Play Golf Solitaire Online for Free

Golf Solitaire is a quick, one-deck Solitaire game where every card is face up from the start. Suits don’t matter. Clear the seven columns by building one long chain of cards in the waste pile, each one rank higher or lower than the last, and try to finish the round with no cards left.

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Golf Solitaire Objective

Win Golf Solitaire by clearing all 35 cards from the tableau, playing each one onto the waste pile when it’s one rank higher or lower than the card on top.

Each game starts with 35 cards dealt face up into seven columns of five, overlapping so you can see every card. One card starts the waste pile, and the other 16 cards make up the stockpile. Like the sport it’s named after, the goal is to finish with as few cards left as possible, and a perfect round clears them all.

Golf Solitaire Rules

Golf has only a few rules, but because every card is face up from the start, it rewards planning more than most Solitaire games.

• Only the uncovered card in each column can be played into the waste. The card at the bottom of each column is available. When you play it, the card under it becomes available next.
• Play cards one rank higher or lower. A card can go on the waste pile if it’s one rank above or below the top card. Suit and color don’t matter. For example, if the top card is an 8, you can play a 7 or a 9, then keep going with the next card in the chain.
• Nothing can be played on a King, not even a Queen. In classic Golf, a King ends the chain, and an Ace can only be followed by a 2.
• Draw from the stockpile when you get stuck. Click the stockpile to turn its next card onto the waste pile and continue from there.
• You only go through the stockpile once. When the stockpile is empty and no column card can be played, the game is over. Cards left in the stockpile when you clear the tableau don’t count against you.

If you get stuck, Undo lets you take back a move, and Hint points out a good play. Choose Restart to replay the same deal or New Game for a fresh one. Every deal can be won, even with the stock face down.

Click-to-move is on by default, so you can play a card by clicking it instead of dragging it to the waste pile. You can turn it off in Options > Settings > Game Options.

Wraparound vs. Classic Golf

SolitaireStreak plays classic Golf by default. If you’d like an easier game, turn on Wraparound (K↔A) in Options > Settings > Game Options. With wraparound on, Kings and Aces connect in both directions: you can play an Ace on a King, a King on an Ace, and a Queen on a King, so a chain like Q, K, A, 2 is allowed. The setting applies from your next game.

The difference is bigger than it sounds. When our solver played 1,000 random deals with perfect play, about 29% of classic deals could be won, compared with about 92% with wraparound on. Because the two versions play so differently, each one has its own leaderboard.

Golf vs. TriPeaks

Golf is a close cousin of TriPeaks Solitaire. Both games build a single waste pile one rank up or down, ignoring suit, with one pass through the stockpile. The differences are in the layout and how much you can see:

• Layout: Golf deals 35 cards into seven columns, while TriPeaks deals 28 cards into three overlapping peaks.
• Face-up cards: every Golf card is face up from the start, so you can plan a whole chain in advance. Most TriPeaks cards start face down and are revealed as you clear the peaks.
• Stockpile: Golf gives you 16 stockpile cards to clear 35 tableau cards, compared with 24 for 28 cards in TriPeaks, so each draw matters more.
• Kings and Aces: in classic Golf nothing goes on a King. In TriPeaks on SolitaireStreak, ranks wrap around by default.

If you like Golf, you might also enjoy Pyramid Solitaire, where you clear cards by pairing them to 13 instead of building chains.

Tips and Strategies to Win Golf Solitaire

With only 16 stockpile cards to work with, Golf is won or lost on how long your chains are. These tips will help you get more out of every card.

• Plan the longest chain before you move. Every card is face up, so trace a few possible chains through the uncovered cards and the cards under them. Choose the one that clears the most cards before you need the stockpile.
• Work on the tallest columns. When two plays are equally good, take the card from the column with the most cards left. Long columns bury cards you’ll need later, and clearing them early keeps more cards within reach.
• Only draw when you’re out of moves. You only go through the stockpile once, so play every card you can before turning the next one.
• Think about how a chain ends. If two chains are the same length, choose the one that ends on a rank the stockpile is likely to continue. Count which ranks you’ve already seen, and avoid ending on a rank whose neighbors are mostly gone.
• Save Kings for the end of a chain. In classic Golf, a King stops the chain. Play one when it’s the last move you can make, not in the middle of a run.
• Watch for buried cards. If a card you need is under several others in the same column, start freeing it early so it’s available when the waste pile reaches its rank.

Your score rewards efficient play, so winning faster and in fewer moves scores higher. Every card you play and every Undo or Hint counts as a move, and Undo and Hint also count as penalties. Drawing from the stockpile isn’t a move, but each draw takes one point off your final score. Learn more about how Solitaire is scored.