Play Golf Solitaire Online for Free (Golf Patience)
Golf Solitaire is one of the fastest and most satisfying solitaire games. Remove cards from seven columns by playing them in sequence, one rank up or one rank down from the current waste top. Chain long runs to clear the tableau and aim for the lowest possible score. Aces do not wrap to Kings by default, keeping the strategy sharp. Play free, instant, no download required.
What is Golf Solitaire?
Golf Solitaire is a single-player card game played with one standard 52-card deck. Seven columns of five cards are dealt face-up to form the tableau (35 cards total). The remaining 17 cards form a face-down stock. One card is turned from the stock to start the waste pile. Each turn, you may play the top card of any column onto the waste pile if it is one rank higher or one rank lower than the current waste top. In standard Golf, Aces are low and Kings do not connect back to Aces, so sequences halt at either end.
The goal is to move all 35 tableau cards to the waste pile before the stock runs out. When no column top can be played on the current waste card, draw the next stock card to create a new opportunity. Your score is the number of cards remaining in the tableau when the stock empties and no more moves exist. Zero remaining cards is a win; the lower your score, the better your round.
Golf Solitaire history
Golf Solitaire takes its name from the scoring parallel to the sport of golf: the objective is to finish with the lowest possible score rather than the highest. The game appears in patience card game collections from the early 20th century under the name Golf Patience, and it became a fixture of computer solitaire collections in the 1990s and 2000s. Its appeal lies in the near- instant play cycle and the visible scoring mechanic, which gives players a clear improvement goal across multiple rounds. The name also fits the column-and-run structure, with players imagining each card removed as a stroke toward a perfect round of zero. Digital implementations sometimes add an optional King-to-Ace wrap to increase win rates, creating a softer variant sometimes called Relaxed Golf.
How to Play Golf Solitaire
Golf is one of the fastest solitaire games to learn. The rules are minimal and each game plays in under two minutes once you understand the sequence mechanic.
- Deal 35 cards into seven columns of five, all face-up. The remaining 17 cards form the face-down stock.
- Turn the top stock card face-up to start the waste pile.
- Look at the top card of each column. If any top card is one rank higher or one rank lower than the waste top, you can play it. Tap it to move it to the waste pile.
- After playing a card, the next card in that column becomes available. Keep playing cards in sequence as long as they are each one step away from the new waste top.
- When no column top matches (within one rank), tap the stock to draw one new card to the waste pile and try again.
- Continue until the stock is empty and no more column tops can be played.
- Count the remaining tableau cards. Zero is a win. The lower the count, the better your score.
Strategies to win Golf Solitaire
Golf's simple rules hide real strategic depth. The following tactics will consistently lower your card count across games.
- Prioritize the longest chain. Before playing any card, scan all seven column tops and trace how many sequential cards you could play in a row. A chain of four or five cards is far more valuable than a single play, even if the single play looks tempting.
- Clear deep columns first. Columns with five cards still stacked are harder to clear near the end of the game. When two chains are of equal length, prefer the one that starts in a taller column.
- Steer the waste top toward the middle of the rank range. A waste top of 6, 7, or 8 can accept cards from both directions, giving you more flexibility. Avoid stranding the waste top at Ace or King, which cuts off one direction entirely.
- Save stock draws for genuine deadlocks. Drawing early wastes potential. Every stock card you draw creates a new waste top, but it also permanently reduces the total stock available to you. Draw only when no play is possible.
- Undo sparingly and strategically. If undo is available, use it to explore a different play order when you can see that your current path leads to a dead end quickly.
Golf Solitaire rules and objective
The objective is to move all 35 tableau cards to the waste pile before the stock is exhausted. Cards may be played to the waste pile if they are exactly one rank higher or one rank lower than the current waste top. Only the top card of each column is available to play. In standard Golf, the sequence does not wrap: Aces are the lowest rank (below 2) and Kings are the highest (above Queen); you cannot play a 2 on an Ace or an Ace on a 2 in a downward chain from a 2. When no play is available, draw one card from the stock to create a new waste top. There are no redeals.
Game setup
Shuffle a standard 52-card deck. Deal one card face-up to each of seven columns, then a second card face-up on each column, continuing until each column has five face-up cards (35 cards total). Set the remaining 17 cards face-down as the stock. Turn the top stock card face-up to create the first waste card. Play begins immediately.
