Golf Solitaire
Clear seven columns with cards one higher or lower.
How to play Golf Solitaire
Golf Solitaire is a short and lively patience game for one player with a standard deck of 52 cards. Thirty-five cards are dealt face up into seven columns of five cards. Under the columns are the stock with 16 cards and the waste pile, which starts with one face-up card.
Goal
Move all 35 column cards onto the waste pile. Like in real golf, a low score is good: your score is the number of cards still left in the columns.
Turn by turn
- Only the bottom card of each column can be played.
- You can play a card onto the waste if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the top waste card. Suits and colours do not matter. On a 9 you can play an 8 or a 10.
- The played card is the new top of the waste, so you can build long chains such as 9, 10, J, 10, 9, 8.
- In the classic rules an Ace and a King are not next to each other. Nothing but a 2 goes on an Ace, and only a Queen goes on a King. Choose Wrap K–A in the menu to join them for an easier game.
- When you cannot play, tap the stock to turn its top card onto the waste. There is no second pass through the stock.
Playing on this site
Tap any card of a column to play its bottom card, or drag the card onto the waste. Tap the stock to draw. Hint asks a solver for a move that still leads to a full clear. Undo takes back any number of moves. With Winnable deals on, each new deal has been solved in advance, so all seven columns can be cleared.
End of the game and score
The game ends when every column is empty, or when the stock is used up and no card can be played. If you clear all columns, every card still left in the stock counts as minus one, so a score below zero is a great round.
Strategy tips
- Look at the whole table. All cards are face up from the start, so you can plan long chains before you make the first move.
- Dig into the longest columns. Short columns are easy to finish later. Cards buried in long columns are the ones that end games.
- Keep a way back. Going 6, 7, 6 can be better than 6, 7, 8 if it leaves a card that matches what is coming next.
- Watch the Kings in classic rules. A King on the waste can only take a Queen. Play Kings when a Queen is ready, or near the end.
- Use the stock as late as you can. Each stock card is a fresh start, but there are only 16 of them.
Golf Solitaire FAQ
Why is it called Golf Solitaire?
Because the score works like golf. Each card left in the columns is a stroke, so the lower your score, the better you played.
Can I play a King on an Ace in Golf?
Not in the classic rules, where Aces are low and Kings are high. Pick Wrap K–A in the menu if you want Aces and Kings to connect, like in TriPeaks.
Is every game of Golf Solitaire winnable?
No. With classic rules only a part of random deals can be fully cleared. The Winnable deals option only gives you deals that a solver has cleared.
What is the difference between Golf and TriPeaks?
Both play cards one higher or lower onto a waste pile. In Golf all cards are face up in seven columns, while TriPeaks hides most cards in three peaks.
