 Ziplines (Treetop Hideout) — in place of sliding gates: baskets ride ziplines across the lane from the platforms either side, by turns, and wait at the far end. Go through behind a basket as it leaves, or along the middle as they pass.
• 🛞 Tire swing (Treetop Hideout) — in place of the pendulum: a tire swings across the lane from a branch overhead. Slip by as it swings away.
• 🍁 Whirligig (Treetop Hideout) — in place of the spinner: a giant maple key turns in the lane, faster in a gust and slower in a lull. Go by a rail as a wing swings clear.
• 🚗 Bumper cars (Seaside Boardwalk) — in place of sliding gates: dodgems loop round a rink across the lane, two or three of them, and knock a ball they meet flying. Wait for a gap and roll through behind one as it passes.
• 🔨 Whack-a-mole (Seaside Boardwalk) — in place of a bumper field: moles pop up out of holes all over a board, each to its own beat, and a mole that's up is a wall. Read the rows and roll through where they've just ducked down.
• 🏴‍☠️ Pirate ship (Seaside Boardwalk) — in place of the pendulum: the swinging ship ride sweeps its hull across the lane. Slip by as it swings away.
• 🦓 Zebra stampede (Savanna Safari) — in place of sliding gates: a herd of zebra thunders across the lane and leaps the rails. Read the gaps in the herd and roll through behind one.
• 🐘 Elephant's trunk (Savanna Safari) — in place of the pendulum: an elephant stands by the lane and swings its trunk across it. Time the putt to slip by as it swings away.
• 💨 Windpump (Savanna Safari) — in place of the windmill: an old windpump's wheel turns across the lane, faster in a gust and slower in a lull. Go through a gap between the vanes.

The timed specials sound off before they fire: blowholes gurgle, then roar; snow cannons wind up, then howl.

Halloween week (Haunted Hollow)

From 25 to 31 October every daily is in Haunted Hollow, and it brings obstacles no other world has:

• 👻 Phantom gates — the Hollow's special: ghostly doors that are solid while they glow. They shiver just before they firm up, so slip through while they're faint.
• 🪦 Open graves — graves lie across the lane from alternate rails, each with its headstone against the rail and a gap by the other rail. Their stone slabs swing open in a wave down the row. Roll over a slab while it's shut, or go round the open end of each grave; a ball over an open grave drops in (+1). Never stop on a slab: it opens under you. A slab rattles just before it opens.
• 🧟 Zombie hands — rows of hands burst up out of the turf and sink back in a wave. They're solid while they're up, and they grab: a ball that hits one stops dead. The rows are staggered, so no straight line passes them all while they're up. Roll in as a row sinks and keep pace with the wave, or thread the fingers.
• 🕷️ Spider's drop — a great spider drops on its thread into the middle of the lane and climbs back up; it's solid while it's down. Cobwebs either side are sticky, like sand. Slip under while it's up, or push through a web with pace to spare.

November (from daily #155)

From 2 November to the Sunday before Thanksgiving week (daily #155 to #175 in 2026) each daily brings one of November's obstacles: the leaf blower, the Old Oak and the hayride take turns from Tuesday to Saturday, the corn maze comes on Sundays, and a Monday format brings one too. A practice course played in those weeks has one of the four.

• 🍂 Leaf blower — a groundskeeper beside the lane revs up a leaf blower, then blasts across a gap whose far rail is gone, and the gust blows a ball off the open edge (+1). A leaf pile lies across the run-in by the open side: leaves eat a putt's pace, so skirt it by the blower's rail. Go in the lull, or go hard and aim upwind.
• 🌰 The Old Oak — a squirrel up a great oak lets a giant acorn drop across the lane on a rope, lets it sit, then hauls it back up; later holes have two in a wave. It chatters just before it lets go. Go under it while it's up; a ball it lands on is bonked (+1).
• 🚜 Hayride — a hay wagon waits at your end of a ditch while its lamp is green. Roll aboard and it carries you over; roll off the farm track while it's away and you're in the ditch (+1).
• 🌽 Corn maze — on Sundays: the hedge maze grown in corn, with one way through and one thin stand of corn on it that a firm putt bursts through, cutting the way short.

Thanksgiving week (from daily #176)

From Monday to Sunday of US Thanksgiving week (23–29 November 2026, daily #176 to #182) every world is set for the feast, and each daily brings two of seven feast toys, each in the place of a classic the world doesn't make its own, and ends on a set piece of its own. Thanksgiving Day itself is in Harvest Homestead, a farm at harvest where all seven take the place of their classics. The wild turkeys are on holes 1, 3 and 5, more of them each time (the Turkey Trot), and a daily played that day earns the Pumpkin Pie ball. The week's dates and a farm course to practice on: Thanksgiving mini golf.

• 🦃 Wild turkeys — in place of sliding gates: big wild turkeys strut from rail to rail across the lane and stop at each rail for a look round. Go behind one as it sets off, or through the gap as two pass; one that meets the ball shoos it aside.
• 🥘 Gravy river — in place of the creek: a ford of thick gravy that eats a putt's pace and carries a slow ball over the gravy falls (+1). Putt firm, or aim upstream and let it bring you back.
• 🎃 Pumpkin roll — in place of the conveyor belt: a steep patch that giant pumpkins roll down, left, right and down the middle in turn. Climb with pace just after one has passed, on a line it isn't coming down; one that meets the ball knocks it back down the slope.
• 🥔 Potato masher — in place of the crusher: a giant masher wobbles, then comes down into the mash. Go under it while it's up; a ball it lands on is mashed (+1).
• 🎉 Parade crossing — in place of the level crossing: a drum roll, then a float rolls across the lane and back. Go when the drums stop, or squeeze in just after a float; a ball the float meets is swept up in the parade (+1).
• 🏈 Tackling dummies — in place of the pendulum: padded dummies swing across the lane from a blocking sled. Slip through as one swings away; one that meets the ball knocks it aside.
• 🍽️ Lazy Susan — in place of the turntable: the dinner table's lazy Susan turns in the lane, the gravy boat in the middle. Ride the turn round one side, or fight it on the other.

What never counts

Optional gems (one per hole) do not change par or your score. The daily goal, trophies, worlds, moods, and cosmetics do not change the card.

How to play them

Press M or tap the map before the hard shot to see the whole hole. If the heroic line flirts with an open edge, the safe bank is usually the card. Jumps and spirals want a planned pace, not a hopeful one. Controls: How to play. Banks and pace: mini-golf strategy.

Updated 2 November 2026

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