Golf Card Game Rules

How do you play the Golf card game?

Golf is a card game where you try to finish with the lowest score. Each player has a layout of cards on the table, with some cards hidden. On your turn, you draw a card and decide whether to use it to replace one of yours.

Low cards help, but matching cards can be even better. In six-card Golf, two cards of the same rank directly above and below each other score zero for that column.

A game usually lasts nine deals, called holes. Add your scores after each hole, and the lowest total wins.

There are several versions with different layouts, scoring rules and ways to end a hole. This guide starts with six-card Golf, then explains the main alternatives.

Set up a game of six-card Golf

For 2–4 players, use one standard 52-card deck without jokers. For 5–8 players, shuffle two decks together. Keep a score sheet nearby.

1. 1.Deal six cards to each player, face down. Nobody looks at them yet.
2. 2.Arrange your cards in two rows of three. This creates three columns, each containing two cards.
3. 3.Place the remaining deck face down in the middle as the draw pile.
4. 4.Turn the top card face up beside it to start the discard pile.
5. 5.Each player turns any two layout cards face up. Leave the other four hidden.

The player to the dealer’s left starts, and play moves clockwise. Keep cards in their original positions throughout the hole. You cannot rearrange your layout to create pairs.

Card values and matching pairs

These are the scoring values used in the six-card Golf rules below:

Suits do not matter. A red seven and a black seven form a matching pair.

Cards must match by rank, not just point value. A jack and a queen are both worth 10, but together they score 20, not zero.

Pairs only cancel vertically in this version. Two matching cards next to each other in the same row still count normally.

Example of a finished layout

The total is 4 points. The eights cancel, the two reduces the five to three points, and the king plus ace adds one.

A pair of twos also cancels to zero. Keeping twos in different columns can therefore be more useful than pairing them.

Your turn: draw, choose and replace

Each turn follows this sequence:

1. 1.Take one card. Choose either the top card of the face-down draw pile or the top card of the discard pile.
2. 2.Decide where it belongs. You may replace any one of your six cards, whether that card is face up or face down.
3. 3.Complete the swap. Place the new card face up in that position and put the replaced card face up on the discard pile.
4. 4.Pass play clockwise. You always finish with six cards in your layout.

If you drew from the face-down pile, you may discard that card immediately instead of swapping. Your layout stays unchanged.

If you took the top discard, you must use it in your layout. You cannot simply put it back.

You cannot peek before replacing a hidden card. Once you choose that position, the swap happens even if the hidden card turns out to be better than its replacement.

Ending a hole and winning the game

In the version described here, the hole ends immediately when one player has all six cards face up. Everyone reveals their remaining hidden cards and calculates their score.

Record the results, shuffle all cards and deal the next hole. Pass the dealer position clockwise. After nine holes, the player with the lowest combined score wins.

Ending a hole does not guarantee that you win it. Another player’s hidden cards might produce a lower score.

Two practical choices to agree on before starting:

• Empty draw pile: Keep the top discard in place and shuffle the remaining discards into a new draw pile.
• Tied final scores: Share the win or play an extra hole between the tied players.

Does everyone get one last turn?

Many groups give every other player one final turn after someone reveals their sixth card. This is a common alternative to the immediate ending used above.

Choose one method before dealing. It changes whether players can make a final improvement after someone goes out.

Different versions of the Golf card game

Golf has no single rule set covering every household. These are the main established versions, with the important differences explained below.

Four-card Golf rules

Deal four cards face down in a square. Before play, each player privately looks at the two cards nearest them, then leaves them face down.

Draw and replace cards as usual, but replacements also go face down. You must remember their positions.

Instead of drawing, you may knock to end your turn and trigger the finish. Every other player gets one more turn before scoring.

In the basic version, aces score one, number cards score face value, jacks and queens score 10, and kings score zero. Twos are worth positive two, and matching pairs do not automatically cancel.

Six-card Golf rules

This is the version explained throughout the guide: reveal two starting cards, replace cards face up and aim for matching vertical pairs.

It gives everyone visible information to work with while keeping some uncertainty in each player’s layout.

Eight-card Golf rules

Eight-card Golf adds a fourth column to the six-card layout. Matching vertical pairs still score zero.

A documented version uses two decks with four jokers, reveals one complete column at the start of each player’s first turn, and gives opponents a final turn when someone finishes. Jokers score −5, while twos score +2.

Some versions also award bonuses for four matching cards across two columns. Agree on these details rather than assuming six-card scoring applies unchanged.

Nine-card Golf rules

Also called Nines or Crazy Nines, this version uses two or more decks. Deal nine cards in a three-by-three square and turn three face up to begin.

The key difference is cancellation: all three cards in a column must have the same rank to score zero. A matching pair alone does nothing.

Some groups also cancel matching horizontal rows or diagonals, but those are additional variations.

Ten-card Golf rules

Deal ten cards in two rows of five, using at least two decks. Reveal any two cards at the start.

The usual six-card drawing, replacing and column-pair game rules apply. With five columns to manage, players have more possible pairs to build before exposing their entire layout.

Golf with power cards: Cambio, Cabo and related games

This family adds special effects to the hidden-card format. Depending on the version, certain cards let you inspect a hidden card, exchange cards with another player or disrupt their layout.

Names include Cambio, Cabo, Pablo and Cactus, but their rules are not interchangeable. Card powers, scores and ending conditions vary, so choose a specific version before playing.

House rules worth agreeing on

Even two groups playing six-card Golf may use different rules. Settle these points first:

• Jokers: A common option makes jokers worth −2 and changes twos to +2.
• Extra reveals: Some groups require you to reveal a hidden card after discarding a draw-pile card without swapping.
• Pair placement: Decide whether only vertical pairs cancel.
• Negative pairs: Some groups let paired twos retain a score of −4 instead of cancelling.
• Game length: Nine holes is usual; 18 gives you a longer game.

Use the main scoring table unless your group explicitly chooses an alternative.

Simple strategy for lower scores

Look for pairs before rejecting high cards. A queen can be useful if it completes a column containing another queen.

Watch the next player’s layout. Discarding a card they need may hand them a zero-point column.

Keep negative cards separate when useful. Under the main rules, two twos in different columns can reduce your total by four. Pairing them removes that benefit.

Watch how close others are to finishing. Several hidden cards become a bigger risk when an opponent has only one left.

Think before exposing your final card. You control when the hole ends if your last replacement reveals the entire layout. Compare visible scores before making that move.

Golf rules at a glance