Golf Card Game Rules: 9-Card, 8-Card and Play Nine

A deck of cards, a kitchen table and nine holes to play. That is all you need for a game of Golf, the card game you learn in five minutes and bring out at every cottage weekend. The catch is that every family plays it a little differently: 9 cards or 8 cards, Kings at zero or Kings negative, bonus or no bonus for three of a kind. And for a few years now, the boxed game Play Nine, the golf card game, has added its own rules to the mix.

This guide settles it. You will find the complete rules for 9-card and 8-card Golf, the exact value of every card, how Play Nine differs, a few tips to lower your score, and the most popular variants played in Quebec. Print it or keep it open on your phone: the next rules argument will be over fast.

How the Golf card game works

Each player gets a grid of face-down cards (9 or 8 depending on the version). On your turn, you draw a card and decide whether to keep it to replace one of your cards, or discard it. Cards of equal value in the same column cancel out and score zero. When one player has turned all their cards face up, the hole ends and points are counted. After nine holes, the player with the lowest total wins.

What you need

• 9-card version: a standard 52-card deck with both jokers. With 4 or more players, use two decks.
• 8-card version: a 52-card deck with jokers, two decks from 4 players up.
• Play Nine: the box has everything you need, with cards numbered 0 to 12 plus "hole-in-one" cards.
• 2 to 6 players, about 30 to 45 minutes for 9 holes.
• A score sheet. A real golf scorecard works perfectly.

9-card Golf rules

Setup

The dealer deals 9 cards face down to each player. Each player arranges them in a grid of 3 columns by 3 rows without looking at them. The remaining cards form the draw pile, and the top card is turned over beside it to start the discard pile. Each player then flips two cards of their choice in their grid.

Taking a turn

The player to the dealer's left goes first. On your turn, you must choose one of two options:

1. Take the top card of the discard pile and swap it for a card in your grid, face up or face down. You must keep it. The replaced card goes on the discard pile.
2. Draw the top card of the draw pile, then either swap it for a card in your grid or discard it directly. If you discard it, you must flip one face-down card in your grid.

Whenever you swap a card in, the new card is always placed face up.

Ending the hole

As soon as one player has all 9 cards face up, every other player gets one final turn. Then all remaining cards are flipped and points are counted.

Card values (9-card version)

The rule that changes everything: two cards of the same value in the same column (one above the other) cancel out and score 0 points. In the 9-card version, three identical cards in one column also earn a -5 point bonus in many family variants. Agree on it before you start.

8-card Golf rules

The 8-card version is faster and often preferred by groups who want to play several rounds in a row. The rules are the same as the 9-card version, with these differences:

• Each player gets 8 cards laid out in 2 rows of 4.
• You flip two cards at the start, as in the 9-card version.
• Pairs cancel by column: a card in the top row and the card directly below it.
• The hole ends when one player has flipped all 8 cards, and the other players get one last turn.

With only two cards per column, good pairs are easier to complete, which makes the game more aggressive and quicker. It is the ideal version for teaching kids or for playing at the cottage.

Play Nine: the boxed version of Golf

Play Nine takes 8-card Golf and improves it with a deck designed specifically for it. Here is what changes compared to the classic card game:

• Cards run from 0 to 12, giving a wider range of scores.
• "Hole-in-one" cards are worth -5 points each. Two hole-in-one cards in the same column score -10 points.
• A pair in a column scores 0, as in classic Golf. Two identical pairs side by side (four cards of the same value across two adjacent columns) score -10 points, and three identical pairs across three adjacent columns score -15 points.
• An official score sheet is included for tracking the nine holes.
• Plays 2 to 6 players, ages 8 and up, in 20 to 40 minutes.

If you ask for "the golf card game" in a store, Play Nine is almost always what you will be shown. It is bilingual, and its compact format makes it a great travel game.

Strategy: 5 tips to lower your score

1. Go for pairs, not low cards. A single 8 costs 8 points, but two 8s in the same column score 0.
2. Watch the discard pile. If an opponent has a 7 face up, do not hand them the second one.
3. Do not close out too early. Flipping your last card gives everyone else a final turn. If your grid is not solid, wait.
4. Keep one card face down as long as you can so you control when the hole ends.
5. In Play Nine, hunt the hole-in-one cards. Two in a column is -10 points, often the difference between winning and losing.

Popular variants

• 6-card Golf: a grid of 2 rows of 3, very short games of 10 to 15 minutes.
• 4-card Golf: a 2 by 2 grid, often played with face-down cards you are never allowed to look at. A memory and bluffing version.
• Knock penalty: the player who ends the hole doubles their score if they do not have the lowest total. Makes the end of every hole much tenser.
• Negative Kings: some groups score Kings at -1 instead of 0. Decide before the first deal.

Frequently asked questions

How many cards do you need to play Golf?

The most common versions use 9 cards (a 3 x 3 grid) or 8 cards (a 2 x 4 grid). Play Nine is played with 8 cards. There are also 6-card and 4-card variants.

Why is the game called Golf?

As in golf, a game is played over nine holes (or eighteen for a long game) and the lowest score wins.

What happens when the draw pile runs out?

Shuffle the discard pile, except for the top card, to form a new draw pile.

Can you play Golf with 2 players?

Yes, Golf is excellent with 2. A single deck is enough and games are quick.

Is Play Nine different from Golf?

Play Nine is a published version of 8-card Golf with cards from 0 to 12, hole-in-one cards worth -5, and bonuses for multiple pairs. The core rules are the same.

Want to play tonight?

Play Nine, the golf card game is available online and at our store in Galeries d'Anjou, Montreal. Drop by, our team will gladly walk you through the rules in person and suggest other quick card games for the whole family.