Golf Solitaire

👥 1 players 📍 Indoor📍 Anywhere ⚡ Calm 🧩 Moderate ⏱ 10-20 minutes 🎂 Ages 6+

Quick Pitch

Golf Solitaire is a quick solo card game where you clear seven columns of five cards by building sequences one step up or down from the waste pile — lower remaining cards means a better "score."

Hook

Seven columns of five cards sit face-up in front of you, and a draw pile waits to one side. You're looking for cards that are one rank above or below the top of your waste pile — play them to clear columns, building sequences as long as you can. When you run dry, flip a new card from the draw pile and start again. Golf Solitaire is fast, satisfying, and genuinely tense as you watch your best chain run out of steam with cards still on the table.

Equipment Needed

  • One standard 52-card deck
  • Clear playing surface

Setup

  1. Shuffle deck
  2. Deal 35 cards in seven columns (5 cards each)
    • First column: 5 cards (top card face-up)
    • Continue through column 7: 5 cards
    • All top cards face-up; others face-down
  3. Remaining 17 cards form stock

Rules

Objective

Remove all tableau cards by matching them to a waste pile sequence. Lower score (fewer remaining cards) = better result.

Card Sequences

Building sequence:

  • Play card that is one rank higher OR one rank lower than the waste pile top card
  • Example: 6 on table, can play 5 or 7
  • Ace wraps (play on King or 2)

Chain building: Build consecutive chains to remove multiple cards

Tableau

Accessible cards: Only top card of each column is playable

Moving cards: Play single cards only (no groups in standard Golf)

Empty columns: When column empties, leave it empty (no refills)

Stock Pile

Drawing:

  • When no tableau plays available, draw from stock to waste pile
  • Only top waste card is playable

Continuing: After stock exhausted, game ends

Scoring

Simple scoring:

  • Cards remaining on tableau = score
  • Lower score is better (18 or fewer cards removed is good)
  • All cards removed = Perfect (win)

Stroke scoring (golf-themed):

  • Number of waste pile cards played = strokes
  • Lower strokes = better

Winning

  • All cards removed = Win (rare)
  • Count remaining cards for score

Expert Player

Tips

  1. Sequence planning: Build long chains to remove multiple cards
  2. Column exposure: Prioritize moves that expose face-down cards
  3. Card prediction: Anticipate what cards might help chains
  4. Stock timing: Defer stock draws when possible
  5. Endgame: Plan final moves to maximize card removal

Variations

  • Nine Holes variant: Deal only 9 cards (one pile of 9)
  • Scoring variant: Award points for cards removed
  • Multiplayer: Two players compete for lowest remaining cards
  • Timed variant: Speed-based play
Learn More — History & Origins

History & Origins

Golf Solitaire emerged as an American folk game in the early 20th century, named for the golf-inspired scoring system: like a real round of golf, a lower score is better. The exact origin is unknown, but the game's name and structure suggest it was invented as a light-hearted analogy to golf — "nine holes" being a shorter variant, and the goal being to "sink" cards into the waste pile rather than a ball into a cup. The game became a standard inclusion in solitaire card game collections and later a popular digital card game.

Cultural Context

Golf Solitaire appeals to players who want a quick solo card game without the setup complexity of Klondike or FreeCell. A game typically takes under 10 minutes, and the scoring system means you always have a result to compare to your previous best — which keeps casual players coming back. The game was popularized further by its inclusion in early digital card game packages, where its speed and simplicity made it a natural fit for short breaks. It remains one of the most played solitaire variants outside the classic Klondike.

See Also