How to Play Golf Card Game
Golf is a fun, strategic card game where the goal is to get the lowest score over 9 rounds (called "holes"). It's easy to learn but offers plenty of depth for players who want to master it.
Quick Overview
Golf is played with 2 to 6 players using a standard 52-card deck. Each player arranges 6 cards in a 2x3 grid and tries to swap out high-value cards for low ones. The player with the lowest total score after 9 holes wins!
Games typically take 15-30 minutes, making it perfect for a quick break or casual gaming session.
Game Setup
To start, each player is dealt 6 cards face down. Arrange your cards in two rows of three (like a 2x3 grid) in front of you.
The remaining cards form the draw pile, and the top card is flipped over to start the discard pile.
Important:
You cannot look at your cards yet! To begin, everyone flips over any two cards in their grid. These are the only cards you can see at the start.
Objective
The goal is simple: have the lowest cumulative score at the end of the game. You achieve this by swapping out high-value cards for low ones throughout the 9 holes.
Think of it like real golf—you want the lowest score possible!
Card Values
Each card has a point value. Here's how scoring works:
- Aces:1 point
- 2s:-2 points (yes, negative! These are great to have)
- 3-10:Face value (3 = 3 points, 4 = 4 points, etc.)
- Jacks & Queens:10 points each
- Kings:0 points (perfect for keeping your score low)
Pro Tip:
Kings (0 points) and 2s (-2 points) are your best friends. Try to collect as many as possible!
Gameplay
Taking Your Turn
On your turn, you can draw from either:
- The draw pile (face-down cards)
- The discard pile (face-up card on top)
Drawing from the Draw Pile
If you take a card from the draw pile, you have two options:
- Swap it with one of your six cards (face-up or face-down)
- Discard it immediately - but if you do this, you must flip over one of your face-down cards
Drawing from the Discard Pile
If you take the top card from the discard pile, you must swap it with one of your cards. You cannot discard it.
Strategy Note:
The discard pile is visible to everyone, so you can see what cards other players are getting rid of. Use this information to your advantage!
Scoring
At the end of each hole, add up the point values of all six cards in your grid. But there's a special rule that can help you:
The Pair Rule
If you have two of the same card in a vertical column, that entire column scores 0 points!
For example, if you have two 7s stacked vertically, that column is worth 0 instead of 14 points. Even high cards like Queens become free if they're paired vertically.
Special case: A column of two 2s scores -4 points (since each 2 is -2).
Your score for the hole is the sum of all three columns. This score is added to your cumulative total across all 9 holes.
Ending a Hole
A hole ends when one player has flipped all six of their cards face-up. When this happens:
- The player who flipped all their cards signals the end of the hole
- Everyone else gets one final turn
- All players reveal their remaining face-down cards
- Everyone calculates their score for that hole
- Scores are added to the cumulative total
Then you start a new hole with fresh cards, and the process repeats until you've completed 9 holes total.
Winning the Game
After all 9 holes are complete, add up each player's cumulative score. The player with the lowest total score wins!
Remember: In Golf, lower is better. A score of 15 beats a score of 30, just like in real golf.