Tic tac toe golf is exactly what it sounds like: classic tic-tac-toe, but instead of drawing Xs and Os, you chip golf balls onto a giant nine-square board. Each player (or team) chips soft foam balls from a mat, claims the squares they land on, and the first to connect three in a row wins. With Chip Tac Toe, the board floats — so the game works in the pool, the backyard, or at the beach.
Here's everything you need to know to set it up, play it right, and turn it into the main event at your next pool party.
What Is Tic Tac Toe Golf?
A tic tac toe golf game combines two things almost everyone already knows: tic-tac-toe and (sort of) swinging a golf club. That's what makes it such a reliable party game — the only rules explanation anyone needs is "land your ball in a square, get three in a row."
Chip Tac Toe™ by Golf Pong is our take on it: a 4-foot inflatable tic-tac-toe board that floats on water or sits on grass, with 10 soft foam chipping balls (5 red, 5 blue), a grass chipping mat to hit from, and claim-square floats that mark which squares you've won. There's an optional adjustable-length club in right- or left-handed versions, or bring your own wedge. The whole thing packs down small enough for a beach bag or trunk.
The foam balls are the key detail: they fly like real golf balls off the clubface but won't break a window or sink to the bottom of the pool, which is what lets you play ten feet from the snack table.
What You Need to Play
- The board: the 4ft inflatable Chip Tac Toe board, inflated and placed on water or grass
- Foam balls: 5 red and 5 blue, one color per player or team
- Chipping mat: the included grass mat — it protects your lawn and gives you a consistent lie on concrete pool decks
- A club: the optional adjustable-length Chip Tac Toe club (right- or left-handed), or any wedge or short iron from your own bag
- Claim-square floats: used to mark squares you've won so there's no arguing about whose square is whose
- Two players or two teams: red vs. blue
That's it. No batteries, no app, no scorekeeper.
Setup: Pool, Backyard, or Beach
Setup is the same everywhere: inflate the board, drop the chipping mat where players will hit from, and split the balls by color. The only real decision is distance.
Casual play (kids, beginners, anyone holding a drink): put the mat about 6–10 feet from the board. Close enough that most chips land somewhere on the board, far enough that aiming for a specific square still takes some touch.
Competitive play (golfers, rematches, anyone who said "best of five"): back the mat up to 12–20 feet. At that range, landing in the exact square you want becomes a genuine short-game challenge.
A few venue-specific notes:
- Pool: float the board in the middle or toward the far end and chip from the deck. A light breeze will drift the board — that's part of the fun, not a flaw. The mat protects your club (and the concrete) on the deck.
- Backyard: lay the board flat on the grass. Mow first if the lawn is shaggy; balls release more cleanly off short grass.
- Beach: set the board on packed sand, or float it in calm shallows. Wind matters more here, so start closer and move back as you dial in.
Rules and How to Win
The core rules take ten seconds to learn:
- Take turns chipping. Red and blue alternate shots, one ball per turn, always hitting from the mat.
- Land your ball in a square to claim it. The ball has to come to rest in the square — a ball that bounces off the board doesn't count.
- Mark won squares with a claim float. Once a square is claimed, it's locked. An opponent's ball landing there later does nothing.
- First to three in a row wins — across, down, or diagonal, just like paper tic-tac-toe.
What happens on a miss? In standard play, a missed chip simply ends your turn — you don't lose a square, you just hand the other side momentum. If you run through all five balls before anyone connects three, collect them (claimed squares stay claimed) and keep alternating until someone wins or the board fills.
If the board fills with no three in a row, it's a draw — run it back. Or house-rule it as "most squares claimed wins" if your group hates ties.
House-Rule Variants (Clearly Optional)
These aren't official rules — they're crowd-tested ways to change the pace:
- Knockout: unclaimed squares stay open, but landing your ball in a square where an opponent's ball is sitting (not yet claim-floated) knocks them out and steals it. Brutal. Popular.
- Splash penalty: pool version — any ball that misses the board entirely and hits the water costs you your next turn.
- Call your shot: before chipping, announce which square you're aiming for. It only counts if you hit the one you called. Best for good golfers who've made the standard game look too easy.
