Golf Card Game Rules (4-Card Version): How to Play & Score

What you need

A standard 52-card deck (use two decks for 5 or more players).
2 to 6 players.
Pen and paper for scores: a full game is usually 9 rounds (“holes”).

Setup

Deal 4 cards face down to each player, arranged in a 2×2 square.
Each player secretly looks at the 2 cards closest to them, then puts them back face down. You may not look again.
Put the rest of the deck face down as the draw pile. Turn the top card face up to start the discard pile.

Taking a turn

Either take the top card of the discard pile, or draw the top card of the draw pile.
Swap it with one of your 4 cards (the replaced card goes face up on the discard pile), or, if you drew from the draw pile, discard it without swapping.
Cards never change position in your square.

Ending the round

When you think you have the lowest score, you “knock” instead of taking a turn (in some groups, at the end of your turn). Every other player gets one final turn. Then everyone reveals their cards and scores.

Scoring

Ace = 1 point.
Number cards 2–10 = face value.
Jack and Queen = 10 points.
King = 0 points.
A matching pair in the same column cancels out and scores 0.
After 9 rounds, the lowest total wins.

Popular variants

6-card Golf: a 2×3 grid, players start by flipping 2 cards face up, round ends when a player has all cards face up.
Jokers as -2 points.
A penalty for knocking without having the lowest score (for example, doubling your score).
Power cards: in Cambio and Cabo style games, certain cards let you peek or swap when discarded.

Golf with action cards: Schnitzel™

Schnitzel™ is our take on this family of games, with its own 70-card deck. Like 4-card Golf, you start with 4 face-down cards and peek at 2. But discarded action cards do something: Peek, Spy, Swap, Attack, Overwrite, and the Nope card that can cancel anyone’s action or even their call to end the game. Numbers run from -5 to 9, and one X card is worth 666 points.

Instead of knocking you yell “SCHNITZEL!”, and you can win instantly by discarding all your cards. If your family already plays Golf, Schnitzel will feel familiar in one round.

Like Golf? Try the version with sabotage.

Get Schnitzel™

FAQ

How many cards do you deal in Golf?

The most common versions deal 4 cards (2×2) or 6 cards (2×3) per player. This guide covers the 4-card version.

How do you score Golf?

Ace 1, number cards face value, Jack and Queen 10, King 0. A matching pair in a column scores 0. Lowest total after 9 rounds wins.

Can you look at your cards in Golf?

Only at the start: each player looks at 2 of their 4 cards once, then has to remember them.

What is a Golf-style game with special cards?

Cambio and Cabo add power cards to the classic rules. Schnitzel™ is a game with its own deck built around the same idea, adding action cards, the Nope card and the 666-point X.

Golf card game rules: the 4-card version