What is Golf Solitaire?
Golf Solitaire is a fast clearing game where you remove tableau cards by playing cards one rank higher or lower than the waste card. Suits usually do not matter. The goal is to clear as many tableau cards as possible before the stock runs out.
The name fits the scoring idea: lower is better. A clean round means fewer cards left on the tableau. Golf feels lighter than many solitaire variants, but strong runs still require planning around long chains.
The best Golf moves keep the chain alive. If both a 6 and an 8 can move onto a 7, the right choice depends on what each card uncovers and whether the next exposed cards can continue the run. Saving flexible ranks often matters more than clearing one easy card immediately.
Golf Solitaire rules
Most Golf layouts deal seven tableau columns of five cards each. One stock card starts the waste pile. You can move an exposed tableau card to the waste if it is one rank above or below the current waste card. Then that card becomes the new waste card.
- Suits are usually ignored.
- Only exposed tableau cards can be played.
- Runs can go upward or downward by one rank.
- Some rule sets allow King-to-Ace wrapping, and others do not.
- When no tableau card can be played, draw from the stock.
Golf vs Klondike Solitaire
Golf is about chaining ranks and clearing quickly. Klondike Solitaire is about uncovering hidden cards, building alternating-color tableau stacks, and moving suits to foundations. Golf is usually faster; Klondike is more familiar and more strategic over a longer game.
If Golf sounds too brief and you want a classic board with undo, scoring, and replay sharing, play Klondike on vSolitaire. For more comparisons, use the variant overview.