How to play Golf

One standard deck for two to four players; two decks for more.

Have the lowest total over nine deals (“holes”).

1. 1Deal six cards face down to each player in two rows of three.
2. 2Each player turns any two of their cards face up.
3. 3Place the rest as a stock and turn the top card up to start the discard pile.

1. 1On your turn, draw the top card of the stock or the discard pile.
2. 2Swap it for any card in your grid (face-up or face-down, without peeking first) and discard the replaced card face up—or discard the drawn card if you drew from the stock and don’t want it.
3. 3The hand ends when one player has all six cards face up; everyone else gets one more turn.

• Score each grid: aces 1, twos minus 2, number cards face value, jacks and queens 10, kings 0.
• Two equal cards in the same column score zero for that column.
• After nine deals, the lowest total wins.

• Four-card Golf: a two-by-two grid where you look at two cards at the start.
• Jokers worth minus 2 (with twos then worth 2), or jacks worth zero.

• Build pairs in a column—they wipe out high cards.
• Watch what your neighbor needs before discarding.
• Turn up your face-down cards early only if they are likely to help—an unknown card can be swapped later without a penalty.