Practice Golf solitaire with a coach

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The Golf solitaire table

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Goal: clear as many of the 35 cards in the seven columns as you can onto the discard pile. A card goes on the pile when it is one rank higher or lower than the top card, whatever its suit. Your score is the number of cards left in the columns, so lower is better. Undo has no limit.

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About this practice game

One player, one deck of 52 cards. Seven columns of five cards are dealt face up, and one card starts the discard pile. You play the last card of any column onto the pile when it is one rank higher or lower than the top card, and turn over the draw pile when nothing fits. Press Hint for a suggestion and Undo as often as you like. Most deals cannot be cleared, so the score is what counts. New to the game? Press Watch a narrated deal above the table to see the computer play a whole deal, with every move explained and the draw pile kept hidden, as in a real game.

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How Golf solitaire works

One player, one deck. You play against the cards. Cards go in this order, lowest to highest: A (ace), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J (jack), Q (queen), K (king). A card's place in this order is its rank, so a 7 is one rank higher than a 6.
The seven columns. Seven columns of five cards are dealt, 35 cards in all, and every one of them is face up. Only the last card of each column (the one lowest on the screen) can be played. Playing it frees the card above it.
The discard pile. One more card is turned face up to start the discard pile. The other 16 cards are the draw pile, face down.
What fits. The last card of a column can go on the discard pile when it is one rank higher or lower than the top card, whatever its suit: a 6 or an 8 on a 7, of any suit. The card you play becomes the new top card, so you can often play several cards in a row, up and down as you like (7, 8, 7, 6 ...).
The ace and the king. The ace is low. Only a 2 goes on an ace, and an ace and a king are not next to each other. Nothing goes on a king, so after a king the next card has to come from the draw pile.
When nothing fits. Turn over the next card of the draw pile onto the discard pile. It is the new top card. The draw pile is gone through only once.
The end and the score. The deal ends when every column is clear, or when the draw pile is used up and nothing fits. Your score is the number of cards left in the columns: lower is better. If you clear every column, each card still in the draw pile counts one below zero.

How to use this page

Click the last card of a column to play it onto the discard pile. If it does not fit, the line at the top of the board says why. The small line beside the discard pile says which ranks fit.
Click the draw pile to turn over its next card.
Hint points at one good move with a gold outline and says why it is good. Undo takes back your last move, and you can press it again and again. New deal shuffles and starts over.
With the keyboard: press Tab to move between the draw pile and the last card of each column. The left and right arrow keys move from column to column. Enter or Space plays the card you are on.
The counters show how many cards are left in the columns and in the draw pile. There is no timer.
To watch instead of play, press Watch a narrated deal above the table. The computer plays a whole deal, and every move is explained: which cards fit, which one it chose and why. The draw pile stays hidden, as in a real game. Press Next and Back (or the arrow keys) to step, Play to let it run on its own, and Jump to to skip ahead. Back to playing returns to your game exactly as you left it.

Three things beginners miss

Keep the run going. When two cards fit, play the one that another card you can see could follow: the card it uncovers, or the last card of another column. Every card you play before you turn over the draw pile is a card cleared for free.
Free the tallest column. When the choice is otherwise equal, play from the column with the most cards. A column with many cards hides many cards behind its last one.
Play before you turn over. If a card fits, play it before you turn over the draw pile. The new card covers the discard pile, and a card that fits now may not fit then.

Common beginner mistakes

Taking the first card that fits. Look at every column before you click. Two cards often fit, and one of them lets the run go on.
Forgetting that suits do not matter. Any 6 or 8 fits on a 7, red or black.
Putting a king on an ace, or an ace on a king. The ace is low: only a 2 goes on an ace, and nothing goes on a king.
Giving up on a bad deal. Most deals cannot be cleared. Play on anyway: the score counts every card you clear.

The full rules page →

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