How to Win at Golf Solitaire: Long Chains, Fewer Strokes
Golf Solitaire is a race against the stock. You play the bottom card of any column onto the pile if it is one rank higher or lower, suits do not matter, and every card from the stock ends your chain. Each hole is scored like golf: the fewer cards left on the table, the better. This guide explains the scoring, how to build long chains, which columns to dig out, how to handle Kings and Aces and how to chase the achievements.
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Understand the score
Your strokes for a hole are the cards left on the table. Clear the table and your strokes go below zero: minus one for every card still in the stock. Each hole is worth 35 points minus your strokes, so leaving 3 cards gives 32 points, while clearing the table with 6 stock cards to spare gives 41.
The table holds 35 cards and the stock 16. Every stock card you do not need is worth a point once the table is clear, so the goal is not only to clear the table but to do it with as few draws as possible.
Find the longest chain before you draw
Before you play anything, look at all seven bottom cards and trace possible chains: 5, 6, 5, 4, 3… Often you can choose between going up or down, and the wrong choice cuts a run of five cards short. Play the chain that uses the most cards, and draw only when nothing fits.
Hint shows the move that starts the longest chain, which is a great way to learn. Playing 6 cards in a row without drawing earns the On a roll achievement.
Dig out the tallest columns
When two cards fit, prefer the one from the tallest column. Short columns empty themselves, but cards buried in a tall column are the ones still on the table when the stock runs out.
Look one card ahead too: if taking a card uncovers another that fits the next step of your chain, it is usually the better play.
Handle Kings and Aces
With King–Ace wrap off, the sequence stops at both ends: only a Queen goes on a King, and only a 2 goes on an Ace. A King on the pile can end your chain, so when you have a choice, play a King when a Queen can follow it, or keep it for the end of a chain.
With King–Ace wrap on, an Ace can go on a King and a King on an Ace, which makes long chains much easier. It is a good setting for learning, but the Golf pro achievement needs it off.
Test your ideas with Undo
You can undo any move within the current hole as often as you like, and only the cards left at the end count. When a hole goes badly, step back a few moves and try another chain. Choose a course of 1, 3 or 9 holes. Clear all 35 cards in a hole for Hole in one, and score 275 or more over 9 holes without King–Ace wrap for Golf pro.
Questions
- Do suits matter in Golf Solitaire?
- No. Only the rank counts: you can play any card that is one rank higher or lower than the top card of the pile.
- Can every hole be cleared?
- No. Some deals cannot be cleared whatever you do, so on a hard deal aim to leave as few cards as possible: every card counts as a stroke.
- Is there a penalty for Undo or Hint?
- No. Undo and Hint are free; only the cards left on the table, or in the stock if you clear the table, decide your score.
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