Your Golf, with the rules on the table.

Which version should you choose?

Four and six are the main forms described by Pagat’s Golf reference. Eight and nine are established variations, too. We do not have a reliable survey that ranks what every family plays. Six-card is our starting point because it introduces both hidden cards and matching columns in a small layout.

• Four-card memory: a 2 by 2 layout. Privately peek once at the two nearest cards, then keep the layout concealed. Replacements stay hidden. There is no matching cancellation; Twos are +2. Knock instead of drawing to give each opponent one last turn.
• Six-card: two rows of three. Reveal any two to begin. Twos are −2, vertical pairs cancel and revealing all six ends the hole immediately. No Jokers.
• Eight-card: two rows of four. Reveal a complete column on your first turn, then play. This preset follows the Whitnack version documented by Pagat: Jokers are −5, Twos are +2, matching columns cancel and two matched columns of one rank score −10. A discarded stock draw requires a flip unless only one hidden card remains. Opponents get a final turn.
• Nine-card: a 3 by 3 layout. Reveal any three to start. Use six-card values, but only a full column of three matching ranks cancels. Revealing all nine ends the hole immediately.

All presets start with nine holes, with eighteen available in private setup. Four-card uses one deck through seven players and two at eight; six-card uses two above four players. Eight-card uses two decks through four players and three above four. Nine-card uses two decks. These deck counts are this site’s setup choices.

Private house rules

Six-card private tables can choose the following changes. Larger layouts expose the applicable choices. Four-card memory keeps its own rules and offers only the hole count.

Extra final turn

Each other player gets exactly one more turn after someone goes out.

Discard and flip

After throwing away a stock draw, six- or nine-card players may reveal a hidden card or finish without a flip. Eight-card uses its preset’s required-flip rule. This never creates a standalone flip turn.

Pre-turn tidy

Swap hidden positions before your first turn starts. This does not reveal any hidden cards.

Jokers

Add two per deck. They are −2 in six/nine-card Golf or −5 in eight-card Golf; Twos become +2.

Matched negatives keep their minus

Matching negative cards retain their combined negative value. Without this rule they cancel to zero.

Four of a kind

Two full matching columns of one rank score −10 combined. Each card can contribute to only one bonus. Eight-card can fit two separate groups; nine-card does not offer this rule.

Ender pays double

If another hand is strictly lower, the player who ended the hole scores twice their raw score. Ties are safe. This applies literally even to a negative raw score.

Opening cards in different columns

Six-card still reveals exactly two opening cards, but in separate columns. Nine-card reveals three, one per column.

Public tables keep one shared ruleset

Online public Golf always uses standard six-card defaults, nine holes and a 45-second turn timer. That gives rated players the same game. Use a private room for variants, house rules and computer games.

The interactive scoring calculator lets you compare these changes before playing. Read the default six-card rules or six-card strategy tips if you are learning your first game.