- Team relay: in team play, every player on the team must rotate through shots in order. Keeps one ringer from carrying the squad.
Pick one variant at a time. Stacking all four turns the game into a rules debate.
How to Chip a Golf Ball (a Two-Minute Lesson)
Chip Tac Toe is more fun when your chips actually go where you're looking — and the technique that wins games on the float board is the same technique that works around real greens. Here's the short version of how to chip a golf ball:
- Narrow your stance. Feet close together, maybe a club-head's width apart. Chipping is a small motion; a wide stance just invites a big swing.
- Ball position: back of center. Play the ball off your back foot's instep. This helps you strike the ball with a slightly descending blow instead of scooping it.
- Weight forward — and keep it there. Set about 60–70% of your weight on your lead foot and don't shift it during the swing. The number one chipping fault is leaning back trying to lift the ball. The loft of the club does the lifting; your job is to hit slightly down.
- Hands slightly ahead of the ball. Shaft leaning a touch toward the target at address and at impact.
- Brush the grass. Make a smooth, pendulum-style stroke — shoulders rocking, wrists quiet — and let the clubhead brush the turf (or the mat) just after the ball. If you're taking divots or blading balls over the board, your weight drifted back.
- Control distance with backswing length, not effort. A chip to a board 8 feet away needs a backswing about knee-high; 20 feet might need hip-high. Same gentle tempo every time — change the length of the swing, never the violence of it.
Foam balls reward exactly the same fundamentals, so a summer of Chip Tac Toe is quietly a summer of short-game reps. If you can drop a foam ball into the center square from 15 feet, a real chip to a real green stops being scary.
Pool Party Game Ideas with Chip Tac Toe
If you're building a lineup of pool party games, tic tac toe golf earns the headline slot because spectators can watch the whole thing from a lounge chair, and a full game takes about five minutes — fast enough to run a queue.
Some formats that work great with a crowd:
- Bracket tournament: with 8+ guests, run a single-elimination bracket. Games are quick, so a 16-person bracket finishes in under an hour. Write the bracket on a paper plate; it's a pool party, not the Masters.
- King of the Pool: winner stays on, challenger rotates in. The reigning champ has to call their shots (see house rules above) after three straight wins.
- Doubles: teams of two alternate shots. Great for mixing skill levels — pair a golfer with a first-timer.
- Multi-game gauntlet: pair Chip Tac Toe with Golf Pong®, our velcro target-mat chipping game, and run guests through both stations. Combined score wins. (New to Golf Pong? Here's the quick guide to rules, setup, and scoring.)
Most pool games for adults force a choice between "actually competitive" and "anyone can play." This one manages both, because tic-tac-toe strategy gives weaker chippers a way to play smart — blocking a row is just as valuable as building one. For more ideas that work on land, see our roundup of backyard party games for adults.
FAQ
How do you play tic tac toe golf?
Two players or teams take turns chipping foam golf balls from a mat onto a nine-square tic-tac-toe board. Land your ball in a square to claim it, mark it with a claim float, and the first side to connect three squares in a row — across, down, or diagonal — wins. A miss just ends your turn.
Can you play Chip Tac Toe in the pool?
Yes — that's the signature setup. The 4ft board is inflatable and floats, the foam balls float too, and the claim-square markers are floats themselves. Chip from the pool deck using the included grass mat. It also plays on grass in the backyard or on packed sand at the beach.
What's the best way to chip a golf ball for beginners?
Narrow stance, ball back of center, 60–70% of your weight on your front foot, hands slightly ahead of the ball. Make a small pendulum stroke with quiet wrists and brush the grass after the ball — don't try to scoop it into the air. Control distance by changing backswing length, not by swinging harder.
Is Chip Tac Toe good for kids?
Yes. The balls are soft foam, the optional club adjusts in length (and comes in right- or left-handed versions), and the rules are tic-tac-toe — kids already know them. Move the chipping mat closer for younger players and back it up for the adults.
Ready to put a board in the water? Get Chip Tac Toe here — $59.99 for the game, or $69.99 with the adjustable club included.