Golf Solitaire Rules: Complete Guide

What Is Golf Solitaire?

Golf Solitaire is a fast-paced single-player card game where the goal is to clear all cards from the tableau by playing them onto a waste pile. Cards can be played if they are exactly one rank higher or lower than the current waste pile card, regardless of suit. It's one of the simplest solitaire variants to learn but surprisingly tricky to win consistently.

Play Golf Solitaire online for free.

Setup

Golf Solitaire uses a standard 52-card deck:

1. Tableau: Deal 35 cards face-up into 7 columns of 5 cards each
2. Waste pile: Place 1 card face-up as the starting waste card
3. Stock pile: The remaining 16 cards form the stock, placed face-down

All tableau cards are visible from the start — there are no hidden cards in Golf Solitaire.

Card Values

Cards rank in standard order: A (low), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K (high). Ranks do not wrap — you cannot play a King on an Ace or an Ace on a King.

How to Play

Playing from the Tableau

Only the top card (bottom-most visible card) of each column can be played. Click it to move it to the waste pile if it is exactly one rank higher or lower than the current waste top card.

Example: If the waste pile shows a 7, you can play a 6 or an 8 from any column.

Suit does not matter — only rank determines whether a card can be played.

Drawing from Stock

When no tableau card can be played, click the stock pile to draw one card face-up onto the waste pile. This becomes the new waste top card, potentially opening up new plays.

Chains

The best plays in Golf create chains — sequences where one play enables the next. For example, playing a 5 might let you play a 6, then a 7, then an 8, clearing four cards in a single chain.

No Building Back

Unlike many solitaire games, you cannot move cards back to the tableau. Once a card is on the waste pile, it stays there. Cards only flow one direction: tableau to waste.

Kings and Aces

Since ranks don't wrap:

• Kings can only be played on a Queen. If a King is the waste top, only a Queen can follow.
• Aces can only be played on a 2. If an Ace is the waste top, only a 2 can follow.

This makes Kings and Aces potential dead ends. Getting stuck with a King or Ace on top of the waste often forces a stock draw.

Winning and Losing

• You win when all 35 tableau cards have been moved to the waste pile
• You lose when no tableau card can be played AND the stock is empty

Scoring (Optional)

Traditional Golf scoring counts the number of cards remaining in the tableau when the game ends. A perfect score is 0 (all cards cleared). In our version, we track moves and time instead.

Strategy Overview

• Look for chains before making any individual play
• Avoid Kings and Aces as waste pile toppers when possible
• Don't draw prematurely — always scan all 7 columns before using the stock
• Prefer plays that extend chains over isolated single-card plays

Variations

Relaxed Golf: Kings wrap to Aces and vice versa, making the game significantly easier.

Dead King Golf: Kings cannot be played at all — they can only be cleared when the column above them is played. This makes the game much harder.

Further Reading

• How to Play Golf Solitaire — step-by-step beginner guide
• Golf Solitaire Strategy — tips to improve your win rate
• Which Solitaire Game Should You Play? — compare all variants
• TriPeaks Rules — a similar game with pyramid peaks

Play Now

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