Golf Solitaire variants and similar games
Golf Solitaire belongs to the same broad family as TriPeaks and Black Hole, all sharing the sequential chain removal mechanic. Here is how the key variants compare:
| Variant | Layout | Wrap (A-K) | Typical win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golf Solitaire (this game) | 7 columns x 5 cards | No | ~40% |
| TriPeaks Solitaire | 3 overlapping peaked rows | Yes | ~50% |
| Double TriPeaks | 2 full TriPeaks sets, 2 decks | Yes | ~45% |
| Black Hole Solitaire | 17 cols x 3 + center Ace | Yes (always) | ~85% |
How difficult is Golf Solitaire?
Golf Solitaire sits at a medium difficulty level. The rules are among the simplest in all of solitaire, but achieving a true win (zero cards remaining) requires careful sequencing and some luck in the stock order. Most games end with between 5 and 15 cards remaining. A perfect game is genuinely rare and satisfying. The absence of Ace-to-King wrap and the fixed 17-card stock means a bad draw early in the game can make zero unachievable regardless of how well you play. Scoring makes Golf replayable even in losing rounds, since a personal best of 3 remaining cards feels like meaningful progress.
What is Golf Solitaire's win percentage?
Golf Solitaire has a win rate of approximately 40% under optimal play in the standard no-wrap version. With King-to-Ace wrap enabled, the win rate rises to around 55 to 60%. The 40% figure assumes perfect chain optimization and draw timing. Casual play typically achieves a win rate of 20 to 30% in the standard version. Scoring makes Golf meaningful even in losses: your goal each round is to beat your previous card count, not just to win outright.
What is the difference between Golf Solitaire and TriPeaks Solitaire?
Golf Solitaire and TriPeaks Solitaire share the same core mechanic: play cards from the tableau to the waste pile in sequential rank steps. The main differences are layout and wrap behavior. Golf uses seven plain columns of five cards arranged in a simple grid; TriPeaks uses a more complex overlapping three-peak layout with exposure rules (blocked cards cannot be played until the cards covering them are removed). Golf does not allow Ace-to-King wrap by default, so sequences halt at each end; TriPeaks always allows wrap. TriPeaks also rewards long chains with a streak-based bonus score, adding an incentive to plan chain runs beyond just clearing cards. Both games are quick to play and share the "lowest score wins" philosophy from Golf.
Golf Solitaire FAQ
Why is it called Golf Solitaire?
Golf Solitaire is named after the sport of golf because of the shared scoring philosophy: in both games, the goal is to finish with the lowest possible score rather than the highest. In the card game, each card left in the tableau at the end counts as one stroke over par. Clearing all 35 tableau cards is the equivalent of a hole-in-one. The game was named Golf Patience in early 20th-century card game books, and the name stuck through the digital era.
Can an Ace play on a King in Golf Solitaire?
In standard Golf Solitaire, no. The sequence does not wrap, so an Ace can only play on a 2 (rank down), and a King can only play on a Queen (rank down). You cannot play an Ace on a King to continue a descending sequence past the King, and you cannot play a 2 on an Ace in an ascending chain coming up from the Ace. This no-wrap rule is what distinguishes standard Golf from TriPeaks, which always allows the sequence to wrap from King to Ace and back.
What is a good score in Golf Solitaire?
In Golf Solitaire, any score below 10 remaining cards is considered good play. A score of 5 or fewer is excellent. A score of zero (clearing all 35 tableau cards) is a perfect game. Casual players typically average between 8 and 15 remaining cards, while experienced players who focus on chain optimization regularly score below 5 on winnable deals. Tracking your average across multiple games is the standard way to measure improvement in Golf Solitaire.
How many cards are in the stock in Golf Solitaire?
The stock in Golf Solitaire contains 17 cards. A standard 52-card deck is split into 35 cards dealt to the tableau (seven columns of five) and 17 cards placed face-down as the stock. One card from the stock is turned face-up to start the waste pile, so there are effectively 16 draw opportunities during the game after the first waste card is set. When the stock is empty and no more plays are possible, the game ends and remaining tableau cards are counted as the final score.
Is Golf Solitaire always winnable?
No, Golf Solitaire is not always winnable. The theoretical win rate under optimal play is approximately 40% in the standard no-wrap version. The stock order and initial deal heavily influence whether a perfect score of zero is reachable. In many deals, the best possible outcome is a score of 3 to 8 remaining cards even with perfect play. The scoring system is designed for this reality: Golf is meant to be replayed many times, with improvement measured by your average score across rounds rather than by win/loss alone.