How to Play Golf Card Game: 4, 6 and 9 Card Rules
Nov 9, 2026 · The Editors
How to play golf card game with 2, 3, 4 or more players: the six-card layout, drawing and swapping, how each card scores, pairs in a column, and the four-card and nine-card versions.
Golf is a card game where, like the real thing, the lowest score wins. Each player has a small grid of face-down cards and spends the round swapping them for better ones without knowing exactly what they hold. It takes two minutes to learn, plays from two players up to eight, and a full nine "holes" makes a perfect half-hour game.
Setting up the six-card game
Use one standard 52-card deck for two to four players, two decks for five or more.
- Deal six cards face down to each player. Without looking, each player arranges them in two rows of three.
- Put the rest of the deck face down as the stock and turn the top card face up to start the discard pile.
- Each player turns two of their cards face up.
A turn
On your turn, take either the top card of the discard pile or the top card of the stock.
- Swap it for any one of your six cards — face up or face down. The card you replace goes face up on the discard pile, and the new card stays face up in your grid.
- Or, if you drew from the stock and do not want the card, discard it. (Some tables then make you turn one of your face-down cards over.)
When one player has all six cards face up, every other player gets one more turn, and the hole ends. Turn all remaining cards over and score.
How golf scores
| Card | Points |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 |
| 2 | minus 2 |
| 3 to 10 | face value |
| Jack, Queen | 10 |
| King | 0 |
| A pair in the same column | 0 for both cards |
The pairing rule is the heart of the game: two Jacks stacked one above the other score nothing. Two 2s in a column also score nothing — which is why some tables let a pair of 2s keep its minus 4. Agree it first.
Play nine holes and add up the scores. Lowest total wins.
Golf card game with 2 players
With two players, the game is a duel over the discard pile. Every card you throw away is offered to your opponent, so avoid discarding a card that would complete a pair in one of their columns. Some pairs play 18 holes for a longer game.
The 4 card version
Deal four cards in a square, two by two. At the start of the hole, each player may look once at the two cards nearest them, then turns them face down again. Play as above, with memory doing the work that face-up cards do in the six-card game. A player may knock instead of drawing; everyone else gets one more turn, then all cards are scored.
The 9 card version
Deal nine cards in three rows of three and turn three of them face up. Three of a kind in a column scores zero. The game takes a little longer and rewards planning — a common target score per hole is far higher, so expect big totals over nine holes.
Strategy
- Kings and 2s are gold. Keep them.
- Do not chase a pair forever. A 9 in your grid is worth replacing with any card lower than 5.
- Watch the clock. When an opponent has only one card face down, replace your worst face-down card now — you may not get another turn.
Golf is a game where everyone can see everyone's cards, so a handsome deck shows off nicely. A gold foil deck is waterproof and lies flat, or see unique themed playing cards. For more quick games, try card games for two.
