Golf Solitaire is the fastest card game worth playing. A deal takes about ninety seconds, the rules fit in one sentence, and there is exactly one interesting decision in it, which turns out to be enough.
The layout
Seven columns of cards are dealt face up, so you can see everything. The rest of the deck sits as a stock, and one card is turned up to start the waste pile. That is the whole setup, and the fact that nothing is hidden is what makes the game different from most solitaire.
The one rule
You can move the bottom card of any column onto the waste pile if it is one rank above or one rank below the current top waste card. That is it.
So if the waste shows a seven, you can play any six or any eight from the bottom of a column. Once you play that eight, the waste shows an eight, so now you need a seven or a nine. You are building a chain up and down, one step at a time, clearing columns as you go.
When you cannot play anything, you turn a new card from the stock to the waste and carry on. The goal is to clear all seven columns before the stock runs out.
The decision that matters
Because you can often play from two or three different columns, the real question every time is which one. And the answer is almost always the column that is currently blocking the most, which usually means the tallest column or the one holding cards you will need later.
Here is the trap that costs most deals. When you have a choice, the instinctive move is to take whichever card is nearest to hand or continues the chain in the direction you were already going. The better move is to look at what each choice uncovers. Playing from a two-card column gets you closer to clearing that column, which is satisfying, but playing from the seven-card column is usually worth more, because that column is where the deal will get stuck.
Think one step past your current move
The second habit worth building is looking at what card sits underneath the one you are about to play. If you play a nine off a column and the card beneath it is a ten, you have set yourself up nicely. If the card beneath it is a four, you have just made that column harder to continue.
You cannot always avoid it, and you should not agonise over it, because the game is meant to be fast. But glancing one card deep before you commit is cheap and it wins deals.
Aces and kings
In the standard rules there is no wrapping around, so a king does not connect to an ace. That makes kings and aces the two most awkward ranks, because each only connects in one direction. A king buried in the middle of a tall column is one of the more common reasons a deal fails.
Knowing that, it is worth prioritising columns that contain kings and aces early, while you still have flexibility, rather than leaving them until the stock is thin.
Not every deal is winnable
Golf Solitaire has a lower win rate than most solitaire games, and that is by design rather than a flaw. Some deals simply lock up, and because the whole layout is visible from the start, an experienced player can sometimes see a deal is dead very early. That is not a reason to be discouraged. It is a reason to deal again quickly, which takes one tap.
There is a decent summary of the standard Golf rules and variants if you want to see how other versions handle wrapping and scoring.
Where to play
Our Golf Solitaire is free, runs in a browser with no download, and works one-handed on a phone, which suits a game built for ninety-second gaps. If you want more of the family, Pyramid Solitaire is the next fastest and FreeCell is the one you can genuinely master. Our best free solitaire games roundup covers the rest.
FAQ
What are the rules of Golf Solitaire?
Move the bottom card of any column onto the waste pile if it is one rank above or one rank below the current top waste card. When nothing can be played, turn a new card from the stock. Clear all seven columns to win.
Can a king connect to an ace in Golf Solitaire?
Not in the standard rules. There is no wrapping around, which makes kings and aces the most awkward ranks since each only connects in one direction.
Which column should I play from when I have a choice?
Usually the one blocking the most, which is normally the tallest column. Clearing a short column feels productive but the tall column is where the deal will get stuck.
Why do I lose so many Golf Solitaire deals?
Golf has a genuinely lower win rate than most solitaire games by design. Some deals lock up, and since the whole layout is visible you can often spot a dead deal early and deal again.