SkittlesRules Card

What you need

• A skittles set: nine wooden pins (and usually two or three wooden balls or a cheese)
• For lawn skittles, a flat lane of grass roughly 15 to 21 ft long
• A throwing or bowling line marked with chalk, a rope, or a board
• A scorepad to track each player's running total over the agreed number of rounds

Set it up

For lawn or garden skittles, set the bowling line roughly 15 to 21 ft from the diamond of pins, then keep everyone throwing from the same fixed line. Shorten it to 8 to 10 ft for young kids so they can reach the pins. Table skittles has no throwing distance at all: you stand at the end of the board and swing the ball on its chain or string around the post to strike the pins.

Scoring

• Score one point for each pin knocked down. This garden format gives each player three balls per frame.
• If all nine pins fall before the third ball, reset all nine and use the remaining balls. This early-clear reset is part of the chosen garden version.
• Record the total pins for that frame, then add them to the running total.
• Play six complete frames per player. Everyone gets equal frames, and the highest final total wins.
• Local leagues use different pin-counting and reset rules; agree a different version before play rather than changing it mid-game.

How to play

1. Set up the nine pins. Arrange nine pins in a square turned toward the bowler so the rows appear as 1-2-3-2-1. Use consistent spacing on level ground and mark the throwing line.
2. Mark the throwing line. Set a line where players will stand to bowl or throw. For lawn skittles this is usually 15 to 21 ft from the pins. Step over the line and the throw does not count. In table skittles, you stand at the end of the board and swing the ball.
3. Bowl three balls. Each player gets three balls per frame. Roll or underarm-throw toward the nine pins from behind the agreed line.
4. Count the fallen pins. Count one point per pin knocked down. Remove fallen pins before the next ball, keeping the standing pins in place unless all nine have fallen.
5. Reset an early clearance. If all nine pins fall before you have used three balls, stand all nine back up and use the remaining balls. After the turn, reset the full diamond for the next player.
6. Finish six equal frames. Give each player six frames, add the frame scores, and compare totals. Highest total wins. This is the chosen garden format; other sets and leagues use different match lengths.