Golf – Rules
Play Golf against the computer
1. Quick overview
| Name | Golf (also: Golf Solitaire) |
| Game type | Patience for one person |
| Players | 1 |
| Recommended age | 6 and up |
| Duration | one game 2–5 minutes |
| Material | 52 cards |
| Goal | Move as many cards as possible from the seven columns onto the waste. |
| Difficulty | quick to learn, hard to win |
What is it about? Seven columns are laid out face up. You play cards onto the waste that are one rank higher or lower than its top card – suit does not matter. As in golf, the “strokes” count at the end: every card left over.
2. Cards and material
- Deck: 52 French cards.
- Ranking: A, 2 … 10, J, Q, K. Ace and King are not connected.
3. Setup and start
- Shuffle, lay out seven columns of five cards face up (slightly overlapping).
- Put one card face up as the waste, the rest as the stock.
4. Goal and winning
- Won: All columns are empty.
- End: The stock is empty and no card fits – then the remaining cards count as strokes.
5. Play in detail
- The front card of a column may go onto the waste if it is exactly one rank higher or lower.
- This builds chains, for example 7 – 8 – 9 – 8 – 7.
- Nothing may be played on a King.
- If no card fits, turn the next stock card onto the waste.
Example. The waste shows a 6. You play a 7 from column 2, then an 8 from column 5, then a 7 from column 1 again. Nothing fits any more – you turn a stock card.
6. Scoring
- Strokes: Every card still in the tableau at the end counts one stroke.
- Under par: Clearing everything earns minus one for each card left in the stock.
- Over several games (“holes”) the lowest total wins.
7. Special rules and important situations
- King: It ends every chain (no connection to the Ace).
- Stock: gone through only once.
8. Variants
| Variant | What changes? | For whom? |
|---|---|---|
| Ace and King connected | K–A–2 is allowed. | Beginners |
| Queen on King | Only the Queen may go on the King. | American |
| Nine holes | Nine games, strokes are added up. | Tournament players |
On cardgames.zone you can choose whether Ace and King are connected. The strokes are shown at the top next to the time.
9. Tips for beginners
- Plan long chains: See which column has the most fitting cards.
- Deep columns first: Free cards that block many others first.
- Save the stock: Every stock card left over improves your result.
10. Summary in 10 steps
- Shuffle 52 cards.
- Seven columns of five face-up cards.
- One card as the waste.
- Rest as the stock (16 cards).
- The front card may go onto the waste.
- Only one higher or lower.
- Suit does not matter.
- Nothing on the King.
- No move: turn a stock card.
- Remaining cards = strokes.
11. Frequently asked questions
Why is the game called Golf?
Because of the scoring: as in golf, the strokes count – the fewer, the better.
May I play a King on an Ace?
Not in the classic rule; with “Ace and King connected” you may.
Origin & history
Golf is a quick patience from English-language patience books. Its name comes from the scoring: as in golf, every card left over counts as a stroke, and few strokes are good.