Good Golf Solitaire decisions begin with two questions: what can this chain remove, and what will each move uncover? On Cards4.net, all 35 tableau cards start face up, but only the exposed end card of each column can move. You can read the cards behind it before choosing a route.
These examples use Classic Golf rules: one-rank moves, 16 stock draws, no redeal, low aces, no King–Ace wrap, and no move onto a king. They illustrate choices rather than guarantee a win. The stock order is hidden, and random deals are not pre-validated as solvable.
Compare continuations before drawing
Suppose the waste is 6. One exposed 5 covers a 4, which in turn covers a 3 in the same column. Another column has an exposed 7 with a Jack behind it. Taking 5 → 4 → 3 removes three cards without drawing. Taking the 7 cannot continue through that Jack; you need an exposed 6 or 8 elsewhere to keep going.
The longer route is a useful candidate, but inspect the whole board. Other exposed cards might extend the 7 route, or removing the 3 might leave no next move. Counting only the first legal card misses the information that matters: the waste rank after the chain and the cards now available.
Equal ranks can uncover different options
With a 6 on the waste, imagine two exposed 5s. One covers a 4; the other covers a King. Both moves leave the same waste rank, but the first immediately gives you a playable 4. The second exposes a King that still needs a Queen before it can move.
That local comparison favors opening the 4 if you want an immediate continuation. It does not establish the best route for the entire deal. You may need the King exposed for a later Queen, or another column may offer the same 4. Use Undo to compare the resulting boards, including the cards that remain blocked.
Spend the stock deliberately
Every draw changes the waste and consumes a card you cannot reuse. Drawing while 5 → 4 → 3 is available passes up that opportunity for now. The cards stay in the tableau, but the new waste may no longer connect to them. Check the chain before clicking the stock.
Drawing can still be a considered choice when a legal move exists. A short chain might end on a troublesome rank, while you want to preserve an exposed card for a later route. You cannot know the next stock card in advance, so treat this as a tradeoff under uncertainty rather than an automatic improvement. When no tableau move is legal, drawing is the only way forward if stock remains.
Plan the Queen–King ending
A Queen can take a King, but the King accepts nothing afterward. If a Jack and King are both exposed while the waste is Queen, playing the King stops the chain immediately. Playing the Jack first may continue through a 10 or another Queen, depending on what is available.
Do not turn that observation into a rule to always delay Kings. Removing one may open an important card for a later stock draw, and a King that clears the final tableau card wins immediately. Before playing a King with cards still on the board, count the stock left and inspect the card it uncovers. You will need a fresh waste card before that newly exposed card can move.
Leave a route back from an Ace
An Ace connects only with a 2. From a waste 2, you might choose an exposed Ace or 3. The Ace route needs another exposed 2 to continue, while the 3 route can continue through a 2 or 4. A King supplies no escape from an Ace in Classic Golf.
If taking the Ace exposes a 2 in its own column, the chain can return immediately: 2 → Ace → 2 → 3. Read that next card before deciding the Ace is a dead end. If no 2 becomes available, an Ace stops the chain until you draw.
Work backward after the last draw
With an empty stock, every remaining card must join the current tableau chain. Suppose the waste is Queen and the remaining cards include an exposed King and Jack, with a 10 behind the Jack. Playing the King first blocks the unfinished board. Playing Jack → 10 preserves a continuation if the next required ranks are available.
Look for the final few connections, then verify that each card will be exposed in time. Seeing all the ranks is not enough if a needed card is blocked. Hint can identify legal moves, but its suggestions are not a winning-line solver. Compare routes with Undo and return to the rules guide whenever a move seems unexpectedly unavailable.
FAQ
Should I draw from the stock when I still have a legal move?
Usually play first. A draw spends one of 16 stock cards and may disconnect the waste from the chain you could have played. Draw with a move available only when the chain would end on a rank you cannot use and the exposed card is worth keeping for a later route. You cannot see the next stock card, so treat this as a gamble rather than a saving.
Which column should I clear first?
No column is worth clearing for its own sake, because an empty column holds nothing and unlocks nothing. Choose moves by the cards they expose: prefer a column whose next card continues the chain or matches a rank you will need soon. A column that keeps a King behind a useful card can often wait.
Should I play a King as soon as a Queen is on the waste?
Not automatically. The King stops the chain, so play it when no other exposed card continues, when it uncovers a card you need before the next draw, or when it is the last tableau card. Otherwise play the Jack first and keep the King for a later Queen.
Does it matter which of two cards of the same rank I play?
Yes. Both leave the same waste rank, but each uncovers a different card. Pick the one whose covered card continues the chain or will be needed after the next draw, and use Undo to compare the two boards when the difference is not obvious.