How to play Golf Solitaire
To play Golf Solitaire, clear all 35 cards from the seven columns by moving them, one at a time, onto the pile below: each card you play must be one higher or one lower than the card on top of the pile, whatever its suit. When no card fits, turn the next card from the stock onto the pile and carry on. The full rules, with tips.
- The columns. Seven columns of five cards, all face up. Only the front card of each column, the one nearest you, can be played.
- Up or down. On a 7 you can play a 6 or an 8; then on that 8, a 7 or a 9, and so on. Runs can go up and down as you like. An Ace counts low: a 2 goes on it, but not a King.
- Nothing goes on a King. Once a King is on the pile, turn a card from the stock.
- The stock holds 16 cards and is turned once, one card at a time. The game ends when the table is clear, or when the stock is used up and nothing fits.
Controls
Tap or click a front card to play it onto the pile, or drag it there. Tap the stock to turn a card. With a keyboard, Tab moves between the front cards and Enter plays one. D turns the stock, H asks for a hint, U undoes and N starts a new deal.
Every deal can be won
Played strictly, as here, most shuffled Golf deals cannot be cleared however well you play. So every deal on this page is made from a winning game: the computer plays it through before you see it, and the way to clear the table is always there. If you get stuck, undo a few cards and try another run, or press Hint, which shows the next card to play and says why in one plain sentence.
Why it is called Golf
Like a round of golf, the lowest score wins. In the traditional game you play nine deals, the nine holes, and each deal scores one point for every card left on the table. Clear the table and the stock cards you did not need count as minus points. Here each deal is a game of its own, and the clock and the cards you have to spare tell you how well it went.
Large, clear cards
The cards grow to fill your screen, and every card shows its rank and suit in large print in its top corner, so you can read the whole column at a glance and plan your runs. Big cards, at the top of the table, makes them larger still. Hearts and diamonds are red, spades and clubs are black, and the table is a calm green.
A few tips
- Look for the longest run before you play: two cards that fit now may lead to very different runs.
- Keep a card back when it can rescue you later: a 6 waiting at the front of a column is useful whenever a 5 or a 7 turns up.
- Play from the columns with the most cards behind the front one; short columns can wait.
- A King on the table needs a Queen on the pile. Plan for it before the Queens are gone.
If you like the up-and-down runs, TriPeaks Solitaire is played the same way on three peaks of cards. Fancy something different? Try Klondike Solitaire, Yukon or Pyramid Solitaire.