How to Play Golf Solitaire
Anna | May 7, 2025
Never played Golf Solitaire? You’re not alone. It’s not as famous as Klondike or Freecell, so there’s a good chance it hasn’t crossed your path yet. But once you try it, you will see why it’s such a hidden gem. It’s quick, easy to learn and super satisfying once you get the hang of it. Even better? About 95% of the games are actually winnable, which makes it a lot more fun than some of the tougher solitaire versions.
Golf Solitaire Setup
Before we go into how to play, let’s take a quick look at how the game is set up. Golf Solitaire uses a regular 52-card deck. When you start a new game, here’s what you’ll see:
- 7 columns of 5 face-up cards each, this is the tableau
- The stockpile, holding the remaining 16 cards, facedown
- A foundation pile with 1 face-up card from the stock
The Goal
Your goal is to clear all the cards from the tableau by moving them onto the foundation pile. You don’t need to clear the stockpile, just remove every card from the tableau. Once that’s done, you win. But before you get there, here’s how the rules work…
How to Play
You can move the bottom card from any column to the foundation if it is one rank higher or lower than the current top card on the foundation. Suits and colors don’t matter. In Figure 2, you can see that I have a 5 on the foundation, so I can play a 4 or a 6. When you move a card, the one underneath becomes the new bottom card and is now playable.
Other than that, there are no special rules in our version of Golf Solitaire. We use the easiest and most fun setup. All cards are face-up so you can plan your moves and we do allow wraparound. That means you can place an Ace on a King or a King on an Ace to keep the sequence going in either direction. For example, take a look at Figure 3, where I have an Ace on the foundation and can play the King from column 6 on it without any problems. Wraparound makes a big difference and boosts the win rate from around 45% to 95%. It keeps the game flowing and helps avoid those frustrating blocks.
If you run out of moves, just flip the next card from the stockpile onto the foundation. That becomes your new card to build on. Keep in mind, you only get one pass through the stock so make each card count.
If you ever get stuck, you can tap the yellow Hint button from the menu to check if there are any valid moves left. And if you change your mind about a move, don’t worry. There’s unlimited undo, so you can back up and try a different path at any time.
Scoring
Fun fact: Golf Solitaire is named after the sport because the scoring is the same… Lower is better.
Your score is based on two numbers:
- How many moves you make
- How many seconds you take
Add those two together and you have your final score. For example, if you made 60 moves and played for 90 seconds, your score is 150. The faster and more efficiently you play, the lower your score. You can see your best score in the stats so there’s always something to beat.
Golf Solitaire Strategy
Golf is all about timing, pattern recognition and a bit of planning. Here are a few tips to help you improve:
- Don’t rush the stock. Use it only when you have no other moves. The fewer stock cards you use, the better your chances of clearing the tableau.
- Create long combos and switch directions when it helps. Try to clear several cards in a row. As you can see in Figure 4, I have a 10 on the foundation. I can place the 9 from column 4 on it and if you follow the orange step markers, you will see a chain reaction: 10 (foundation) → 9 → 8 → 9 → 10 → 9. You can go up or down as needed. A good sequence like this can open up more options and help you keep going without dealing new cards from the stock.
- Think ahead before you play. Always check what a move will reveal. Sometimes it’s better to skip a tempting play if the card underneath doesn’t help. If you have two of the same card, like two 10s, check what’s under each. Let’s say one reveals a 7 and the other a 6. If there’s already a 6 on the board but no 7, go for the one with the 7 under it. That way, you’ll have more choices for your next moves.
- Strategically use the undo feature. If a move doesn’t work out, just take it back and try something else. Testing different paths can help you spot better options.
You don’t need to overthink your first few games. Just jump in and go with the flow. After a few rounds, you start spotting long combos before they even happen. With unlimited undos and the wraparound rule, this version of Golf Solitaire is all about fun, not frustration. So go ahead, take a swing and see how low you can score.
