ONE RANK. ANY SUIT. BUILD THE CHAIN.
Golf Solitaire
Play Golf solitaire free online — no download, no sign-up, works on any device. Seven columns of face-up cards, one waste pile, one simple move: tap any exposed card exactly one rank above or below the waste top. Clear all 35 column cards before the stock runs out. Games take about three minutes, undo and hints are built in — and every deal you get here is verified winnable before it reaches you.
J♣Learn Golf Solitaire in 100 seconds: rules, chains and tips
The deal, the one-rank-up-or-down rule, where chains hide, and three quick habits for higher clears. Full written rules follow below.
In this video
01 · READ ALL SEVEN COLUMNS
How Golf solitaire works
The deal is seven columns of five cards, all face-up, with one card flipped to start the waste and the remaining 16 face-down in the stock. Only each column’s bottom-most exposed card is in play. If its rank is exactly one above or one below the waste’s top card, tapping it moves it to the waste and it becomes the new top — suit never matters in Golf. When nothing plays, tap the stock to turn one new card onto the waste. There is a single pass: no redeals, no recycling. You win by emptying all seven columns; the game ends when the stock is gone and no exposed card connects.
02 · THE CORNERS ARE STRICT
Aces, Kings, and the no-wrap rule
This page plays strict standard Golf. Aces are low: an Ace connects to a Two and nothing else. The sequence never wraps around the corner — King and Ace are not neighbors. And the strict rule that shapes every game: nothing plays on a King. A King can be played from a column onto any Queen, but once it tops the waste, the chain is dead and only a stock deal continues. Softer versions of Golf allow wrap-around building and win far more often; the strict rules are the classic form, and the FAQ below covers the differences.
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03 · EXACT, NOT ESTIMATED
Can every Golf deal be cleared?
In general, no — and we can be exact about it: we ran an exhaustive computer search over 2,000 random deals, and only about 27% can be fully cleared under these strict rules, even with perfect play. The 16 stock cards and the dead-end Kings simply don’t connect everything. That is why this page deals differently: every New Game here serves a deal our solver has proven clearable — a perfect line always exists, and finding it is the game. The Hint button runs the same exact solver, so it always points at a move on the best line. Real, human win rates on these verified deals are tracked on our win-rates page, and will publish there the way our Spider and Solitaire figures do, once enough games have been logged.
RANDOM STRICT GOLF
About 1 in 4 clearsExact solver · 2,000 random dealsDEALS SERVED HERE
Every deal has a lineVerified before New Game reaches you04 · PLAN THE CHAIN FIRST
Strategy: play chains, not cards
Weak Golf play taps the first legal card; strong Golf play counts chains. Before each move, scan all seven exposed cards and trace the longest run you can string together — a waste top of 5 with an exposed 4, 3, and two 6s is a four-card chain if you sequence it right, and one card if you don’t. Prefer plays that expose cards which extend the run. Treat Kings as stop signs: playing one ends your chain, so spend them right before you would have dealt anyway. And when two cards of the same rank are exposed, take the one sitting on the taller column — unburying is everything.
05 · TWO SOLVER-VERIFIED LESSONS
Practice the decisions that clear Golf
Both lessons restart to the same exact deal. First open space by emptying a column. Then read the whole board and complete four connected plays without using the stock.
01Empty a columnThis exact deal can be cleared — we checked. Start smaller: empty any one of the seven columns.+
02Complete a four-card chainThe skill in one exercise: this deal opens with a very long chain. String four plays together without touching the stock.+
06 · CHAIN VISION
Five habits that clear more cards
Golf rounds are three minutes long. These habits are the difference between clearing half the course and clearing all of it.
- 01Read the opening board
Map the board before the first tap. The opening position usually hides the longest chain of the game — find it before you spend it.
- 02Count both directions
Count both directions. From a 7 you can run up (8, 9, 10…) or down (6, 5, 4…) — check which direction connects more exposed cards before committing.
- 03Treat Kings as stop signs
Save Kings for dead moments. Nothing plays on a King, so it always ends your run — play one only when the chain is finished anyway.
- 04Unbury the tall columns
Favor tall columns. Between two equal plays, take the card from the column with more cards left; buried cards lose games.
- 05Compare lines with undo
Use undo to explore. Rewinding a line to test the other direction is how chain vision develops — there is no penalty here.
07 · QUICK ANSWERS
Golf solitaire FAQ
01Why is it called Golf solitaire?+
The scoring borrows from the sport: every card left on the tableau when the stock runs out counts as a stroke, and fewer strokes is better. Clearing all 35 cards is the equivalent of a hole-in-one, and traditional play scores a nine-deal round like nine holes.
02Are aces high or low in Golf?+
Low, in the strict rules played here: an Ace connects only to a Two. There is no wrap between King and Ace — some casual versions allow it, which makes the game much easier.
03Can I play a card on a King?+
Not in strict Golf — the King is a dead end, and after one lands on the waste only a stock deal continues the game. Variants that allow building on Kings (or wrapping King-to-Ace) exist and clear far more deals; this page plays the classic dead-end rule.
04How many cards do I get, and are there redeals?+
35 cards in seven columns, one starter card on the waste, and 16 in the stock — 52 in all. The stock is dealt one card at a time and there are no redeals: one pass is the whole game.
05Is every Golf deal winnable?+
Here, yes — every New Game deal is checked by an exhaustive solver before it reaches you, so a winning line always exists. In strict Golf at large that is rare: we solved 2,000 random deals and only about 27% could be fully cleared, even played perfectly. The Hint button uses the same exact solver, so following it plays an optimal line; measured human clear rates on these verified deals are tracked on our win-rates page and publish once enough games have been logged.
06Is Golf a good first solitaire game?+
It is the easiest solitaire in the family to learn — one move type, no suits, no foundations — and a round takes about three minutes. Mastery is a different matter: chain planning runs deeper than the rules suggest. If you enjoy it, Solitaire Draw 1 and Spider add layers of the same skill.