Golf Solitaire
CardsPlay any card one rank above or below the waste card.
How to Play
Goal: Clear all 35 cards from the seven columns before the stock runs out.
Controls: Tap the bottom card of any column when it is one rank above or one rank below the card on the waste pile. Playable cards are outlined in orange. Tap Deal to turn a new card from the stock when nothing can be played.
Rules: Ranks do not wrap around, so a king does not join an ace. Only the bottom card of a column is ever playable. Your deals won total is saved on your device.
About Golf Solitaire
Golf Solitaire is the fastest game in the solitaire family. Seven columns of five cards deal face up, so nothing is hidden from you, and the whole game is a single chain built up and down one rank at a time onto the waste pile. A deal takes about ninety seconds, which is why it survives as the go-to patience game for genuinely short breaks.
The name comes from scoring: in the traditional version you play nine deals as nine holes and count the cards you failed to clear, low score winning. Because the layout is fully visible from the first second, Golf is also the rare solitaire where a practised player can sometimes tell a deal is dead before making a single move, which is part of its honesty.
Kings and aces are the awkward ranks, because ranks do not wrap and each therefore connects in only one direction. A king buried mid-column is the single most common reason a deal fails, which makes the columns holding them worth prioritising while you still have flexibility.
Golf Solitaire habits that win deals
- When two or more columns can play, take from the tallest one. Short columns feel satisfying to clear but the tall column is where the deal will get stuck.
- Glance one card deep before you commit. If the card under your play continues the chain you have gained a free move, if it does not you have made that column harder.
- Prioritise columns containing kings and aces early, while you still have several options, rather than leaving them for when the stock is thin.
- Save stock deals. Every card you turn is one fewer chance later, so exhaust your tableau options before tapping Deal.
- Deal again without guilt. Golf has a genuinely low win rate by design, and a dead deal is one tap away from a fresh one.
FAQ
How do you play Golf Solitaire?
Move the bottom card of any column onto the waste pile when it is one rank above or one rank below the current waste card. When nothing can be played, deal a new card from the stock. Clear all 35 column cards to win the deal.
Does a king connect to an ace?
No. Ranks do not wrap around in the standard rules, so a king only joins a queen and an ace only joins a two. That is what makes kings and aces the most awkward cards in the layout.
Which column should I play from when I have a choice?
Usually the tallest one, or the one holding a king or ace. Clearing a short column feels productive, but the tall column is where the deal is most likely to lock up.
Why do I lose so many deals?
Golf Solitaire has a lower win rate than most patience games, and that is by design rather than a flaw. Since the whole layout is visible you can often spot a dead deal early and start a fresh one.
Is my progress saved?
Your total deals won is saved on your device, so it carries over between visits. Individual deals are not saved, since a round only takes about ninety seconds.
