How to Play: Golf Solitaire

The Solitaire card game is a classic whose history goes back centuries and these days can easily be played using real cards from some of the world's largest brands or on a computer or mobile device. Klondike Solitaire is the most well-known version of the game and is the one installed as a default game on PCs. While the majority of people are familiar with Klondike, there are several other kinds of Solitaire including Spider Solitaire, Freecell Solitaire, and of course, Golf Solitaire.

The Golf Solitaire game is a casual game great for beginners thanks to its simplicity and fast pace. Think of it as an easy version of an old classic. Golf and other Solitaire games are easy to play on our site, and we don't bombard you with advertisements, so you don't have to worry about an ad blocker. Best of all, we offer extra features and guides for all our new games. Stick with our guide, and we'll make you a Golf Solitaire pro in no time.

The Pack

Like most similar card games, you'll be using a standard card deck with the wild cards (Jokers) removed. This brings your number of cards to 52. You can use a novelty or custom deck if you want, and our site even allows you to change your card fronts and card backs, but this guide will use terminology adhering to standard suits and card ranks.

The Object of the Game

The goal of Golf Solitaire is to move all cards from the seven rows on the tableau into the foundation pile (discard pile) as quickly as possible. The tableau is the main play area that you can compare to a golf course in real golf. Just as you challenge yourself to finish with as few strokes as possible on a golf course to achieve a lower score, you challenge yourself in Golf Solitaire to complete the game with the quickest possible plays.

Since Golf Solitaire rules indicate that the waste pile is the only location to build from, you don't have to worry about as many complex sequences that exist in other versions of the game. This simplicity allows for some incredible final score times.

The Deal

Golf Solitaire setup is fairly straightforward. Begin by shuffling the deck and then make seven columns of cards containing five cards each. The card layout should be that each card overlaps the proceeding somewhat, save for the last card in each column. Once this tableau is created, simply place the remaining cards face-down beneath the tableau to act as the draw pile.

The Play

At the start of the game, you'll take the top card from the draw pile and place it face-up next to the pile. This card has now become the first card in your foundation pile, and the layout of the game is complete.

You need to move cards from the bottom rows of each of the tableau columns to the top of the foundation pile. To do this, exposed cards simply need to be at least one value lower or higher than the topmost card in the discard pile. In this game mode, Aces can be considered the highest or lowest value card.

Eventually, there may be no more playable cards in the tableau. The fewer cards that are left, the more likely this is to happen. At this point, an additional card will be taken from the draw pile, and the new card becomes the base for the foundation pile. Game play continues until either the tableau columns have all been moved to the discard pile (a win) or if the draw pile is exhausted and there are no more playable moves (a loss).

For those familiar with TriPeaks Solitaire, this game likely sounds like an easy mode of that, and it essentially is! Once you're comfortable as a Golf Solitaire pro, consider moving on to hard mode. While you have many options for playing these games, including a Golf Solitaire app, we as the site creators strive to make this your best option for the best experience. We offer additional information about other games, including our newly added FreeCell as well.