Does suit matter in Golf Solitaire?

No. In Golf Solitaire only the rank, or number, of the card matters. You may play any card that is one rank higher or one rank lower than the card on top of the waste pile, regardless of whether it is a heart, diamond, club, or spade.

Can you play a King on an Ace in Golf Solitaire?

In the standard rules, no. Ranks do not wrap around: a King is the highest card and an Ace is the lowest, so you cannot place an Ace on a King or a King on an Ace. Some versions allow this wrap-around, which makes the game easier, and the game you are playing will tell you which rule applies.

How many cards are dealt at the start of Golf Solitaire?

Thirty-five cards are dealt into the tableau: seven columns of five face-up cards. One more card is turned up to start the waste pile, and the remaining 16 cards form the face-down stock, which you may go through once.

Is every game of Golf Solitaire winnable?

No. Because of how the cards fall, some deals cannot be cleared no matter how well you play. Even skilled players lose a fair number of hands, so a lost game is normal rather than a mistake.

Golf Solitaire rules and how to play

Golf Solitaire is one of the friendliest card games you can learn, and you can play it here whenever you like. It takes only a minute to understand, each game is short, and every move is a simple yes-or-no decision. There is no complicated building, no shuffling cards between columns, and no long setup. If you have a few quiet minutes, Golf is a lovely way to fill them. This guide walks you through everything at an unhurried pace, so take your time and read it once through before you start.

What you need

Golf Solitaire uses a single standard deck of 52 playing cards. That is the ordinary deck you already know: four suits (hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades) with cards running from Ace up through King. When you play online, the game deals and shuffles for you, so there is nothing to set up by hand. You do not need to keep score to enjoy it, though the game keeps track for you if you want it to.

One helpful thing to know up front: in Golf, the suit does not matter. You never have to worry about matching hearts to hearts or reds to blacks. Only the number, or rank, of each card counts. That single fact makes the whole game much easier to hold in your head.

The layout

At the start of a game, the cards are arranged into three parts:

The tableau is the main playing area at the top. It is made up of seven columns, each holding five cards, all face up and slightly overlapping so you can read every one. That accounts for 35 cards in total.
The stock is the small face-down pile of leftover cards, usually shown in a corner. It holds the remaining 16 cards, waiting their turn.
The waste, sometimes called the foundation, is a single pile where you play cards. One card is turned up here to begin.

Only the bottom card of each tableau column — the one nearest you, not covered by any other — is available to play at any moment. The four cards above it in each column are locked until you clear the ones below them.

How to play

Your goal is to clear the tableau by moving its cards, one at a time, onto the waste pile.

The rule for a legal move is beautifully simple. You may move an available tableau card onto the waste pile if it is exactly one rank higher or one rank lower than the card currently on top of the waste. Suit is ignored entirely.

For example, if the top of the waste pile is a 7, you may play any 6 or any 8 that is available at the bottom of a column. Play that 8, and now the top card is an 8, so your next move must be a 7 or a 9. Each card you play changes the target for the next one, and you keep going up and down the ranks like a gentle staircase.

Moving cards

When you cannot make a move — no available card is one rank above or below the waste card — you turn over the top card of the stock. That new card goes straight onto the waste pile and becomes your new target. Then you look again for a card in the columns that is one higher or lower.

A few points worth remembering:

In the standard game, ranks do not wrap around. A King is the highest card and an Ace is the lowest, so you cannot play an Ace on a King or a King on an Ace. When a King reaches the top of the waste, nothing from the tableau can go on it, and you will usually need to draw from the stock. (Some versions of Golf do allow this “wrap-around.” The game you are playing will tell you which rule is in force.)
You may only go through the stock once. When the stock is empty, no more fresh cards appear, and you play on with whatever moves remain.
You are never forced to play a card just because you can. Sometimes it is wiser to draw from the stock instead, and the strategy guide covers exactly when.

Winning and losing

You win by clearing every card from all seven columns onto the waste pile. Empty the tableau completely and the game is yours.

The game ends when you have no legal moves left and the stock is empty. If some tableau cards are still stranded at that point, that particular deal is over. This is perfectly normal — not every deal of Golf can be won, and even strong players lose a fair share. The pleasure is in playing each hand well, not in winning every time.

A worked example

Suppose the waste pile shows a 9. You glance along the bottom of your seven columns and spot an available 10. A 10 is one rank above a 9, so you play it; the waste now shows 10. Next you see a Jack available — one above the 10 — so down it goes, and the waste shows Jack. Now the bottom cards are a 4, a 7, and a King, none of which is a 10 or a Queen. You are stuck, so you draw from the stock. It turns up a Queen. A Queen is one above your Jack, so you could play the Jack… but the Jack is already gone. Instead you now look for a Jack or a King to play on the Queen — and there is that King. You play it, and the little run continues. That back-and-forth is the whole rhythm of Golf.

Getting started

If you are new to solitaire, Golf is a kind place to begin. There is nothing to memorize beyond “one higher or one lower,” and you cannot make a move that damages your position later — an illegal move simply will not happen. Play a few relaxed hands without worrying about winning, and the pattern will become second nature quickly. When you feel ready to improve your odds, the Golf Solitaire strategy guide explains which moves to make and which to hold back.

If you enjoy Golf, you may also like these gentle, single-deck games:

TriPeaks Solitaire — the same “one higher or one lower” idea, played across three overlapping peaks of cards.
Pyramid Solitaire — clear a pyramid by pairing cards, a calm and satisfying challenge.

Play Golf →