How to Play Six-Card Golf
How to Play Six-Card Golf
Six-Card Golf is a quiet, clever card game where everyone tries to finish with the smallest score. You need a normal deck of cards, and you can find a regular deck of playing cards from Playmore. This guide uses one common version of the rules; families and regions may use slightly different house rules.
Quick facts
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–6 |
| Cards | One standard 52-card deck |
| Goal | Have the lowest total score |
| Game length | Usually 9 deals, called holes |
| Layout | Six cards in two rows of three |
What you are trying to do
Your six cards form a small grid. At the beginning, most of the cards are hidden, so you must remember the cards you see and make smart guesses about the rest. On each turn, you draw a new card and decide whether it can replace a card in your grid. Low cards are helpful, kings are worth nothing, and matching cards in the same column can cancel each other out.
The aim is not to collect the most cards or win individual tricks. A trick is a separate contest in some card games, but Six-Card Golf has no tricks. You simply improve your grid until the round ends, then add up its points.
What you need
Use one ordinary 52-card deck with the jokers removed. You also need a flat surface and something for scores, such as paper and a pencil or a notes app. Choose one person to be the first dealer. The deal moves to the next player after each hole so everyone gets a turn to start.
Set it up
Shuffle the deck well. Deal six cards face down to each player, one card at a time. Each player arranges their cards as two rows of three, making three vertical columns. Put the undealt cards face down in the middle as the stock, which is the draw pile. Turn the top stock card face up beside it to begin the discard pile, where unwanted cards are placed.
Before play begins, each player turns any two cards in their own grid face up. Look at them carefully and remember where they are. Do not peek at the other four cards. The two cards you reveal can be anywhere in your grid, but many groups simply reveal two cards that are easy for the player to reach.
How to play
- Start to the dealer’s left. Turns move clockwise around the table. On your turn, take the top card either from the face-down stock or from the face-up discard pile.
- Choose what to do with the drawn card. You may use it to replace one card in your six-card grid, or you may discard it. A card taken from the discard pile must replace a card in your grid; you cannot take it and immediately put that same card back.
- Replace without peeking. If you replace a card, choose its position before looking at the hidden card underneath. Put the drawn card in that position and place the old card face up on the discard pile. If the position was hidden, the new card stays face up. If you discard a card drawn from the stock instead, your turn simply ends.
- Remember the information you have. You may use the two cards you revealed at the start, plus any cards you have learned by replacing them. Do not turn a hidden card over just to check it. If you look at a hidden card, you must replace it with the card you drew.
- Watch for matching columns. A pair means two cards of the same rank, such as two sevens. In this common version, a matching pair in one vertical column scores zero for that column, even if the cards are twos. Suits do not matter, so a seven of hearts matches a seven of spades.
- End the hole when a grid is fully face up. As soon as one player has all six grid cards face up, the hole ends. Other players do not receive an extra final turn in this version. Turn over any cards that are still hidden, then score every player’s grid.
- Deal the next hole. Record each player’s score, gather the cards, shuffle, and deal again. Continue until you have played nine holes, unless everyone agrees on a shorter practice game.
How you win
Score each column separately. First apply the card values below. Then, whenever the two cards in a column have the same rank, score that whole column as zero. Add the three column totals together for that player’s score for the hole.
| Card | Value |
|---|---|
| Ace | 1 point |
| 2 | −2 points |
| 3 through 10 | Face value |
| Jack or queen | 10 points |
| King | 0 points |
| Matching pair in one column | 0 points for that column |
Write each hole’s score beside the player’s name and keep a running total. After nine holes, the player with the lowest total wins. Because a two is worth negative two points, it can lower your score, but it still counts as a matching card if it shares a column with another two.
Easy first-game tips
At the start, remember your two face-up cards before thinking about anything else. If one is a king or a two, it is usually worth protecting. A high card such as a queen is a good replacement target, but do not blindly replace a hidden card when the mystery card might already be valuable.
Keep an eye on the discard pile. If you see a rank that matches a card in one of your columns, taking it may be better than chasing a lower single card. However, a pair only helps when the matching cards are in the same column, so plan the position of your replacement carefully.
Do not rush to replace your final hidden card: once all six cards in your grid are face up, the hole ends automatically, so use earlier turns to remove high cards or complete useful pairs before exposing it.
Quick questions
Can I replace a face-up card?
Yes. A drawn card may replace any card in your grid, whether that card is face up or face down. The new replacement card remains face up.
Do matching cards need the same suit?
No. They only need the same rank, such as two kings or two fives, and they must be in the same vertical column.