Golf Solitaire

Golf solitaire earns its name from its scoring system. Like the sport, the goal is the lowest score possible. Each card left in the tableau at the end of a round counts as one stroke, and skilled players aim for zero by clearing every card. This scoring format makes Golf ideal for multi-round play, tracking cumulative score across nine or eighteen "holes."

If you already know how to play solitaire, Golf will feel refreshingly simple — the rules take under a minute to learn.

The gameplay is straightforward. Thirty-five cards are dealt into seven columns of five cards each, all face-up, with only the bottom card of each column available for play. A single foundation card is turned up from the stock. Players build on it by adding cards exactly one rank higher or lower, regardless of suit. A 7 on the foundation accepts either a 6 or an 8.

What makes Golf compelling is its speed. Games typically last under five minutes — perfect for quick breaks. Decisions come fast: should you clear a card that extends your current run, or save it to unblock something buried? Those rapid choices create surprising strategic depth for such a simple game.

If you like Golf's pace but the chain mechanic feels random, try the pairing variant — same five-minute hit, but you remove cards in pairs that sum to 13 instead of chaining ranks.

The game also sparks debate about Kings and Aces. In the strict version, sequences cannot wrap — you cannot place a King on an Ace or vice versa, creating dead ends that add challenge. The relaxed variant allows wrapping, which raises the win rate significantly and is preferred by many casual players.

Setup: Shuffle a standard 52-card deck. Deal 35 cards face-up into seven columns of five cards each. Cards overlap within each column — all are visible, but only the bottom card of each column is fully exposed and available. Turn one card from the remaining 17-card stock face-up to start the foundation.

On each turn:

1. Play to the foundation. Look for an exposed tableau card exactly one rank higher or lower than the current foundation card, regardless of suit. Move it to the foundation — it becomes the new foundation card. Continue chaining plays as long as matches exist.
2. Draw from the stock. If no exposed card matches, draw the next stock card and place it on the foundation. Continue from that new card. Sequences can go up and down freely — for example, 5, 6, 7, 6, 5, 4 is valid. In standard rules, Kings and Aces are dead ends. Nothing goes on a King (no rank 14) and nothing goes below an Ace (no rank 0). When either becomes the foundation card, you must draw from the stock. The game ends when all tableau cards are moved to the foundation (a win) or the stock runs out with no moves left. Your score is the number of cards still in the tableau.

King and Ace rules: standard vs. relaxed

The single biggest rule decision in Golf is how Kings and Aces behave on the foundation. Strict (standard) rules treat them as dead ends — no rank exists above King or below Ace, so when either lands on the foundation you must draw from the stock. Relaxed (wrap-around) rules allow King-to-Ace and Ace-to-King transitions, treating rank as a 13-position loop. Wrap rules raise the win rate from roughly 3% to 15-20% depending on stock luck. Most digital apps default to strict; check your settings before assuming the rate you see online matches your game.

Multi-round scoring: playing 9 or 18 holes

Golf's scoring mechanic enables tournament play across multiple deals. Standard formats:

• 9 holes — 9 deals, target under 90 strokes total, ~45 minutes at 5 min/deal
• 18 holes — 18 deals, target under 180 strokes total, ~90 minutes at 5 min/deal
• Stroke play — variable deals, lowest cumulative total wins, track personal best
• Match play — 2 players over 9-18 deals, win individual holes head-to-head Our suggested score tiers per deal (no universal Golf solitaire standard exists, so this is the framing we use across this site):
• 0 strokes — hole-in-one (cleared the tableau)
• 1-5 strokes — birdie (excellent finish)
• 6-10 strokes — par (typical good game)
• 11-20 strokes — bogey (cards stranded)
• 21+ strokes — double bogey or worse (stuck early)

• Keep runs going as long as possible. Every stock draw loses momentum. Before playing a card, check whether removing it enables a longer chain of plays. A move that clears one card but breaks a five-card run is a bad trade.
• When multiple cards match, pick the one that unblocks the most cards above it. Columns with more buried cards have greater potential for long runs once cleared.
• Spot "clearable columns" early. A column like 4, 5, 4, 5 can be cleared in one run if you reach either end value on the foundation. Plan your stock draws around reaching those entry points.
• In the wrapping variant, prioritize King-Ace transitions. These connect what would otherwise be dead ends, making them the most valuable plays in the game.
• Read the board before you spend a stock card. The stock is your only reset, and in strict rules it holds just 17 cards. Before drawing, scan all seven exposed cards twice — a chain you missed is far cheaper than a draw you can't undo.
• Sacrifice a short run to open a tall column. Clearing a two-card run feels productive, but if a five-deep column is one play from collapsing, take that instead. Depth beats width: the longest columns hold the most trapped strokes, and emptying one early is usually what separates a par from a hole-in-one.

Golf solitaire appears in card game collections from the mid-20th century, though its exact origins are uncertain. The game likely evolved from simpler single-foundation patience games popular in Europe during the 1800s.

It gained renewed popularity through digital versions, especially on mobile platforms where its short play time and simple mechanics translate perfectly to touchscreen interfaces. Golf became one of the most-played mobile card games of the 2010s, with several dedicated apps reaching millions of downloads.

The scoring system and multi-round format inspired competitive variants where players chase the lowest cumulative score over nine or eighteen rounds — directly mirroring golf tournament play. Some digital versions even feature virtual golf courses where each hole represents a new deal.