Lawn Dart Rules

Well, you've done it. You've gotten your hands on the illusive lawn dart set. And it is a doozy; everything is there: the four 12-inch darts and the two plastic ring targets. You want to get a game going with your friends, but the last time you tossed a lawn dart was in 1978 and you can't quite remember the rules.

Well, fear not. It isn't complicated. Basically, you set up the rings and toss the darts from a previously agreed upon distance. There is no steadfast rule for distance. The same goes for scoring. Many people enjoy playing the game like Horseshoes, where a bulls-eye would be worth three points and, if no bulls-eye was scored, the nearest dart to the ring in any direction would garner one point.

The winning score is also flexible. With Horseshoes, most casual games are played up to 21.

The important rules for lawn darts are rules of safety. On December 19th 1988, the sale of lawn darts became illegal. The reason for this was that in the years since the game's introduction, lawn darts have been the implement of at least four children's deaths. Add to this the countless number of non-fatal injuries suffered by both children and adults, and the ruling begins to make a lot of sense.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission urged, and continues to urge, parents to discard or, even better, destroy all lawn dart sets.

Of course, people still have sets. They can be readily found for sale on the internet. If you do have a lawn dart set or are thinking of purchasing one, keep this in mind: While the darts look fairly harmless (the metal tips are not sharp and do not look like they could puncture much besides the soft ground), after being thrown vertically, the darts gain a great deal of velocity on their descent. They are strong enough to puncture skin and fracture skulls.

Children should never be allowed to play with lawn dart or run free in the vicinity of a game.

Many lawn dart-like games have developed and gained popularity. Perhaps the biggest of these is the game of corn toss, or cornhole. In this game a heavy beanbag (actually filled with corn, not beans) is tossed at a slightly raised and angled platform with a hole in the middle. Scoring for this game is also much like that for Horseshoes.

More information on lawn darts