How to play Golf Solitaire

Golf Solitaire is named for the way you try to finish in as few "strokes" as possible — the fewer cards left when the game ends, the better your round. It's quick, easy to learn, and ideal for a short break, with rounds that rarely last more than a minute or two. There is just one card to think about at a time, which makes Golf one of the gentlest patiences to pick up.

Goal

Clear all 35 cards from the seven tableau columns onto the waste pile. Empty every column and you win the hand.

The board

• Seven columns of five face-up cards each make up the tableau. Only the bottom card of a column is in play.
• The stock holds 16 cards in reserve.
• The waste is the single pile you build onto, and its top card is what your next play must connect to.

Moves

• Play any column's bottom card onto the waste if it is exactly one rank above or one rank below the waste's top card.
• Suit doesn't matter — a 6 of any suit plays onto any 5 or 7.
• There is no wrap-around: a King is a dead end on the high side and an Ace is a dead end on the low side, so a 2 cannot follow an Ace and an Ace cannot follow a King.
• When nothing plays, click the stock to flip its next card onto the waste — but you only have 16 stock cards, so spend them carefully.

Strategy

Look for long chains before you commit to your first move — a run like King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9 is often hiding in plain sight across several columns, and playing it in one breath clears a lot of board cheaply. Always prefer a move that unblocks a card you can use on the very next turn, and keep an eye on which ranks you still need so you don't strand a column behind a stubborn King or Ace. Save the stock for the moments you truly stall, since every flip is a card you can't get back.