Play Golf Solitaire Online for Free
Golf Solitaire is a clean, fast elimination game. Seven columns of five cards sit in a layout, and you remove any bottom card exactly one rank from the top of the waste pile. The name comes from golf-style scoring - lower (fewer leftover cards) is better.
How to Play Golf Solitaire
- Thirty-five cards are dealt face up into seven columns of five.
- One card is flipped from the stock to start the waste pile.
- Click any exposed bottom-row card that is one rank higher or lower than the waste card, in any suit.
- Each picked card moves to the waste and becomes the new reference card.
- When no pick is possible, draw the next stock card to the waste and continue.
- Expose and clear all 35 layout cards to win outright.
- Fewer leftover cards means a better 'golf' score if the board blocks.
Golf Solitaire Rules
Objective
Remove all 35 layout cards by matching ranks one step from the waste pile top.
Setup
7 columns x 5 cards face up, 17 cards in the stock, one waste card flipped to begin.
Stock
Draw stock cards to the waste whenever stuck. One pass through the stock; leftover stock cards when the layout clears are simply unused wins.
Card Values
Ace is 1, face cards are 11, 12, 13. In this version Ace connects to 2 only (no King wrap) - check the in-game rules panel.
Availability
Only the bottom card of each column is playable. Removing it exposes the card above.
Scoring
Golf scoring counts leftover layout cards like golf strokes - zero left is a perfect game, and fewer is always better.
Strategy
Golf is a sequencing puzzle rather a matching puzzle, and the sequence is what you should plan before you click anything. Only the bottom card of each of the seven columns is ever live, and it has to sit exactly one rank above or below the card on top of the waste, so at any moment you usually have two or three legal picks rather than one. The pick that matters is the one whose newly exposed card is itself one rank away from the card you just played, because that keeps the run going without touching the stock. Suits are irrelevant here, which means two cards of the same rank are completely interchangeable - take the copy that uncovers the more useful card underneath. Keep the 16-card stock in mind as a rank-changing tool: it is the only way to jump to a part of the board you cannot reach by stepping one rank at a time, so spend it when nothing legal remains, or when one draw unlocks a run long enough to be worth the card.
Common Mistakes
Three habits kill most rounds. The first is drawing while a legal pick is still on the board: the stock is a single pass with no redeal, so every unnecessary draw is a card you can never get back. The second is taking the first legal card you see instead of scanning all seven columns - the rank you need is often available in two places, and one of them exposes something far better. The third is expecting the ranks to wrap: in this version Ace and King are not neighbours, so a King is a dead end unless a Queen is showing. Finally, a blocked board is not a bug. When no exposed card is one rank from the waste and the stock is empty, the round ends and the number of cards left is your score - lower is better, as in golf.
Winning
Clear all 35 layout cards before the stock is exhausted.
Tips & Strategy
- Think in ranks, not suits - two cards of the same rank are interchangeable, so pick the one that exposes more cards.
- Avoid drawing stock while any pick exists; every draw burns a resource you cannot recover.
- Watch for rank islands: if all remaining cards are far from your waste rank, draw early to jump ranges.
- Columns with long same-rank clusters are gold - chain them without ever drawing.
- Count cards by rank as the game winds down; the last eight cards are almost always decided by planning, not luck.
- Treat a King as a dead end unless a Queen is already exposed: it can only ever be followed by a Queen.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called Golf Solitaire?
The scoring borrows golf's convention: lower is better. You count the cards left on the layout like strokes on a hole.
Can a King connect to an Ace?
In this version no - Ace connects to 2, King connects to Queen. Some variants allow the wrap; ours follows the classic single-step rule.
Which card can I click?
Only the exposed bottom card of each of the seven columns, and only if it is exactly one rank from the top of the waste pile.
How many cards are in the layout?
35 (7 columns of 5), with 17 cards held in the stock and one flipped to the waste.
Can I play any card in a column?
No. You may only take the exposed bottom card of each of the seven columns, and it must be one rank higher or one rank lower than the card currently in the waste.
Does Golf Solitaire wrap from King to Ace?
Not in this version. The sequence does not wrap, so a King cannot be played on an Ace - only a rank difference of exactly one counts.
What is a good score in Golf Solitaire?
The goal is to remove all 35 tableau cards. Anything under five left is a strong result, and clearing the board entirely is rare enough to feel like an event.
How does golf solitaire work?
One card is dealt face up to start the waste pile, and that card is your reference. You may remove the exposed card at the bottom of any column if its rank is exactly one higher or one lower than the reference - suits do not matter. The card you remove becomes the new reference, so a good run can clear five or six cards without stopping. When nothing matches, you draw from the stock to jump to a new rank. The round ends when no card can be played and the stock is empty; clearing all 35 is a perfect round.
Is Golf Solitaire the same as TriPeaks?
No. Both use a one-rank difference and both have a 52-card deck, but they feel nothing alike. TriPeaks builds chains for points, wraps Ace to King, and scores; Golf has no wrapping, no score, and is judged purely on how few of the 35 cards are left. Golf is also more about choosing between equal ranks, while TriPeaks is about uncovering covered cards in the right order.
How many cards are in the Golf Solitaire stock?
Sixteen. The deal is 35 cards in the layout, 16 in the stock and one card already on the waste - 52 in total. The stock is a single pass: once you have drawn the last card there is no way to reshuffle and go round again, so each draw is a one-way decision.
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