How to Play Golf Solitaire
Golf is a fun solitaire game which is played by one player using one standard 52 card deck of cards. Golf Solitaire should not be confused with the multi-player card game which also bears the same name. The rules for that game can be found at this link.

As in the outdoor sport of Golf, the object of this game is to have the lowest score at the end of the hand. To be considered a full win at this game, the player attempts to clear the entire layout of every card.

Golf Solitaire sample layout To begin, the entire pack should be thoroughly shuffled. After the shuffle, the player then deals the layout (called the tableau) which will be used for the game. This layout consists of seven columns (called links) consisting of five face-up cards. Each card in a column should be dealt in such a manner that it partially covering the card below it. The bottom card of each column is thus the only card which is not overlapped by another card. There should be a small amount of room left between each column of cards. See the illustration to the right for an example of how this layout might appear. After the tableau has been created, the player then places the remainder of the deck face down in a pile below the tableau, creating the stockpile.

To begin play, the player removes the top card from the stockpile and places it face-up beside the stockpile to start the foundation pile (sometimes called the waste pile). Some players prefer to hold the stockpile in one hand throughout the game, dealing cards from the pile as needed. Players should use whatever method is more convenient for play of the game.

Once a card has been dealt to the foundation pile, the player can then begin playing cards from the layout onto this foundation pile. A card may moved from the tableau onto the foundation pile as long as it is currently the last card in the row (with no cards overlapping it). The card also most be exactly one numerical rank higher or lower then the card currently on the top of the foundation pile. The suit of the cards played does not matter. The ordering of the cards in the deck as follows: Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace. Note that Aces are considered the highest and lowest cards of the deck, such that an Ace can be played on a two or a King, and likewise, a King or a two can be played on an Ace. As a card is played from each row, the next card below it becomes available for play.

Play continues until there are no more plays the player can make from the layout to the foundation pile. At this point, the player will turn over the next card from the top of the stockpile onto the foundation pile and similarly play as many cards as possible from the layout to the foundation pile. This continues until either the tableau is completely cleared of cards or the stockpile runs out of cards.

Golf Solitaire game in progress If the player manages to clear the entire foundation before running out of cards in the stockpile, this is considered a complete win. However, if the player plays the last card from the stockpile and there are no more valid legal moves remaining, the player may not have received a complete win, however he still earns a score for the hand. In either case the player earns a score for the hand. If the player manages to completely clear the foundation, his score is a minus number of points equal to the number of unplayed cards remaining in the stockpile. However if the stockpile runs out before the layout has been clear, his score for the game is a positive number equal to the number of unplayed cards still remaining in the tableau. As in the sport of Golf, from which this game takes it's name, the lower the score a player obtains on each hole, the better. In keeping with the Golf theme, each game is called one hole.

Each hole can be played as it's own independent game, however many players prefer to play an entire round of 18 holes. The goal when playing in this way is to get an accumulated total score of less than 72 over the course of the 18 holes. If able to do so, the player is also said to have won the round.

Variations and Optional Rules

No Around the Corner Sequences: In the standard game as played by many, the sequence of played cards "go around the corner", in other words on any Ace either a King or two could be played, allowing the sequence to continue up or down. However, many other players play in such a manner as the King is the highest card allowed in any sequence and an Ace the lowest. Thus, the only card that can be played on a King is a Queen. Likewise, a two is the only card that can be played on an Ace.

Two Player Golf Solitaire: Although this sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, many versions of solitaire can be played by multiple players and Golf is one such game that can be played quite well in this capacity. This game requires two standard 52 card decks of cards, one to be used by each player. The game can also require a large amount of space so should be played on a large sized table.

A series of 18 holes should be played simultaneously by both players, one at a time. If one player completes his hole before his opponent he should wait while the other player finished the hole before starting the next. Each hole should be played identically to this game is described above. After each hole the scores for both players should be calculated and added to the player's ongoing score. After a total of 18 hands or holes, the player with the lowest total is declared the winner. If, after 18 holes, both players are tied, a playoff should be played, with additional holes played until, after a hole, one player has the lower score, thus winning the game.

In a similar manner, this game can be played by more players, usually up to about 4, with the player having the lowest score after 18 holes declared the overall game winner.

                     
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