The archive · Consumer Apps · Product decision · 2026
Putt.day bets a daily mini-golf hole can own the Wordle morning slot
ell.dev's free browser game — one new mini-golf hole a day, same for everyone, no account — drew 320 HN points and still publishes daily holes.
ell.dev (putt.day)
What the business is
A free, no-sign-in browser game that publishes a new mini-golf hole every day at midnight Pacific: drag-to-hit physics, water hazards, streak tracking, a calendar archive of past holes, shareable scores and a party mode added in September 2026.
How it started
After lapsing on his own Wordle streak, developer Ell built putt.day as a new daily fix under the ell.dev banner, using public-domain mini-golf models by Kenney, and posted it to Hacker News on 2026-06-12.
What happened
The Show HN drew 320 points and 112 comments, with players sharing scores and debating par; coverage framed it as a Wordle-style morning habit, and the developer kept the daily cadence, added a calendar archive of past holes and later a party mode for racing friends.
How it ended up
Still live and publishing daily as of 2026-09-05 — hole No. 115 shipped on 2026-09-04.
Background
putt.day is a free, no-sign-in browser game that publishes one new mini-golf hole every day at midnight Pacific. Players drag back on the ball to aim and set power, then try to reach the hole in as few strokes as possible; water hazards send the ball back, streaks are tracked locally, and past holes stay playable in a calendar archive.
The bet is that Wordle's habit loop — one shared daily puzzle, a score worth sharing, zero setup — transfers to mini-golf. Every player faces the same hole on the same day, so scores are comparable, and there is no account to create before the first shot.
Developer Ell built putt.day under ell.dev after his own Wordle streak lapsed, using public-domain mini-golf models by Kenney, and posted it to Hacker News on 2026-06-12. The Show HN drew 320 points and 112 comments, and independent write-ups called it a Wordle-style daily fix.
As of 2026-09-05 the game is still live and on a daily cadence: hole No. 115 shipped on 2026-09-04, with a party mode for racing friends added alongside the streak and archive features.
What has to be true
- A shared daily hole is the engine: everyone plays the same course, so a score of 20 on a par-12 hole means something to the person you send it to.
- No sign-in and no install remove the entire adoption funnel; the game lives at a URL and keeps streaks in the browser.
- Drag-and-drop golf is instantly readable — the same reason Wordle needed no tutorial — and each hole is short enough to fit a coffee break.
- A public archive of past holes turns one day of content into a back catalog, keeping players who missed a day from abandoning the streak.
What can be applied
A daily-game habit needs a shared target, not accounts: one hole for everyone plus a score worth sharing let a solo developer hold a morning ritual slot that free daily games compete for.
Aftermath
As of 2026-09-05 putt.day is still live and publishing a new hole daily — hole No. 115 appeared on 2026-09-04. The developer has kept the no-account format and added a calendar archive, streak tracking and a party mode for racing friends. There is no visible monetization: the game is free, with no sign-in or ads in the reviewed sources. Coverage has been limited to Hacker News, small gaming write-ups and a Product Hunt listing; whether a free daily game can become a business remains unanswered.
Sources
spotted an error? The archive wants to know.
Your turn
You just read one. Describe what you are building, and see who is betting on the same thing.
Free account · 3 free questions · no card