How to play Golf Solitaire

To play Golf Solitaire, move the front cards of seven columns onto a single pile, one at a time, each one rank higher or lower than the card on top of the pile, whatever its suit. When nothing fits, turn a card from the stock onto the pile. Clear all 35 cards from the columns to win. Here are the rules in full, the scoring, and tips that clear more tables.

The layout

Golf uses one ordinary pack of 52 cards, with no jokers. Thirty-five cards are dealt face up in seven columns of five, each card overlapping the one behind it so you can read them all. One card is turned face up to start the pile. The other 16 cards are the stock, face down.

The goal

Move every card from the columns onto the pile. Cards left in the stock when the columns are empty do not matter; in the scored game they are a bonus.

Which cards can be played

Only the front card of each column, the one with nothing on it, can be played. When it goes, the card behind it becomes the front card. At the start, seven cards can be played: one from each column.

One higher or one lower

A card can go on the pile when it is one rank above or one rank below the pile's top card. Suits and colours do not matter. The card you play becomes the new top, so a run can go up, down, or both: on a 5, play a 6, then a 7, then a 6, then a 5, and so on.

The ranks run Ace, 2, 3 up to 10, Jack, Queen, King.
An Ace is low: only a 2 goes on it. A King does not go on an Ace, and an Ace does not go on a King.
Nothing goes on a King. A King can be played onto a Queen, but once it is on top of the pile the run is over, and you turn a card from the stock.

The stock

When no front card fits, or when you would rather not play one, turn the top card of the stock face up onto the pile. It becomes the new top card, and play goes on from it. The stock is turned once, one card at a time; there is no going through it again.

How the game ends

You win when all 35 cards are off the columns. The game is lost when the stock is used up and no front card is one above or below the top of the pile. On this site every deal can be won, so if that happens, undo a few cards and try a different run.

Scoring, like golf

The game takes its name from its scoring: as in golf, low scores are best. A round is nine deals, the nine holes. Each deal scores one point for every card still in the columns when it ends; if you clear the columns, every card left in the stock counts as minus one. A round of 45 or less is often called par. Here each deal is a game of its own, timed, and the result tells you how many stock cards you had to spare.

Tips to clear more tables

Count the run before you start it. When two cards fit, follow each one in your head: the one that lets you play three or four more cards is usually the better choice.
Save a card for later. A front card that fits now does not have to be played now. A spare 8 at the front of a column can carry on a run whenever a 7 or a 9 comes up from the stock.
Dig into the tall columns. Every column starts with five cards, but the ones with awkward cards near the back, Kings and Queens, need the most turns to clear. Start on them early.
Mind the Kings. A King leaves the columns only on a Queen. When a Queen is on the pile and a King is at the front of a column, it is usually the moment to play it.
Use Undo to explore. Golf is a game of foresight; try a run, and if it ends badly, take it back and try another.

Golf and TriPeaks

Golf is the oldest of a family of solitaire games played up or down onto one pile. TriPeaks is the best known of the others: the cards sit in three peaks, most of them face down until they are uncovered, and a King and an Ace go on each other, so runs can wrap around. Its rules are in how to play TriPeaks.