How to play a beach bowling game – with no equipment!

Looking for a fun beach game to play – without having to lug tons of equipment? Here’s how to play beach bowling – all you need is a ball!

I love going to the beach, sitting in a chair, reading a book, and just relaxing all day. However, for some reason, my husband can’t seem to sit still. He’s got to be getting in the water, going for a walk, throwing a football – anything, but sitting still.

Sadly, it appears that my children have inherited his ants in his pants and are always looking for games and activities to play at the beach.

We have really done a good job of narrowing down the best beach gear with kids, and I’m not about to add lugging a giant cornhole board or one of those trashcan slammer games up to carry with us every time we go.

Luckily, my husband loves to play the beach bowling game. The best part about it, you don’t need pins or anything except a ball that rolls.

Ideally, you would have a shovel to dig with, but you can take with your hands in a pinch. I mean, it’s the beach.

How to play a beach bowling game – with no equipment!

Here’s how to set up and play this simple beach game!

Supplies needed:

• A ball that rolls well – like a kickball or similar
• Ideally you’d have a shovel but if not, shovely hands work fine

Steps to set up:

1. Choose a relatively flat area, ideally with compact sand to play in.
2. Dig a series of holes. Each hole should be just big enough for the ball to go into.
3. Repeat to have 9 holes – 3 in the back, 2 in the middle, 1 in front, pyramid style like for bowling.
4. Build up a little wall of sand behind or down-hill of the holes to help prevent having to chase too far after the ball each time.

How to play:

1. Dig your holes and set up the space as described above.
2. Designate how many points each hole gets. We made the front hole 1 point, middle 2 points, and back 3 points. Depending on your layout and area, determine the hardest hole to get and give it the most points.
3. Draw a line for people to stand behind to bowl from.
4. Take turns rolling the ball towards the holes.
5. Keep score (or not) and have fun!

What are your favorite beach games?!

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