How to play Golf Solitaire: lowering your score

Golf is quick and scored like the sport: fewer cards left means a better round. A little planning makes a big difference.

The rules

35 cards are dealt face up into seven columns of five. Move the bottom card of any column to the waste pile if it’s one rank higher or lower than the top waste card. Nothing can go on a King, and Aces and Kings don’t connect. Draw from the deck when stuck. Your score is the number of cards left in the columns; clear them all for a perfect 0.

Plan your runs

Before playing a card, look at what it leaves. Going 7, 6, 5 might clear three cards, while 7, 8 might stop after two. Pick the path that plays the most cards.

Save bridge cards

A card that connects two possible runs is valuable. If you can play around it now, keeping it for later might let you continue a chain when you’d otherwise have to draw.

Beware the King

A King on the waste pile ends your run. Play Kings from columns when it won’t cut off a longer chain, ideally as the last card of a run.

What’s a good score?

Clearing every column is rare. Leaving fewer than five cards is a strong round; under ten is respectable.