What is Golf solitaire?
Golf solitaire borrows the sport's scoring idea: low is good. It's a brisk, one-decision-at-a-time game that fits neatly into a spare moment.
How Golf works
Golf deals 35 cards into seven columns of five, with the rest as the stock. Any exposed column card that's one rank above or below the top of the waste pile can be played onto it. When nothing plays, you flip a new card from the stock. The aim is to clear as many tableau cards as possible before the stock runs out.
Scoring like golf
True to its name, your score is the number of cards left in the tableau when you can't move, so lower is better and clearing the whole board is the equivalent of a great round. Whether Aces wrap to Kings depends on the ruleset, which affects how freely you can chain cards. It shares its matching DNA with TriPeaks.
Why players like it
Golf is fast, easy to learn, and satisfying to optimize, which is why our beginner guide groups it with the quick confidence-builders. It's a good palate-cleanser between longer games of Klondike or FreeCell.
Related questions
What is TriPeaks solitaire?
TriPeaks is a quick matching solitaire where you clear three overlapping peaks of cards. You remove any exposed card that's one rank higher or lower than the current waste card, wrapping King to Ace. Long chains score big, and a full game takes only a minute or two.
What is Pyramid solitaire?
Pyramid is a matching solitaire played with a 28-card pyramid. You remove pairs of exposed cards that add up to 13, with Kings removed on their own. The goal is to clear the entire pyramid. Under strict rules it's tough, with only about 20% of deals winnable.
How long does a game of solitaire take?
It depends on the game. Quick matching games like TriPeaks and Golf finish in a minute or two, a typical Klondike or FreeCell game runs 3 to 10 minutes, and larger two-deck games like Spider or Forty Thieves can take 10 to 20 minutes. Experienced players go much faster.