Golf Solitaire Strategy: How to Leave Fewer Cards

Golf is solitaire in a hurry. A deal takes a few minutes and the rules fit in two sentences, yet it is harder to win than it looks. Most deals end with a few cards left over. The goal is to leave as few as you can, and sometimes none.

The rules on King to Ace

Thirty-five cards are dealt face up into seven columns of five. Only the bottom card of each column can be played. The other 17 cards are set aside: one turns up as the starting waste card, and the remaining 16 form the stock.

You play a column card onto the waste when it is one rank higher or lower than the waste top. Suit does not matter. When nothing can be played, you draw one stock card onto the waste. The stock goes through once, with no redeal. You win by clearing every column, and the Cards left counter shows how many remain in the columns (0 is a win, lower is better).

In the classic rules, which are the default, Kings and Aces do not wrap. A King can go onto a Queen, but nothing can follow it, and an Ace takes only a 2. Add ?wrap=1 to the page address for K-A wrap mode, where King and Ace connect both ways, so a Queen or an Ace may go onto a King. Other sites may use different rules. This guide assumes classic unless it says otherwise. Play it on our Golf Solitaire page, and see the glossary for unfamiliar terms.

What makes Golf different

Every column card is face up from the start, so the only unknown is the stock. That makes Golf a planning game more than TriPeaks, where cards start face down. Think of it as a puzzle with a random supply of connectors.

Step one: read the whole layout

Before the first play, look at all seven columns. Notice:

• Which ranks are plentiful and which are scarce.
• Where the Kings sit. In classic rules a King can only be played onto a Queen, and nothing can follow it.
• Which columns hold chains that link up.

Example

The waste shows a 6. The bottom cards of the columns are 5, 7, 9, J, 3, 10 and 2, so you can play the 5 or the 7. Look at what each one uncovers. Suppose the card under the 7 is an 8, and the card under the 5 is a K. Playing the 7 puts a 7 on the waste and exposes the 8, which can follow at once. Playing the 5 exposes a King that cannot be played onto a 5 and may sit there for a while.

The point: choose the card by what it uncovers, not just by what is legal.

Priorities

1. Prefer the longest chain

As in TriPeaks, trace several possible runs before playing. In Golf you can see everything, so you can often plan an entire sequence in advance. A minute of planning pays off.

2. Free up the long columns

A column that still has four or five cards is the biggest obstacle. One with a card or two left is nearly done. When you have a choice, take cards from the longest columns first so you do not end with a tall column and no connectors.

3. Watch the Kings

In classic rules a King is a dead end. Once a King lands on the waste, nothing can be played on it, so your next move is a forced draw. A King at the bottom of a column can only be played while a Queen is on the waste, so plan for that moment.

When a Queen is on the waste and a King is available, that King is usually your last play before a draw. Clear everything else useful first, because the run stops after the King. In K-A wrap mode this changes: a King is no longer a dead end, since a Queen or an Ace can follow it.

4. Track the scarce ranks

If three of the four 8s are gone and the last one is buried at the top of a column, you will need patience. Keep count of each rank, especially around cards you need.

5. Keep both directions open

Golf lets you go up or down, so the best chains zigzag: 5, 6, 5, 4, 5. Repeated ranks are valuable because a card of either neighbor rank can be played. A layout showing two 7s and a 6 is a gift.

Using the stock

The stock is small, only 16 cards after the starting waste card, and you go through it once. Every draw matters.

Draw only when you must. If any column bottom matches the waste, play it. Burning stock cards early leaves you without connectors later.

Choose the best moment to draw. When stuck, the draw is forced. When you have several plays, finish with the one that leaves the most useful card on the waste before you draw.

Plan the end of a run. Try to end on a rank whose neighbors are still in play. A run that ends on a card with no neighbors left is a dead stop.

A scenario

The waste is an 8. The bottom cards are 7, 9, 4, 10, J, 3 and Q, and the card under the Q is a K.

Play the 9, then the 10, the J and the Q. That is a four-card run, and the waste is now a Q. Playing the Q uncovered the K, which can follow it. Once the King is on the waste, nothing can be played on it, so you must draw.

The alternative is to start with the 7 and look for a 6 or an 8 under it. The 7 line keeps low cards moving but clears fewer cards right away. The 9 line clears four cards at once but strands the 7, which now needs a 6 or an 8 to appear on the waste. Which one is better depends on what the columns hold behind those cards, and that is why Golf stays interesting.

Common mistakes

• Playing the first legal card. Look for the longest chain.
• Ignoring the Kings. They end runs and block columns.
• Drawing when you could play. That wastes a stock card.
• Leaving a column untouched. A column of five cards at the end is hard to finish.
• Forgetting the single pass. The stock has no redeal.

Realistic expectations

Perfect clears are not common. Most players finish with a few cards left, so aim to improve your average rather than win every game. A good result in Golf is often "one card away."

If you like quick games, compare TriPeaks and Pyramid. Our types of solitaire games page puts Golf in context with the other nine.