Rocky Mountain Trail Ball is an American hybrid-game deriving from Trail-Walking, Soccer, and Golf.  The game is designed to make your afternoon stroll a little competitive and more entertaining. If you can’t bring a beverage along with you, you’re taking it too seriously. Ideally, the course should be long enough to play the game in about an hour. This is not a timed game; we play for kicks!

Team

• A team can be 1 to 2 players Max.

• Team play is not mandatory. You may play with a partner or tackle it solo.

• Opposing teams should allow space for other teams to play without causing interference and allow upcoming teams to “play-thru” if needed.

• Competing Teams should take turns when playing in close quarters, otherwise, each team can play at its own pace.

Course

• A course can be your favorite local trail.

• Acceptable course types can be a loop, out-and-back, or A to B.

• Be safe. Keep your course away from hazards such as high traffic, running water, cliffs, steep tails, water damaged trails, cactus, wild animals or angry neighbors.

• ‘On the tail’ is considered the fairway.

• ‘The Rough’ is any distance up to 15 feet of the sides of the trail.

• Beyond 15 feet of the trail is considered ‘out-of-bounds’.

• ‘Living course hazards’ can include other trail-sharing folk such as bicyclist, walkers, runners, other trail-ballers, animals, and vehicles.

• The ‘Plane of Completion’ is determined before the game starts. Essentially you have to announce your “finish line” before you start. If you have a loop-course, this could be your start/finish line of the same spot along the trail, for example.

• Try to keep the same course layout and ‘Plane of Completion’

Equipment

• “The Official” Rocky Mountain Trail Ball has not been created yet, but you can choose a smaller than average soccer ball. Mini Soccer ball, Nerf, Poof or foam balls are ok too.

• Proper walking or running shoes is recommended.

Play

• TO START: At the beginning of your trailhead, “Tee-off” by placing the ball on the trail, back up a couple steps and kick the ball along the trail.

• TO SCORE: Each initial-kick counts as only one kick. You must keep track of only the initial-kicks to have a score. The team with the total lowest number of kicks it takes to get thru the course wins. It is recommended to keep score aloud between teammates.

• Continuance-kicks do not count as a kick (see Continuance-Kicks section below)

• No hands. This is a kicking sport primarily, but the use of body or head is permissible.

• Initial-kicks can be from the rough or fairway

• If the ball is beyond 15 feet of the trail (aka out-of-bounds), the player must pick up the ball and move it to the rough or fairway with a 1 or 2 kick penalty respectively

• The 2nd team member may act as a shield by standing in the rough or out-of-bounds to help prevent the ball from becoming out of play further. However, conducting a continuance-kick from the rough or out-of-bounds is not allowed. No forward motion of the ball is allowed when acting as a shield. Violation of this deems one kick penalty.

• There is no rule for team mates alternating initial kicks. One player may be better at initial kicks or better at continuance-kicks and may want to play that role throughout the entire course.

• To finish the game, the ball must pass the pre-determined ‘Plane of Completion’ (see Course section for more details)

• Preferably, you play this game on a familiar course/trail. Once you have the basics of the game-play, you can experiment with new courses, but having a consistent course can help improve your skills and better your score along the course.

• In the case of a ‘living course hazard’ interfering with your game (example: a runner on the trail kicks your ball), you have two choices: 1.) Place the ball at the point of interference with no-penalty 2.) Replay the last initial-kick (AKA Do-over) where you take the ball back to the point of initial-kick prior to interference.

Continuance-Kicks (C-Kicks)

• Continuance-kicks are your chance give the ball an extra kick to move it further down the trail.

• All continuance-kicks can only be done if the ball is within 3 seconds of being in motion. AKA the ‘3 second rule’.

• If on a team of 2, a continuance-kick is like a soccer “pass” to a teammate. The non-initial-kick player can move ahead and provide the ball an extra kick as long as the ball and player are both on the fairway and within the standard ‘3 second rule’.

• On a team of one, the player is allowed to run ahead and re-kick the ball as long as the ball and player are both on the fairway and within the standard ‘3 second rule’.

• Continuance-kicks are limited to only one continuance-kick per initial kick. No pass-backs. One and done.

• A properly performed Continuance-kick does not count as a scoring kick, only the initial-kick counts for scoring

Penalties

• ACTION: Kicking the ball from out-of-bounds  PENALTY: Re-position the ball at the point of penalty and add one kick

• ACTION: More than one Continuance-kick (pass-back)  PENALTY: Re-position the ball at the point of penalty and add one kick

• ACTION: Hand ball, not out-of-bound  PENALTY: Re-position the ball at the point of penalty and add one kick

• ACTION: Picking up the ball and placing it in the rough  PENALTY: Add one kick

• ACTION: Picking up the ball and placing it in the fairway  PENALTY: Add two kicks

• ACTION: Forward motion when acting as a shield  PENALTY: Add one kick