Pocket Putt: rules, scoring and a few habits
Pocket Putt is mini golf for a short break: three little greens, one ball, and the fewest strokes wins. Each hole has its own idea, like a gate to thread, a wall to bank off, a bumper to steer around, a sand shortcut or a water strip with a narrow bridge. Some greens bend around a corner, so the straight line is rarely the whole answer.
Lining up a putt
Pull back from the ball or from the round shot pad, aim, then let go. The further you pull, the harder the ball rolls. Slide back to where the pull started to cancel without spending a stroke. You can zoom in on a green and drag empty grass to look around, and the camera follows the ball while it rolls.
Sand slows the ball down, walls and bumpers bounce it back, and water costs one extra stroke and puts the ball back where you last hit it. Each hole shows a target score you can reach with a good plan, so you always know what a solid round looks like.
Scoring and the daily round
Your score is the total strokes across all three holes. If two players tie, the faster finish ranks higher. The daily round gives everyone the same three holes on the same Pacific day, picked so they get harder from the first hole to the third. Free Play draws a fresh unranked round whenever you want another go, and Next round never repeats the holes you just played.
Putting tips
- Read the whole green before your first putt. The fastest route often bends around a wall rather than going straight at the cup.
- A soft putt that stops near the cup beats a hard one that bounces away. The ball drops in when it rolls over the cup slowly.
- Use the walls. A bank shot off a side wall can reach a cup hidden behind a corner in one stroke.
- Near water, take the bridge, even if it looks longer. A splash costs two strokes in total.
Pocket Putt is free in the browser on a phone or a computer, with touch or mouse controls and nothing to install.