Golf is a free online card game where, just like in real golf, the lowest score wins. You manage a small grid of cards in front of you, swapping and revealing them to keep your total as low as possible. Play in your browser against the computer with no download and no sign-up.
It is a quick, clever game of risk and timing, especially the decision of when to "knock" and end the round. Easy, Medium and Hard settings make the computer better at minimising its score and timing its knocks, so winning takes good judgement.
Card Golf is a folk game that has travelled under many local names and layouts. Families deal anywhere from four to nine cards per player: the popular six-card version arranges them in a 2×3 grid where matching pairs in a column cancel to zero, while nine-card "crazy nines" adds whole rows and diagonals to chase. Traditionalists even play a full round of nine or eighteen hands — nine "holes" — totalling the scores exactly like a golfer's scorecard.
The game's charm is imperfect information you created yourself. Your face-down cards were glimpsed only at the deal (if at all), so you must remember what you buried while inferring what opponents hold from every card they grab off the discard pile. That mix of memory, probability and push-your-luck knock timing gives a five-minute filler game a surprising amount of bite.
Finish with the lowest total card value. Swap high cards for low ones across the round and knock to end play when you think your grid beats your opponents'.
On your turn, draw from the deck or take the top discard, then either swap it for one of your face-down or face-up grid cards, or discard it and flip one of your cards. Use the Knock button to signal the final round when you believe your layout is low enough.
Each card scores its value (number cards at face value, with special low or negative values for certain cards depending on the variant), and matching pairs in a column often cancel to zero. After someone knocks and everyone takes a final turn, the lowest total wins the hand.
Hunt for column pairs that cancel out, and get rid of your high cards early by swapping them for low draws or discards. Knock when your visible cards are low and you suspect opponents are stuck with big cards — but not so early that they still have time to recover.
What is the goal in Golf?
To finish with the lowest total card score, just like the lowest score wins in real golf.
What does knocking do?
Knocking signals the last round; every other player gets one final turn before scores are compared.
Do I have to pay to play Golf here?
No — the game runs entirely free in your browser, with no download and nothing to sign up for.
More classic games: Gin Rummy, Crazy Eights, Blackjack, War, Five Dice, and all 100 free games.