Each stroke counts as a point. If the ball still has not been holed after 6 strokes, another point is added. The highest possible score at one lane is 7. Also the score is 7, if a player stops playing a lane before he/she has holed out.
If a lane is unplayable, all players in the tournament must receive the same score for the unplayable lane from the moment on when the lane became unplayable. The refereeing committee (or jury, if there is one) determines which score is given for this lane.
If a lane becomes unplayable during an ongoing round, the determined score will be given also to those players who have already played this lane during the ongoing round. This is applied only to those categories in which some players have not played the lane yet (in case of e.g. additional overall category in the tournament this means all players in the tournament).
The winner is the player with the lowest total score, when stroke-play is the applied competition mode. The winner in matchplay mode is the player with most won lanes (in this case a single lane is won by reaching the lowest score on it inside a pairing).
In the case of a tie for 1st, 2nd or 3rd places, there will be a sudden-death play-off between the tied players or teams. It begins at lane 1 and will continue at the subsequent lanes until there is a difference in scores. In sudden-death play-offs the starting player will alternate after the first lane. The playing order on the first lane of a regular sudden-death playoff will be decided by coin flip or other appropriate method of casting lots. In special tournament modes it is possible to start sudden-death play-offs at other lanes than number 1. In the case of tournaments played on more than one course, lane 1 of the last played course will be the first lane of the sudden-death. In case of tournament group allocation or special tournament modes (e.g.: matchplay), the invitation must, if necessary, define differing regulations. Non-appearance for a sudden-death results in the lower placing. If several tied parties do not appear for a sudden-death, the rules concerning separation of players tied from 4th place downwards will apply. After elimination in a sudden-death the results of this sudden-death are decisive for the placing. If there is a tie, the rules concerning from 4th place downwards apply.
If there are no sudden-death results, then in the case of a tie from the fourth place downwards, the following criteria apply in determining order of placing: the smallest difference between the best and the worst rounds, then between the second best and the second worst rounds, etc.. If there is still a tie, the players will be given the same placing. In such cases any prizes reserved for these placings will be drawn for among the tied parties. If tournament is played on more than one course, decisive criterion is the sum of the differences on all courses (difference between the best round and the worst round on course 1 + difference between the best round and the worst round on course 2).
Results obtained by team members count for both the individual and the team score, unless announced otherwise.
If a substitute player is brought in during a tournament, the scores of the substituted team member up until his substitution will be taken into account. After substitution the scores obtained by the substitute are included in the team's score. In case of a substitution being made on a lane before that lane has been completed, the team can receive a max. of 7 points for that lane.
A player who is missing without permission to be absent when he/she is called to play is given 7 strokes for every lane, on which he/she was absent when in turn to play.
Every player must carry with him/her waterproof writing equipment (e.g.: ball-point pen, waterproof felt pens; not pencils).
Forms have to be used as score-cards. Score-cards must include
- the name of the player and his/her membership in Minigolf sport club, organization or association,
- the category of the player,
- the national or regional license number of the player,
- the title, date and place of the tournament,
- the fields to enter the score for every lane,
- the fields to enter the total score of each round and the total score of the tournament,
- the fields to enter penalty points,
- the fields to initial the score by the player and the score-keeper for each round,
- the fields for final signature of all players of the pairing,
- the fields for the remarks of referees.
Players are not allowed to keep their own scores. A player’s score is kept by his/her playing partner in the pairing, the lane referee, or a score-keeper appointed by the head referee or the tournament organizers. In pairings of more than 2 players, the last player keeps score for the first, the first for the second and so on.
The score-keeper is obliged to watch the player very carefully during play. Before the score is entered in the score-card it has to be announced.
Each player is in principle responsible for the correct keeping of his/her score. The player has to make sure on submission of his/her score-card that the entries have been correctly made, even when the score-keeping has been done by a special score-keeper.
Incorrect entries in the score-card must be corrected immediately after notice. Incorrect entries have to be crossed out in such a way that they remain legible, and the correct score have to be written next to it and initialed. In pairings of 2 players, corrections have to be made and initialed by a referee. In larger pairings this is necessary only when there is disagreement within the pairing. If there is agreement, the correction is made by the score-keeper an initialed by all members of the pairing. When a change is made by a referee, the whole pairing and where applicable the score-keeper have to be consulted as to whether the change is justified.
A correction of an incorrect lane result on the score-card can no longer be made, if the score for the round has been initialed by the player and the score-keeper.
At the end of a round each player is obliged to work out or check both his/her own score for the round and those of his/her partner(s). The total score of each round must be initialed by the player and the score-keeper. This should be done having already left the last lane free for the next pairing of players. The organizers should offer a green house area for this task. If the sum of the lane results (total score for the round) was miscalculated, correction can be done without penalty (unless miscalculation was done deliberately).
The score-cards are always given from one player to another as a complete set and in such a way that the score of the player receiving them is visible to him.
The score-cards have to be submitted to the tournament organizers as soon as possible after every round (at green house if offered). Unless otherwise stated players have to leave the course immediately having completed their round.
Where it transpires, after the pairing submitted the score-cards to the tournament organizers, that the result for a particular lane has not been written down, the player concerned receives 7 strokes for the missing lane, which has to be written down in the remaining empty space on the score-card.
Electronic scorecards can be used for scorekeeping. The valid scorekeeping rules are applied with electronic scorecards as well. If applying a certain rule is not possible, the responsible tournament director has to define an adapted procedure