Golf solitaire rules: how to play, scoring and tips

Golf solitaire is one of the quickest solitaire games to learn: you only need to count one up or one down. It’s called golf because, like golf, you play a round of holes and the lowest score wins.

The setup

• One 52-card deck, no jokers.
• Deal 7 columns of 5 cards, all face up, overlapping so you can see every card. That’s the table (35 cards).
• Turn one card face up to start the pile (also called the foundation or waste).
• The other 16 cards are the stock, face down.

Only the bottom card of each column, the one not covered by another card, can be played.

How to play

• Move a column’s bottom card onto the pile when it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the pile’s top card. Suits and colors don’t matter.
  • On a 7 you can play a 6 or an 8.
  • On a Jack you can play a 10 or a Queen.
• You can keep going in either direction, as many cards in a row as you can: 7, 8, 7, 6, 5…
• Aces are low: a 2 goes on an Ace, and an Ace goes on a 2.
• No wrap-around: a King doesn’t go on an Ace and an Ace doesn’t go on a King.
• Nothing goes on a King. Once a King is on the pile, the run is over.
• When no column card fits, turn the next stock card onto the pile and keep going.
• There is no redeal: the stock goes through once.

How a hole ends

A hole ends when you clear the table or when the stock is empty and no column card fits.

Scoring

Golf solitaire is scored like golf: lower is better.

• If cards are left on the table, the hole scores the number of cards left. Five cards left is 5.
• If you clear the table, the hole scores minus one for each stock card you didn’t need. Clearing with 3 stock cards to spare is −3.
• A round is 9 holes. Add up the holes; the lowest total wins.

A score of zero or below over 9 holes is an excellent round.

Common variations

Rules differ between card books and apps. These are the ones you’ll see most:

• Wrap-around (sometimes called “turning the corner”): a King can go on an Ace and an Ace on a King.
• Queen on King: a Queen may be played on a King, so a King isn’t a dead end.
• Two decks: a longer game with 104 cards and more columns.
• Different scoring: some apps count points up instead of strokes down, or score only the cards left with no minus for a clear table.

Kepo Golf Solitaire uses the classic rules: one deck, 7 columns of 5, no wrap-around and nothing on a King.

Tips

1. Look for the longest run before you move. When two cards fit, pick the one that lets you keep going. A run of 7, 8, 9, 8, 7 is worth more than a single card.
2. Count the next card in the column. Playing a 6 that uncovers another 5 or 7 is better than playing a 6 that uncovers a King.
3. Dig into the columns with problem cards. A King or a card that isn’t in reach blocks a whole column, so work on it early, while the stock still has cards.
4. Play Kings last. A King stops the run. Play one when nothing else fits, just before you’d turn a stock card anyway.
5. Don’t rush to the stock. Every stock card you don’t use takes a stroke off your score once the table is clear.
6. Remember what’s gone. If three 8s are already on the pile, a 7 or 9 run is harder to keep alive.

Golf solitaire vs other solitaire games

• Klondike (how to play solitaire) builds suits up on foundations and takes longer.
• TriPeaks uses the same one higher or lower rule, but the cards sit in three peaks and some start face down.
• Pyramid (pyramid solitaire rules) pairs cards that add up to 13.

See all of them side by side in types of solitaire.

Play golf solitaire online

Kepo Golf Solitaire is free in your browser, with no ads and no sign-up. A round is 9 holes, your best round total is saved, and every hole is a deal our solver has cleared, so a perfect round is always possible. Tap a column’s bottom card to play it, or tap the deck to draw; on a computer, Space draws, H gives a hint and Ctrl/Cmd+Z undoes.